Online Gaming Help for Teens From Michigan

Looking for Online Gaming Help in Michigan?

Our program is located in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania and serves teens from Michigan, in addition to teens from across the US.  Campers typically attend out Residential Treatment Center for video game addiction for a school semester or longer. summer camp for video game addiction

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.  At our summer camp for video game addiction, we start out by providing a technology-free environment and slowly reintroduce campers to smartphones and the internet.  We work on social skills, academic 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.

Our professional staff includes therapists, teachers, and program specialists.  Based in a home-like setting, we help teenagers develop the motivation and drive to reinvent their lives and set goals for life after high school.

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.

At our summer camps for video game addiction, we help Michigan 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.

Video Game Disorder: First Steps for Michigan Families.

The first step for Michigan 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 Michigan 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

Michigan Teens Can Find Success at Our Online Gaming Help

Internet gaming disorder is a serious issue in Michigan.  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:
– Trauma
– Low Self Esteem
– Autism Spectrum
– Social isolation
– Family Conflict
– Social Issues
– School Refusal
– Video game addiction
– Anxiety
– ADHD
– Technology Addiction
– Depression
– Addictive Behaviors
– Poor Communication Skills
– Impulse Control
– Social Anxiety Disorder

Resources

Video Game Addiction: First Steps

Many gamers that come to Camp Pocono Trails use a Steam account to manage their game settings.  Here is a comprehensive guide for parents to manage your child’s Steam account.

Steam: Setting up Family View


We encourage you to create a Steam account with your child. If there are features of Steam that you would like to exclude from the experience, you can restrict access using Family View. You may also choose to enable Family View on your own Steam account if you would rather they share your Steam Account.

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=5149-EOPC-9918


To enable Family View:

  • Log into the Steam account your child will use.
  • Click the Steam menu in the top menu bar.
  • Open the Settings option.
  • Go to the “Family” tab on the left side of the window that opens.
  • Click œFamily View to start the Family View wizard.
  • Step through the wizard to select the content and features you™d like to be accessible while in PIN-protected Family View.
  • Select and confirm your new PIN.

With any gaming company, we recommend you check game ratings and actually have your child demonstrate the game before allowing any unsupervised play.  You can also go on Youtube to watch a game œwalk through to see how violence and adult themes are portrayed.

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 Michigan

Camp Pocono Trails helps Michigan families from cities and towns like Franklin Grosse Pointe Shores Orchard Lake Birmingham Bloomfield Hills Bingham Farms Oakland Northville Township Beverly Hills East Grand Rapids