What if therapy using videogames had existed in the 90s?

Reflections from the BACP CYP & Family Conference

These old passport photos are of me aged about 13 in the 90s. I experienced social anxiety, was labelled a "school refuser", found counselling inaccessible (perhaps because of my neurodivergence), and I loved playing videogames. What if therapy using videogames had existed back then?

There are more children like this now than ever - growing up in digital worlds, and often finding traditional support hard to access.

I shared this at the BACP Children, Young People and Families Conference - which focused on 'Unpacking the Digital Impact on the Young Mind’ - earlier this month, where I presented on using videogames as therapeutic tools. The presentation drew on case material from my recently published article in Wiley's Journal of Family Therapy, co-authored with Mark Rivett - 'Systemic Therapy Through a Pixelated Lens: Using Minecraft in Therapy With Families That Include Autistic Children and Children With ADHD'. You can find out more about the article via this blog post.

As a parent carer to a disabled child, much of my work happens online and getting to events in person isn't always straightforward - but days like this remind me why it's worth making it happen.

I left with a lot to think about. Jeanine Connor's keynote sent me straight to my phone to check how many times a day I pick it up (more than I'd like to admit). She also read Hollie McNish's poem 'Five in Six Boys' - well worth a read. Dr Catherine Knibbs (PhD) FRSA spoke with real passion and expertise about cyber trauma, and Shaun Polley's session on young people and social media was genuinely useful - not just clinically, but as someone who finds social media hard sometimes too.

I'm looking forward to catching Rickiesha Williams, Kel O'Neill, and Victoria Aregbesola (MBACP) on the on-demand service. Sadly, Sanjay Badhan MBACP/GMBPsS's session isn't available on demand - it ran at the same time as mine and I heard wonderful feedback about it.

A huge thank you to the BACP team, to Emma Davies and Claire Harrison-Breed for hosting, and to Emma in particular for hosting my Q&A. There were so many great questions.

PlayMode Academy had an exhibitor stand on the day, and my colleague Jo Strachan-O'Donnell and I had so many conversations - with people trying out the Sandtray Therapy Minecraft World (co-created with Dan Noble), people already doing our training, and people who were uncertain about videogames and digital tools and came with real openness and curiosity.

If you want to watch the presentations, the BACP on-demand service is available until Friday 12th June: https://www.bacp.co.uk/events/cypf2026-bacp-cypf-conference-2026/

And if my session sparked something, you can find out more about PlayMode Academy's trainings here.