Not Just Fun: Geek Culture, Play, and Identity Repair with LGBTQIA+ Clients

Pop and geek culture are often dismissed in clinical settings as entertainment or superficial engagement strategies. From a play therapy perspective, however, symbolic play, storytelling, and imaginative identification are primary mechanisms through which clients of all ages communicate, regulate, and construct meaning. For many LGBTQIA+ clients, pop and geek culture function as developmentally and culturally relevant forms of symbolic play that support identity development, emotional regulation, and narrative repair.

This full-day play therapy training examines how geek and pop culture operate as symbolic language within the therapeutic process and how play therapists can intentionally and ethically integrate these elements into treatment with their clients of all ages. Grounded in play therapy theory, the Therapeutic Powers of Play, and culturally responsive practice, participants will explore how fandom, characters, and story-based play can facilitate self-expression, increase psychological flexibility, and strengthen the therapeutic relationship.

Through experiential activities, case conceptualization, and self-of-the-therapist reflection, participants…