Aspen Academy’s expert on video gaming addiction

Aspen Academy’s expert on video gaming addiction, Aaron Shaw, was quoted in U.S. News & World Report regarding wilderness therapy as an effective treatment for teen gaming addiction:

In this country, some families are turning to wilderness therapy. The Aspen Education Group, a California-based organization that treats underachievers from around the country, provides young people ages 11 to 18 with a back-to-nature approach to ending their gaming obsessions. "At home when they have frustrations, they go to their video games," says therapist Aaron Shaw. "Here they have cold weather, hiking." By being away from their screens for seven to nine weeks, he says, "they learn some healthier coping mechanisms." Shaw first tries to discover kids' reasons for playing; often, he finds, it's to find freedom and fun and out of a need for greater acceptance from their parents. (If Mom is always nagging that games are a waste of time, notes Shaw, "they say: 'Screw you, my friends online love me, and I'll hang out with them.'")

Aspen Academy’s JCAHO-accredited wilderness therapy program offers an effective intervention for teens who are obsessively playing video and computer games, or who have an Internet addiction.

You can read more of Aaron’s insights into this growing problem:

Addicted to the Xbox: The Reason behind the Obsession with Video Games

The Most Addictive Types of Video Games

Why World of Warcraft is the Most Addictive Videogame

If you would like to discuss any concerns you might have with your teen’s gaming behavior, please call us at 800.283-8334.