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Offered in-person & online

Our therapists offer help for video game addiction in Westminster, CO

Get in-person or online care, and cover the majority of the costs with your insurance.

All Westminster services

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686,000 people sought help with Thriveworks in the last year

Discover how starting video game addiction counseling can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.

Meet with a provider as soon as this week

ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS

Aetna, Carelon, Cigna | Evernorth, +15 more
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As your therapist, my role is to provide you with a safe space in which you can identify and achieve your personal, therapeutic, and spiritual goals t... As your therapist, my role is to provide you with a safe space in which you can identify and achieve your personal, therapeutic, and spiritual goals through the collaborative and unique relationship between therapist and clinician. Read more

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ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS

Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Colorado | BCBS, Blue Cross Blue Shield | Anthem (Blue Card), +18 more
LGBTQIA+, Self Esteem, ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, +1 more

As a counselor serving school aged children for over 10 years, I am able to empathize and relate well to younger clients.

ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS

Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Colorado | BCBS, Blue Cross Blue Shield | Anthem (Blue Card), +19 more
Military / Veteran, Anger, Behavioral Issues, Coping Skills, Men’s Issues, +11 more

I congratulate you on taking the first big step towards a better life and look forward to being a part of your journey.

Starting Video game addiction counseling

What is Video game addiction counseling?

Thriveworks video game addiction counseling in Westminster, CO helps people who have an obsession with playing video games as well as with the more severe internet gaming disorder. People may have mild, moderate, or severe internet gaming disorder if they struggle to control how often or how long they game. The symptoms of internet gaming disorder may include deceiving loved ones about when and how often they play, thinking constantly about gaming, and using video games as a distraction from real-world problems.

How does Video game addiction counseling work?

Thriveworks video game addiction counseling in Westminster helps those who suffer by assisting them in regaining control over video gaming. In addition, it can help them cope with the negative effects of video game addiction counseling from anxiety to depression, insomnia, and more.

Is Video game addiction counseling conducted in person or online?

Video game addiction counseling at Thriveworks is conducted both in person and through Online therapy. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.

How long does Video game addiction counseling last?

The length of video game addiction counseling depends on the individual's needs as well as the extent and severity of their problem and those that might stem from it. That said, people can make meaningful progress in the first weeks to months of therapy.

Need more help deciding?

Emmett’s friends just texted to see if he wants to meet them at the park to play basketball. No, he tells them, not today. But Emmett did not want to go yesterday either or the day before that or the day before that. Instead, he has been playing his new game, Counter-Strike. For the past few months, Emmett has spent every afternoon playing, and even when he is not playing, he is thinking and talking about it non-stop. Emmett’s parents are concerned. The other day, they discovered him playing in the middle of the night. They think he might have a video game addiction.

Emmett’s parents are not alone. Many teens and adults alike are having difficulty regulating their video game use. Mental health professionals are still researching whether these behaviors fit the strict definition of an addiction, but several things are clear:

  • Many people are turning to online gaming and online personas for connection and relationships.
  • Many people cannot control their video game use.
  • Many people are benefitting from interventions that have traditionally served addicts.

Drawing from the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous, support groups such as Online Gamers Anonymous and Computer Gaming Addicts Anonymous have formed. Many people are coupling these support groups with mental health counseling as they battle their own or their child’s video game habits.

The therapists at Thriveworks Westminster are seeing more and more clients who cannot regulate when, where, and how long they game. If you are playing video games longer and more often than you should, counseling may equip you with the skills to regain control.

Internet Gaming and Impulse Control

People regularly speak of video game addiction, and the behaviors they associate with that term fall under the label, “internet gaming disorder” in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). DSM-5 calls for more study before the disorder can officially be labeled an addiction, but it does give diagnostics for recognizing internet gaming disorder and its severity modifiers.

