The Stellar Counsellor Podcast

Episode 3 - What should I be concerned about when it comes to gaming?

So, what should I be concerned about when it comes to gaming? The most often brought up issues are screen time, cyber bullying, and violence in video gaming. While each of these items are issues, there is a lot more nuance. I will dissect that for you to offer a more well-rounded perspective.  Additionally, the video gaming industry is rapidly evolving, just like technology in general. What may have been popular even five or 10 years ago is no longer the case today.  So first I will break down the four big topics of video game issue: Violence in video games, video game addiction, impact on school performance, and antisocial behavior in online gaming.  
Afterwards, I give an overview of where we as parents should have our radar on a much higher alert. And these are things called dark patterns, or now they're being called deceptive patterns. These are deliberately created experiences by game designers that benefit the game designer at the expense of the gamer, their enjoyment, and often their money. Dark patterns can be divided into four categories: temporal, monetary, social, and psychological.
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Episode 2 - Minecraft, Roblox, Fortnite, Oh My!

I explore the similarities and differences between Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite. The complexity of these games is often intimidating to parents, especially those parents that don't consider themselves gamers. I will highlight some of the strengths and some of the areas where you may want to keep a wary eye. Additionally, I will provide an overview of the parental controls available so you can feel confident you are protecting your child.

The Stellar Counsellor Podcast

The Family Narrative episode breaks down the Stellar Counsellor's initial approach after intake. When it comes to helping your kid it starts by understanding the family home. What are the systems, structures, routines, and values currently in place. If we are going to ask the child to make changes, we need to understand the system that they are operating in. Often, the system itself may be producing or contributing to the problematic behaviour.