Psychologist; has anyone been?

[Frostmarrow]

It strikes me that the topic of the psychologist has not been rised at this forum. I have three topics:

1) Psychologists think that role-playing is a powerful tool, and as such should not be used as a toy. Is this right or wrong; when does a RP-session transgress from a game into a treatment? (For example: it seems to me that if you play yourself in a session it becomes more of a treatment that if you play a fictional character.)

2) What can you learn from yourself from seeing a psychologist? Even if you are a sensible person (that is: not certifiable) can you benefit from such an appointment?

3) If a role-player used different analogies from role-playing games to describe his or hers current situation, would that confuse a psychologist? I.e. what if a role-player described herself as a chaotic good type of person; what would the shrink think, say, medicate? (Me, I'm probably NG).

I realise that this is a bit confused, but so is psychology in the first place. What if a patient tried to defend his actions from an alignment point of view, for example? What would happen?

I've never been to a professional to talk about myself and how I lead my life but I guess there must be someone who has. If you have or have heard stories, please share.

[Yes, I've been drinking]

Which of my above bullits do you care to reply to?

 

[Sixchan]

I think that the likely outcome of analysing your life using D&D in front of a psychologist will result in:
a) Confused looks (You're Chaotic Neutral? Huh?).
b) Straightjackets.
c) You Psychologist seeing his own shrink.

 

[Frostmarrow]

I think that the likely outcome of analysing your life using D&D in front of a psychologist will result in:
a) Confused looks (You're Chaotic Neutral? Huh?).
b) Straightjackets.
c) You Psychologist seeing his own shrink.

Please, I'm not a madman. Some of you must have been thinking of these things. I'm not saying that you should go to your shrink screaming that you have a problem with anger-managment due to your barbarian ancestry...

 

[Sixchan]

Please, I'm not a madman. Some of you must have been thinking of these things. I'm not saying that you should go to your shrink screaming that you have a problem with anger-managment due to your barbarian ancestry...

What? You...shouldn't? Ohh...well that would explain a lot then.

 

[Chun-tzu]

1) Psychologists think that role-playing is a powerful tool, and as such should not be used as a toy. Is this right or wrong; when does a RP-session transgress from a game into a treatment? (For example: it seems to me that if you play yourself in a session it becomes more of a treatment that if you play a fictional character.)

Role-playing as a therapeutic tool does not usually involve playing the part of someone else. It's usually practicing how to act in a new situation. It's not that much like playing D&D, despite the similar names.

2) What can you learn from yourself from seeing a psychologist? Even if you are a sensible person (that is: not certifiable) can you benefit from such an appointment?

You can learn quite a bit by seeing a counselor. Yes, anyone can potentially benefit from seeing one. How much benefit depends on what you're looking for, how well you get along with your counselor, and how long you see him/her.

Psychologists have certain expertise in relationships (romantic, familial, and all other kinds), depression and anxiety, stress management, and many other areas. Unless all your relationships are perfect and there is no stress in your life, there's plenty of use you can get out of counseling.

3) If a role-player used different analogies from role-playing games to describe his or hers current situation, would that confuse a psychologist? I.e. what if a role-player described herself as a chaotic good type of person; what would the shrink think, say, medicate? (Me, I'm probably NG).

I realise that this is a bit confused, but so is psychology in the first place. What if a patient tried to defend his actions from an alignment point of view, for example? What would happen?

Yes, most psychologists wouldn't be familiar with the alignment system in D&D, and wouldn't understand what you meant by it.

 

[LostSoul]

I see a psychiatrist on a semi-regular basis, so I'll answer.

1) I haven't ever role-played as a psychological tool, but my shrink knows that I play D&D and he thinks that it's great for a number of reasons.

2) I think that anybody can learn something from seeing somebody. It helps to have someone to talk to about things. You can learn about yourself and about how to deal with difficult situations.

3) I think that a shrink would be confused about the alignment system, not being familiar with it. If you explained the system, I don't know what would happen. Probably the shrink would have you look into it and ask why you see things that way. Or maybe they wouldn't even care about it and focus on other things.