People may have severe, moderate, or mild internet gaming disorder based upon how many of the following symptoms they present:

  • Prioritizing gaming over time with family and friends or opportunities for education and career advancement.
  • Gaming to avoid real-world difficulties and responsibilities.
  • When not playing, experiencing withdrawal symptoms (moody, irritable, aggressive, depressed, or restless).
  • Failed attempts to quit or cut back gaming.
  • Lying about video game use.
  • Preoccupation with the game, whether playing or not.
  • Alleviating hard emotions (loneliness, guilt, sadness, depression, anxiety, et cetera) with video games.
  • Experiencing tolerance—playing longer and longer without noticing.

In addition to these symptoms, parents should lookout for the following within their teens or children:

  • Incomplete school assignments.
  • Drowsiness throughout the day.
  • Falling grades.
  • Quitting activities.
  • Playing video games alone.

The common denominator in these symptoms is control: can people control their gaming habits or have video games taken control of their lives?

How Does Internet Gaming Disorder Develop?

Mental health professionals are still studying how internet gaming disorder develops, and some posit that the narratives within the games are a contributing factor. In particular, their concern is about compulsion or core loops that set up a series of challenges and rewards where each reward leads immediately into the next challenge. With each reward, the brain also releases dopamine, associating the game with a pleasurable experience.

For example, players in the game, Monster Hunter, face monsters they must slay. When they defeat a particular monster (challenge), they gain that monster’s powers (reward). Those powers can then be used to defeat the next monster (reward ties into the next challenge), and so continues the game. With each victory, dopamine is also released.

The narratives of many games employ compulsion loops, including mobile games, social networking games, and massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPG).

Online Gaming and Real-Life Problems

When people have a hard time regulating their video game use, they may also experience other relational, emotional, and physical problems:

  • Relational problems: If people are lying about their game use, spending excessive money on gaming equipment and fees, or prioritizing gaming over time with loved ones, they are most likely also driving a wedge between themselves and their loved ones.
  • Emotional problems: When people use gaming to escape emotional problems such as their anxiety or depression, these problems may grow worse and more overwhelming.
  • Physical problems: People who play video games compulsively often forget to care for themselves physically, and they may experience poor hygiene, irregular eating habits, sleep disruptions, back pain, Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, dry eyes, and acute headaches.

Talk with a Video Game Addiction Therapist at Thriveworks

Have your child’s gaming habits grown uncontrollable? Is gaming standing in the way of your personal relationships or your career advancement? If so, you are not alone. Many people are struggling, and many people are reaching out for help.

If you are ready to meet with a mental health professional, Thriveworks Westminster has appointments available for video game addiction. We see children, teens, and adults.

When you are ready to reach out, we are ready for you. We accept many forms of insurance, and we offer evening and weekend sessions. Call today to get started.

 

Pricing & insurance

Our therapists accept most major insurances. We accept 585+ insurance plans, and offer self-pay options, too.
Learn more about pricing for therapy and counseling services at Thriveworks.

Our Westminster therapists and counselors accept 23 insurance plans

  • Aetna

  • Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Colorado | BCBS

  • Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Colorado Medicare Advantage

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield | Anthem (Blue Card)

