Internet Gaming Disorder Treatment For Teens From Maine

Looking for Internet Gaming Disorder Treatment Centers in Maine?

Our program is located in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania and serves teens from Maine, in addition to teens from across the US.  While the length of help varies, we do not believe that substantial change can be achieved in a few short weeks.  Campers typically attend our Internet Gaming Disorder Treatment Center for a school semester or longer. 

Our focus is to help young people learn how to live in tandem with video games, cell phones (smartphones), and other digital devices so that they can be successful with life beyond high school.  Internet gaming addiction and excessive use of screen time technologies is a behavioral problem that has been classified and explained in numerous ways.

According to one researcher (Griffiths, 2005) biopsychosocial processes lead to the development of addiction which includes several components.  Here are the common issues we see at Camp Pocono Trails:

  • The behavior is salient (the individual is preoccupied with gaming, TV, social media, or related screen activities).
  • The individual uses the behavior in order to modify their mood (ie, gaming is used to escape reality or create the feeling of euphoria).
  • Tolerance develops (the individual needs increasingly more time to feel the same effect).
    Withdrawal symptoms occur upon discontinuation of the behavior (the individual feels anxious, depressed, and irritable if they are prevented from playing).
  • Interpersonal and intrapersonal conflict develops as a consequence of the behavior (the individual has problems with their relationship, job, and hobbies, and lack of success in abstinence).

Gaming Disorder help from Camp Pocono Trails will address all of these issues and more.  Our licensed clinical staff attend regular team meetings with our academic staff, milieu staff, and recreation staff.  We are a summer camp fully focused on video game and screen overuse issues. If your teen from Maine has any of the above symptoms, please reach out to us today.

We Help Maine Families Learn How To Provide Structure for Internet Addiction

It™s much easier to develop new habits if the environment is conducive to change.  At our Gaming Disorder Treatment Center, we start out by providing a technology-free environment and slowly reintroduce campers to smartphones and the internet.  We work on social skills, anger management, and developing structure before the technology is reintroduced.

We also provide a family component to set the child up for success.  Parents participate in family therapy sessions with your child’s assigned counselor while at Camp Pocono Trails.  We also teach parents how to best support their child at home.

While not the primary focus of the program, we can teach parents how to set controls to limit game time.  Parents need to be careful to avoid a limiting-only approach. Limiting game time needs to be done in conjunction with developing the motivation to pursue other activities as well.

We help Maine families prepare the home for the student’s transition back.  Ensuring your child’s success back at home and for life after their teen years is our top priority.

Gaming Disorder Treatment Center: Individual Therapy for Maine Teens

At Camp Pocono Trails, we support individual therapy.  We can work in tandem with therapists back home in Maine to ensure a smooth continuity of care.  We also recommend our families engage in family therapy sessions while your child is in attendance.  This is done during workshop weekends. 

However, sometimes a teen just needs a higher level of help than outpatient therapy can provide.  For outpatient therapy to be effective, the student needs to engage with the therapist. For example, most behavioral therapists have the student journal or track behaviors in order to change behaviors.  

If a student is unwilling to do these most basic components of help, parents should look at going up to the next level of intervention.  This can be a help center like Camp Pocono Trails which specializes in video game addiction help.

Military boarding schools or short-term options like camps for video game addiction help should be avoided.  Change takes time, and a punitive approach can result in a child pushing back against authority.

If Your Maine  Need Only Feels Successful Online, Now is the Time for Help

Consider the cost of doing nothing.  If you send your child off to college not prepared to deal with unstructured time, how likely will they be in the 50% that fail to graduate college?  Consider the cost of wasted tuition, wasted time, and the cost of supporting your child back at home if they fail to thrive. Investing in Camp Pocono Trails is insignificant compared to the cost of failure.  

Best of all, we teach managing screen time in an actual school atmosphere.  Your child will be engaging in nature activities, sports, arts, and so much more.  There is no better setting to prepare a child for the independence to live successfully after high school.

Now is the time for action.  If your teen is having negative interactions with others in school and missing out on social interactions, the window of opportunity is fast closing.  At Camp Pocono Trails, we can provide those corrective experiences your child needs to put them on the right path in life.

Who does Camp Pocono Trails help?

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

Resources

Internet Gaming Disorder Resource: Playstation Controls

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.  At our Gaming Disorder Treatment Center, parents learn how to monitor their student’s online activities.

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/

Internet Gaming Disorder Resource: Follow Online Safety Tips

 

One important tip for video games or online digital media is to watch it or play together with your child.  Do not let your child keep their game system in their bedroom. Instead, keep your video game system in shared family spaces to stay familiar with how your children are using it. You can assist your student to make smart entertainment choices by discussing the game or media together.  One good way to start is to watch a Youtube œplaythrough video before you purchase a game.

Communicate. Make online activity a daily topic of conversation.  Ask your children questions about playing new games, meeting new people online, favorite websites and other interests. Encourage your child to ask questions, too.

Set guidelines. Determine what video gaming and online rules work best for your family, and work with your children to establish technology rules.  Examine if violence is part of the game your child wants to play. How often does violence appear? Is it rewarded in some way? It™s up to individual families to make the right choices for their child in regards to what they want their student exposed to.  At our Gaming Disorder Treatment Center, we can help parents learn how to make the best decisions in regards to digital media for their child.

Camp Pocono Trails Helps Maine Families From Cities Such As:

Some examples of cities from Maine which may have families who could use Camp Pocono Trails: Portland Islesboro Phippsburg West Bath Bowdoinham