 

[WayneLigon]

It strikes me that the topic of the psychologist has not
been rised at this forum. I have three topics:

1) Psychologists think that role-playing is a powerful tool


As has been pointed out, they're not the same thing at all.


2) What can you learn from yourself from seeing a psychologist? Even if you are a sensible person (that is: not certifiable) can you benefit from such an appointment?


'Sensible' and 'not certifiable' are not the same thing, by a long shot Most people could benefit from some therapy if for no other reason than to have a neutral party listen to them and offer some guidence. The key feature here is to listen and shop around, just like you'd look for a new physician. There are good practitioners out there, but there are also incompetants and the just plain dangerous, just like with any other profession.


3) If a role-player used different analogies from role-playing games to describe his or hers current situation, would that


They'd probably just look at you funny, unless they were a gamer themselves. Especially if you described yourself in alignment terms.


I realise that this is a bit confused, but so is psychology in the first place. What if a patient tried to defend his actions from an


Not really confused at all; if there is any confusion, it's a constant misrepresentation of psychological principles and ideas by both incompetant practitioners and the press.

 

[Delemental]

I decided I should probably chime in on this, seeing as I am a therapist. Oh, and just to clear up one possible confusion:

Psychologist - person with a doctorate degree in psychology. Among their specialties is the training to administer certain tests (IQ tests, personality tests, etc).

Psychiatrist - person with a medical degree specializing in psychology. These are the folks who prescribe medications like Prozac.

Counselor/Therapist - someone like me, who has a master's degree in psychology. Similar training as the previous two, but we can't write prescriptions or administer an IQ test.

Social Worker - like a counselor, but depending on the education they recieved, many social workers focus more on social systems.

Keep in mind that these are very broad generalizations, and will vary greatly depending on an individual practitioner's training, work environment, and their treatment approach. I just tend to see a lot of people confused over which is which (I've had people get upset with me when I tell them I can't prescribe their Prozac).

It strikes me that the topic of the psychologist has not been rised at this forum. I have three topics:

1) Psychologists think that role-playing is a powerful tool, and as such should not be used as a toy. Is this right or wrong; when does a RP-session transgress from a game into a treatment? (For example: it seems to me that if you play yourself in a session it becomes more of a treatment that if you play a fictional character.)

The difference between therapeutic and recreational role-playing has already been discussed. Therapeutic role-playing is usually used to work through difficult problems in a 'safer' environmment. As far as someone playing 'themselves' in an RPG as a form of treatment, I could see it happening, but it's definitely something that a GM should put an immediate stop to, even if the GM happens to be trained in mental health (a gaming session is not a 'safe' environment for this kind of thing).

2) What can you learn from yourself from seeing a psychologist? Even if you are a sensible person (that is: not certifiable) can you benefit from such an appointment?

Seeing a counselor can be of great benefit to anyone, especially if you have an area of your life which has been problematic and you could benefit from a neutral party helping you to resolve it. A common misconception is that therapy is for "crazy people" - when in fact it can help with a variety of everyday problems (sometimes - and I know this is hard to believe - it can even be done without involving medications <gasp>).

I'll echo the previous advice - if you do decide to seek counseling, shop around. Practitioners vary greatly in their competence, of course, but also in their approach to their work. It's important to find someone you feel comfortable with. Remember, it's your money, and your therapist is, in effect, working for you.

A caveat, however. 'Effective' treatment does not always mean 'pleasant'. Sometimes a therapist's job is to help you confront things about yourself that are getting in your way, which means sometimes you end up hearing things you don't like.

3) If a role-player used different analogies from role-playing games to describe his or hers current situation, would that confuse a psychologist? I.e. what if a role-player described herself as a chaotic good type of person; what would the shrink think, say, medicate? (Me, I'm probably NG).

