Online Gaming Help for Teens From Louisiana

Online Gaming Help for Louisiana Teens

Louisiana families seek our summer camp for video game addiction because of our unique ability to adapt to the academic curriculum for Louisiana campers.  Our residential video game addiction help center helps campers develop the internal drive and motivation to focus on academics- not the latest video game. summer camp for video game addiction

At the core of our summer camp is the belief that help should not be punitive.  We take a natural approach, reconnecting teens with nature, friends, and themselves over time. Video game addiction help is not a simple as taking away the student’s video game system.  Screens are everywhere, and teens have become very sophisticated at bypassing

One thing we hear a lot at Camp Pocono Trails is a child’s belief that, œAll my friends are online, so if you take this away from me, I would be all alone.  Video game addiction help is not an œall-or-nothing issue. At Camp Pocono Trails, we take a harm reduction approach. This means educating the student on the harmful effects of certain online activities including:

  • Online pornography
  • Video game violence
  • How violence is portrayed in certain games
  • How gender roles are portrayed in certain games
  • How playing games without set boundaries can interfere with academics, social practice, or achieving your life goals

Using a harm reduction approach, Camp Pocono Trails campers become enlightened as to the habit-forming qualities of video games and social media, in addition to how exposure to different types of online media can change your perceptions of violence or gender roles.

Components of Online Gaming Help

Teens at Camp Pocono Trails receive individual and group therapy for video game addiction and internet overuse habits. We have licensed therapists helping teens develop insight and commit to new routines in life.

We also have family therapy sessions where we help parents best support their teen upon their transition home from Camp Pocono Trails.  We discuss in family sessions how parents can reinforce positive feelings when a child sticks to their behavioral contract and we also encourage parents to reinforce negative feelings when the child fails to live up to behavioral expectations.

At Camp Pocono Trails, we focus on meeting each student’s individual needs. We use Maslow™s Hierarchy of Needs as a phase progression model. According to Maslow, humans need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance among social groups, regardless of whether these groups are large or small. For example, some large social groups may include clubs, co-workers, religious groups, professional organizations, sports teams, gangs, and online communities. Some examples of small social connections include family members, intimate partners, mentors, colleagues, and confidants.

Humans need to love and be loved by others.  Many people become susceptible to loneliness, social anxiety, and clinical depression in the absence of this love or belonging element. This need for belonging may overcome the physiological and security needs, depending on the strength of the peer pressure.

By creating a positive peer environment, your teen to connect with others in a face-to-face setting- without the use of screens.

Video Game Disorder: First Steps for Louisiana Families.

The first step for Louisiana families is to sit down with your teenager and discuss your concerns. Don™t criticize or blame.  Simply express your concern and create a dialog about the topic. A teen will more likely change if the influence is positive and supportive versus critical in nature.  Treatment for video game disorder starts with building empathy with the child and expressing genuine concern.

Agreeing on limits is a great next step to help Louisiana families that have a teen experiencing video game disorder.  It™s important for the teen to understand the reason for the limits, however. Have the teen write up a contract with your input that outlines when they can have screen time, and begin the contract with a statement of purpose.

It™s very easy for parents of teens to fall into the habit of nagging.  Nagging is the knee-jerk response to seeing a behavior you don™t like. But teens, in general, don™t respond well to nagging.  Also, as we all know, as soon as the nagging stops, the teen™s behavior resumes.

A better approach is to acknowledge the issue and let the teen know you are there to talk about it when they are ready.  Teens need to find an identity with an interest that appeals to them. At our summer camp for video game addiction, we have a wide range of experiences for our campers including:

  • Mountain biking
  • Model rockets
  • Hiking
  • Drone flying
  • Music and art
  • Sports and fitness
  • Beach activities

Louisiana Teens Can Find Success at Our Online Gaming Help

Internet gaming disorder is a serious issue in Louisiana.  Fortunately, at our summer camp for video game addiction, we help our campers build motivation by finding replacement activities that are healthy and more productive than mindlessly browsing the internet, watching Youtube, or playing endless hours of video games.

It™s been our experience that after the initial detox period, campers find replacement activities quickly and can transfer their feelings of success online to an offline world.  Young minds are able to quickly adapt as routines and interests changes- especially if there is peer support helping the teen along.

We™ve found some unique ways to transfer online skills to the real world.  For example- campers engage in drone races using controllers much like an XBox controller.  The difference is that they are outside, and racing through obstacles as part of a team.

Who does Camp Pocono Trails help?

Camp Pocono Trails helps teens struggling with issues similar to those below:
– Social Anxiety Disorder
– Impulse Control
– Family Conflict
– Anxiety
– Social isolation
– Autism Spectrum
– Depression
– ADHD
– Poor Communication Skills
– Addictive Behaviors
– Video game addiction
– Trauma
– School Refusal
– Low Self Esteem
– Technology Addiction
– Social Issues

Resources

Online Gaming Help: Microsoft Support

Think about it- if you just limit your child’s use of technology at home, how likely will they be able to manage their use independently when they go off to college, or when they move out of the house and start their first job?  Below is a resource to help your child develop structure, but without the intrinsic motivation to change, you setting up limits alone may only go so far.

Microsoft Family: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12413/microsoft-account-what-is-family

Microsoft family is just one of the many benefits of having a Microsoft account. It™s a free service that helps families stay connected, and keep kids safer on Windows 10 and Xbox One devices, along with Android devices running Microsoft Launcher. You™ll find settings like activity reporting, screen time limits, location sharing, and content restrictions on account.microsoft.com/family, where you can also track kids™ spending and add money to their Microsoft accounts.

 

Online Gaming Help: Strategize for Success

If we simply take the strategy of putting external controls on gaming or internet-connected devices, we have done nothing to develop the child’s ability to self-regulate their gaming or browsing behavior independently. However, if you need to put up some structure now, here is a guide for setting up Playstation spending limits and gaming times:

How to set parental controls and spending limits on PS4: https://www.playstation.com/en-au/get-help/help-library/my-account/parental-controls/ps4-parental-controls/

By creating a sub-account for your child you can prevent them from accessing PlayStation Store content that is unsuitable for their age, user-generated content and online gameplay. You can also stop your associated sub account from making purchases without your consent.

In this article you can learn about the parental controls available on PlayStation products: https://www.playstation.com/en-au/get-help/help-library/my-account/parental-controls/age-ratings-and-parental-controls/

Camp Pocono Trails helps families from Louisiana

Camp Pocono Trails helps Louisiana families from cities and towns like Eden Isle Geismar Belle Chasse Madisonville Woodworth Mandeville River Ridge Benton Prairieville Metairie