No Rage Quits: Co-oping Fatherhood

Nostalgic for Smash Bros? Tired of lobbies full of 12 year olds? Just want a place to talk with other dads that isn’t another Zoom call or sitting in a circle of chairs waiting for someone to talk?

No Rage Quits is a weekly support group for gamer dads (and dads who miss playing video games). During each 75 minute session, we’ll talk about life, relationships and fatherhood while playing Mario Kart, Smash Bros, TMNT, Goldeneye and others.

A therapy group with video games?

Yep.

Fatherhood can be a difficult endeavor and often doesn’t leave much room for video games. We give up so much of who we are for our family and it gets overwhelming. This group exists to be a place apart from that. A place where you can connect with other dads, talk about the ups and downs of fatherhood and blow off some steam playing Super Smash Bros.

I know it sounds a bit too good to be true, but this is a therapy group backed up by research into how men form supportive connections with one another. It’s also led by Therapy for Dads founder and veteran Dark Souls player, Josh Millrod, LCAT, MT-BC.

We meet in Merrick, NY at The Nesting Place on Wednesday nights at 7:15 pm and the group is limited to 6 members. Each session is 75 minutes and the fee is $65. New members are required to commit to 6 sessions upfront (at a reduced rate of $330).

If you’re curious about joining the group, reach out to joshmillrodlcat@gmail.com to check availability and set up a consultation to see if it’s a good fit.

FAQs

  • Yes. After a brief check-in and mindfulness meditation, we play multiplayer video games until it’s time for a closing check-in.

  • Yes. There’s a long history of non-traditional therapy groups in bars, on hikes and just about any other group activity you can name. The reason why is that it’s actually much easier to form bonds and share freely while engaging in some shared passion. The traditional circle of chairs makes for good movies and TV, but is not the only way to do powerful therapeutic work.

  • The roster can change over time, but the staples are games like Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, Ninja Turtles: Wrath of Shredder, X-Men: The Arcade Game and Mario Party. It’s really up to the group though.

  • There’s no single answer for that, but start with why it appeals to you and what you hope to get out of it. Maybe you need support from other men in the same position as you or you feel overwhelmed by the idea of sitting in a circle or on a Zoom meeting.

  • Probably. You’ll need to look into your out-of-network benefits, but there’s a very good chance that you’ll get reimbursed for some portion once you meet your deductible.

Any questions?