I realise that this is a bit confused, but so is psychology in the first place. What if a patient tried to defend his actions from an alignment point of view, for example? What would happen

Assuming the psychologist is not familiar with RPG's, they'd ask you to explain what you meant by your statements. Even if it was someone like me (who does play RPGs), I'd probably ask for that explanation anyway, because what you mean by "chaotic good" may be different from what I think it means (part of being an effective therapist, IMO, is trying to maintain impartiality by minimizing assumptions).

As far as what would happen, it depends greatly on what exactly the situation was. Someone who was describing themselves as chaotic good as a way to explain their personality or outlook on life wouldn't get much of a reaction from me. Someone who told me that it was okay to kill people on the street because they were neutral evil and were supposed to have a callous disregard for life could end up with a one-way ticket to a hospital.

 

[Michael Tree]

I'm a doctoral student in clinical psychology, with experience as a therapist, so I'll try to answer these from a psychologist's point of view.

1) Psychologists think that role-playing is a powerful tool, and as such should not be used as a toy. Is this right or wrong; when does a RP-session transgress from a game into a treatment? (For example: it seems to me that if you play yourself in a session it becomes more of a treatment that if you play a fictional character.)

Others have rightly pointed out that theraputic roleplaying doesn't involve pretending to be someone else, but to practice responding to social situations in the safety of the therapist's office. For example, if a person is having problems communicating their feelings with their spouse, they could roleplay talking to them with the therapist playing the role of the spouse. Another example would be a person who gets anxious when meeting new people. That person could roleplaying meeting a new person, to practice social skills that he has learned in the therapy and to reduce the anxiety through practice.

2) What can you learn from yourself from seeing a psychologist? Even if you are a sensible person (that is: not certifiable) can you benefit from such an appointment?

Definitely. Unless you are perfect (and if you believe you are perfect, you probably have problems ) there is always something to work on. Most people who see psychologists aren't certifiable in the Hollywood sense. Many have problems relating to family and friends, or have anxiety over some everyday events, or have found themselves "in a rut" that they don't know how to get out of, or feel dissatisfied with their life and/or don't know where they're headed.

Also note that therapy doesn't just involve "learning from yourself", though that is a major part of some forms of therapy. There's also a lot of behavioral analysis - determining the outside factors that influence your feelings and behavior, analysis of the social systems you live in with all the various influences and interactions, and training in social skills and coping skills. As an analogy, there are as many forms of therapy as there are of RPGs. Assuming that all therpay is of the Freudian "tell me about your mother" type is akin to assuming that all RPG games are of the "bash down the door, kills the monster, and take their stuff" type.

3) If a role-player used different analogies from role-playing games to describe his or hers current situation, would that confuse a psychologist? I.e. what if a role-player described herself as a chaotic good type of person; what would the shrink think, say, medicate? (Me, I'm probably NG).

Most psychologists wouldn't have a clue what the person's talking about, unless the therapost is a gamer. This isn't a big deal though, as it's not uncommon for clients to use analogies that their therapist isn't familar with. For example, one patient of mine described the way they felt in terms of a specific problem with a car engine. I know nothing about automotive mechanics, so we had to find another analogy that made sense to both of us.

If a client of mine described themselves in terms of an alignment, I would ask them why they thought they were that alignment. Gamers rarely agree what the different alignments stand for, and in any case what the person belives about themselves is far more important than the label they use.

I realise that this is a bit confused, but so is psychology in the first place. What if a patient tried to defend his actions from an alignment point of view, for example? What would happen?

If you mean something like "sure I acted badly, but then I'm CN so that's how I should act", then I would be concerned about their reality testing abilities. A person who uses a construct from a fictional game in real life may be lacking important judgement about the seperation of real things from imaginary things. (This is not neccessarily the case though. It could also be that the person is using alignment to justify their actions to themselves, or numerous other possibilities).

In any case, I would ask them further questions why they believed that their "alignment" justified their actions. Again, the label that they use to justify a behavior isn't nearly as important as the reasoning they used to achieve that label.

I'm curious why you said that psychology is confused. Psychology gets a weird treatment in the media, so most people have a distorted view of what it's all about. (As an analogy, how close is D&D's portrayal in movies, TV shows, and the news to the actual realities of playing D&D?)