Addictions - Online Gaming, Cross Cultural Issues Group Therapy

Addictions - Online Gaming, Cross Cultural Issues

Online gaming addiction affects people of all ages, including children. As with other addictions, online gaming addicts use computer or video games as an escape from the problems in their lives. Games offer players complete control, and this intoxicating world causes their brains to release endorphins that cause a high similar to what drug addicts experience.

There is a specific danger attached to children with online gaming addiction, as they are often so attached to virtual reality that they have lost their ability to communicate naturally and comfortably with real people. In cases where children become addicted at a very young age, they may never have developed that ability at all.

It is often hard for people to quit something when it's always in front of you and when everyone else is doing it. Online gaming addiction involves players thinking about and wanting to play games all the time, and getting angry when they can't. They may be unable to talk about anything that doesn't involve gaming and as a result, it will impact on relationships. Adults with online gaming addiction may spend a lot of money on buying games and peripherals and enter tournaments and more. It may affect their work and family lives as well.

The therapists below are some of the few who acknowledge this "new" phenomenon, and they use a range of treatment approaches to help people with online gaming addiction. They will challenge beliefs that steer harmful behaviors and help patients to develop coping skills. Behavioral changes are implemented using a step-by-step method while dealing with underlying issues, such as social anxiety, depression and other issues.

Since online gaming addiction often goes hand-in-hand with other conditions, such as pornography addiction or online gambling, it is important to find a therapist who can help with that too.

If you need a counsellor or psychologist to help you address the effects of online gaming addiction, you can search the directory below to find a professional with the approach best suited to your situation.

Cross cultural issues affect the way in which we experience life. Our culture is determined by more than our food, music and language. Family relationships, gender roles, sexual expression, concept of time, humour, politeness and common sense are just some of the elements that are influenced by our spiritual and religious background, ethnicity and race.

Cross cultural issues usually become more pronounced when we move or immigrate and become exposed to people from other races and religions. It's common to feel different, and to lose your sense of self-esteem. Being bicultural or multicultural means that you may be confused about your allegiance to more than one community.  

Relationships can also bring out the worst of cross cultural issues. Behaviours that are normal in one culture can seem insensitive, unkind and even obnoxious to the other partner. This can cause serious family, marital or social issues. It has been shown that cross cultural issues can lead to domestic violence, as well as victimization in the community.

If you feel that you don't fit in, lonely, anxious, or even victimized, you should consider getting help. People in cross cultural relationships who feel that their partners are intrusive, removed or unkind can benefit from counselling, too.

Cross cultural issues counselling offers a safe environment for people to explore their own history and the identities that they have developed to survive emotionally in a multicultural society. Therapy is a great tool for multicultural families to find common ground and reshape an identity for the family as individual members and as a family unit. Done individually or in a group setting, there are many ways in which to help a person to keep their own identities in a multicultural world.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who can help address your cross cultural issues you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.
 

Group Therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy

Group Therapy is generally offered in a setting with a single therapist and a group of up to around twelve participants who share a common or related issue. Therapists sometimes suggest group therapy if a group format suits the person or the issue better, or if the treatment type has a group therapy aspect, such as art therapy or dialectical behaviour therapy.

By observing other people in group therapy, a person can receive helpful feedback from other group members. These varied perspectives can help to promote change and growth. Group therapy helps people to develop better coping methods by learning from others. By seeing how other group therapy members handle situations, people can follow their examples and grow from that.

Group therapy is generally more affordable and at the same time, it allows people to learn better social skills.

If you are looking for a therapist who offers Group Therapy, please browse our list of practitioners below..

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy encompasses a range of six principles that aim to help clients develop greater psychological flexibility. The six principles include:

1. Cognitive defusion help to reduce tendencies to regard thoughts, memories and emotions as real and concrete events.

2. Acceptance is about allowing the thoughts to surface and pass without the need to allow them to interfere with daily life.

3.  Being present means being aware of current existence and being involved with the now.

4. Self observation helps the client to be aware of the self and the unchanging consciousness.

5. Exploring values to discover those that are most important to the person.

6. Committed action involves setting goals based on the explored values, and setting actions in place to reach those goals.

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy is a form of cognitive behavioural therapy and is commonly used in therapy, and in it's sub-forms and helpful for a range of conditions, including OCD. If you require Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, have a look at the counsellors listed below.

Psychodynamic Therapy can help clients to become aware of feelings of vulnerability that have been repressed from their conscious awareness. This approach is based on the theory that every person has an unconscious which stores vulnerable and painful emotions that are too deep to handle on a conscious level.

Psychodynamic Therapy addresses the defense mechanisms that  have been developed. Defense mechanisms can sometimes do more harm than good. By resolving vulnerabilities such as repression and denial, painful emotions and memories can be processed in order for the defense mechanisms to be resolved, or reduced.

Therapists use a range of core principles in Psychodynamic Therapy, based on the client's needs. It will help the client to gain perspective while recognizing behaviours, actions, responses and character traits that can be transformed.

If you are looking for a therapist who offers Psychodynamic Therapy, please browse our list of practitioners below..

Note: You may narrow your search by selecting more than one filter below.

Ira Yakubovitz

M.S.W., RSW
    • Online booking
Helping people to find their way through mid-life’s challenges and transitions. Life can be a wonderful mix of challenges and opportunities. Lately it may feel like mostly demands and responsibilities have been... Read more

Saeid Poursaeid

M.A., RCC
I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor and a certified EMDR therapist with the British Columbia School of Professional Psychology. My cultural background affords me a unique insight into immigrants and second-generation... Read more