Geek Therapeutics

Dr. Anthony Bean is a Licensed Clinical Depth Psychologist, video game researcher, and the Executive Director at The Telos Project, a thriving nonprofit mental health clinic in Fort Worth, Texas which focuses on video gamers and their families. He has been consulted as an expert for CNN, Inverse, Polygon, and internationally for Gehirn & Geist, while also appearing on Radio, Podcasts, and being a sought after Keynote Speaker and conference speaker in the United States, Canada, and Russia. He holds a Doctorate in Philosophy in Clinical Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute and specialize in the therapeutic implications of video games and gaming, working with children and adolescents, and the use of video game character identification as a therapeutic technique. He has also authored multiple academic articles, book chapters, and the two books Working with Video Gamers and Games in Therapy: A Clinician’s Guide (Routledge, 2018) and The Psychology of Zelda: Linking Our World to the Legend of Zelda Series (Ben Bella, 2019) while being active on twitter (@VideoGameDoc).

Dr. Ryan Kelly is an author, psychologist, graphic novelist, and co-founder of Geeks Like Us, an inclusive community based media company that aims to help geeks flourish. Before working in private practice, “Dr. K.” worked in academia at the University of South Carolina, at a neuropsychological practice, and within schools (Title I, ESL) and hospitals in North and South Carolina. He is an award-winning researcher and college instructor, and is co-creator and illustrator of Max Gamer, the first autistic superhero comic book. His research focuses largely on innovative models of mental health (e.g., the “Dual-Factor Model”), youth well-being (e.g., contributing author to the Handbook of Child Well-Being), and developing table-top and video games to improve standard social skill interventions for those on the Autism Spectrum. As an acclaimed pioneer in “geek therapy”, Dr. K. travels monthly to comic and gaming conventions to speak on how to use games (e.g., D&D, Video Games), geek culture, and science to help people, and is often featured in popular news outlets and podcasts (e.g., WNBC, Fox, SyFy, Variety, Huffpost, Psychology Today, etc.). More than anything, he wishes he was a space cowboy. He is active on Twitter @DrRKelly.

Joseph Atanasio, PsyD is a person-centered licensed psychologist in the state of NY. After graduating from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology with a doctoral degree in Clinical Forensic Psychology, Joe transitioned to working with older adults in a variety of settings including nursing homes, adult care facilities, physical rehabilitation facilities, and assisted living. He has since been engaged in the mental health care of the underserved geriatric population. Dr. Joe has an established private practice in both Queens and Manhattan in NYC. He sees a wide range of clients ages 12 and up, focusing on depression, social anxiety, grief and loss, and stress management. He engages Clients through a variety of therapeutic models, focusing on building emotional awareness through mindfulness practices. Dr Joe is an avid D&D player and Dungeon Master for the past 3 years on his personal time, running groups in-person and online. After seeing the therapeutic potential of such a wonderful and interactive game, he began a 10-week group therapy model using Dungeons and Dragons. He runs older adult, young adult, and teen groups using the tabletop game to build critical thinking skills, social skills, and manage aspects of anxiety and depression.