Leveling Up Your Game: The Use of Video Games as a Therapeutic Modality

This article introduces and begins to explore the use of video game technology in a therapeutic setting, providing context, rationale, and an introduction to the culture of video game players. Through the lens of play therapy, authors seek to create an awareness of the potential effectiveness of video games as a means of fostering safe self-exploration for the client. An introductory course on gaming culture and terminology is offered to better aid in the therapist’s integration and facilitation of this new modality into practice.     

Using Popular Film to Teach Multicultural Counseling: A Constructivist Approach

The use of popular film as an experiential teaching tool in multicultural counselor education has been well documented. However, existing research has been limited. The purpose of this study is to implement a unique pedagogic intervention using popular films and to study how counseling students experience the activity as part of their multicultural counseling training. The researchers utilized the popular films Crash and Precious to stimulate student dialogue and reflection on topics pertaining to race, culture, privilege, and social justice. The findings indicate that popular films, when implemented in conjunction with reflective learning activities, are effective in promoting students’ multicultural and social justice counseling competencies. Participants reported that the pedagogic activity was effective in bringing to life the multicultural course concepts and stimulating difficult but necessary conversations about race, ethnicity, privilege, and power. Finally, implications of this study could further inform the field of multicultural counselor education.     

Already here: Metaverse in touch and sound

This commentary questions two common assumptions underlying discussions of how digital technology can enrich the consumer experience. First, broad conceptualizations tend to accommodate augmented reality and virtual reality under a single metaverse umbrella. This commentary draws attention to differences between the two and to the present-day prevalence of augmented reality experiences. Second, discussions of the metaverse tend to focus on visual experiences. This commentary draws attention to the impact that augmented reality is having through other senses. I argue that augmented reality experiences are ubiquitous because smartphones and wearables enrich our everyday life with haptic and sonic information.     

Economic deprivation,experiential deprivation and social loneliness in unemployed and employed youth

One hundred and forty‐eight youth were allocated to one of four occupational sub‐groups: 47 unemployed with no access to paid work; 32 unemployed with access to some paid work; 30 unemployed with access to regular paid work; and 39 full‐time employed. All participants were assessed for levels of Economic Deprivation, Experiential Deprivation, Social Loneliness and Psychological Distress. Results indicated that Economic Deprivation and Experiential Deprivation varied according to occupational status, with those full‐time employed having the least deprivation and those not attached to the work‐force experiencing the most. Levels of deprivation were related to levels of Psychological Distress. Social Loneliness also varied across the occupational groupings. The unemployed with access to regular paid work experienced the least Social Loneliness; the unemployed with no paid work experienced the most. Lastly, both Economic and Experiential Deprivation were able to predict Psychological Distress; only Experiential Deprivation was able to predict Social Loneliness. Results are discussed in the context of Jahoda's ( 1982 ) deprivation model and Weiss's ( 1973 , 1974 ) social loneliness model. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Consumer Well-Being (CWB): The Effects of Self-Image Congruence, Brand-Community Belongingness, Brand Loyalty, and Consumption Recency

Consumer well-being (CWB) refers to the extent to which a particular consumer good or service creates an overall perception of the quality-of-life impact of that product. We developed a model that posits that CWB related to a specific product is heavily influenced by self-image congruence and brand-community belongingness. Self-image congruence is also hypothesized to influence CWB moderated by brand loyalty. Similarly, brand-community belongingness is hypothesized to influence CWB moderated by consumption recency. Our survey data of 275 undergraduate students reporting on their coffee consumption showed the following: (1) CWB was significantly predicted by brand loyalty and brand-community belongingness; (2) the effect of brand loyalty on CWB was moderated by self-image congruence, and (3) the effect of brand-community belongingness was moderated by consumption recency.     

Being in Berlin: A large group experience in the Berlin Congress

In July 2007, the International Psychoanalytic Congress convened for the first time since the war in the former Nazi capital, Berlin. An open large group forum was held at this meeting, where attendees (Jewish, German and others) had the opportunity to explore the emotional aspects stirred up by being in Berlin. Hundreds of people participated in the event and described it as the 'heart of the Congress'. We examine several aspects of the event, including the passions stirred, the containment of the setting, and the voices present and absent.