  • Carelon

  • Cigna | Evernorth

  • Cigna | Evernorth EAP

  • Cigna | Evernorth Medicare Advantage

  • Compsych

  • First Health Network

  • Humana Exchange

  • Humana HMO/POS

Show more
Self-pay costs at Westminster
Talk therapy

Talk therapy

Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy

First session

$1

Ongoing sessions

$1

Talk therapy

Psychiatry

Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management

First session

$1

Ongoing sessions

$1

Hear from our clients

4.7 Thriveworks Westminster reviews are collected through Thriveworks.com.
★★★★★
Chris at Thrive Works saved my life. I started at the beginning of the pandemic, by phone, and I didn’t think therapy by phone would have the impact that it did. But I tried for my kids, my marriage, and myself. I can’t say enough good things about Chris. Thank you for everything, and for literally saving my life. I wouldn’t be alive without his counsel.
Read more Chris at Thrive Works saved my life. I started at the beginning of the pandemic, by phone, and I didn’t think therapy by phone would have the impact that it did. But I tried for my kids, my marriage, and myself. I can’t say enough good things about Chris. Thank you for everything, and for literally saving my life. I wouldn’t be alive without his counsel.
Westminster Mar 2021
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
Can't say enough positive things about Thriveworks Counseling and specifically my therapist, Chris. Deeply grateful for this space to work through challenging life situations that I recently went through.
Read more Can't say enough positive things about Thriveworks Counseling and specifically my therapist, Chris. Deeply grateful for this space to work through challenging life situations that I recently went through.
Westminster Apr 2020
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
I am so pleased to find such a skilled an knowledgeable counselor. I have worked in the field for over 25 years and struggle to find such qualified and effective counselor as Jacob. I highly recommend this man for his sage wisdom and warmth.....
Read more I am so pleased to find such a skilled an knowledgeable counselor. I have worked in the field for over 25 years and struggle to find such qualified and effective counselor as Jacob. I highly recommend this man for his sage wisdom and warmth.....
Westminster Apr 2019
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
Jakob Rosenthal is the best therapist I've ever encountered! He gets to the bottom line quickly and kindly, and helps me to understand as well as helps me to have healthy coping mechanisms. I am a better person for having seen him.
Read more Jakob Rosenthal is the best therapist I've ever encountered! He gets to the bottom line quickly and kindly, and helps me to understand as well as helps me to have healthy coping mechanisms. I am a better person for having seen him.
Westminster Mar 2018
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
Initially I saw Jacob for my intake appointment and felt he was really great. I was placed with Kate Kelly and overall she is fabulous. She has helped me live to my full potential. She has helped me sort out my PTSD with childhood and adult trauma, as well as being a great resource for addiction counseling. She was also extremely helpful to point me in the right direction on how to deal with (or escape from) toxic family members. She was also a really great help to me during grief and loss of a loved one. I feel so much better than I did before going to Thriveworks. I'm in a great place now and will be back in the future. I can't thank you enough.
Read more Initially I saw Jacob for my intake appointment and felt he was really great. I was placed with Kate Kelly and overall she is fabulous. She has helped me live to my full potential. She has helped me sort out my PTSD with childhood and adult trauma, as well as being a great resource for addiction counseling. She was also extremely helpful to point me in the right direction on how to deal with (or escape from) toxic family members. She was also a really great help to me during grief and loss of a loved one. I feel so much better than I did before going to Thriveworks. I'm in a great place now and will be back in the future. I can't thank you enough.
Westminster Mar 2018
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
I found them to be very helpful from the first call, visit and therapy. It’s a very warm and inviting office with a great staff.
Read more I found them to be very helpful from the first call, visit and therapy. It’s a very warm and inviting office with a great staff.
Westminster Feb 2018
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
Jacob has helped me much more than any therapist I've ever seen. His skill, insight, and kindness are truly outstanding. Jacob has helped me change my life so that my depression is no longer in charge. His approach is very direct - which may not be for everyone but was perfect for me - but he always acts and speaks with sincere compassion. Thank you, Jacob, you have helped heal me at a level I thought was impossible. Also, Jennifer has always been super wonderful and responsive withheduling and questions. She goes above and beyond to be helpful and kind. Thanks Jennifer! You're awesome.
Read more Jacob has helped me much more than any therapist I've ever seen. His skill, insight, and kindness are truly outstanding. Jacob has helped me change my life so that my depression is no longer in charge. His approach is very direct - which may not be for everyone but was perfect for me - but he always acts and speaks with sincere compassion. Thank you, Jacob, you have helped heal me at a level I thought was impossible. Also, Jennifer has always been super wonderful and responsive withheduling and questions. She goes above and beyond to be helpful and kind. Thanks Jennifer! You're awesome.
Westminster Mar 2017
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
Chris Saxon is a respected colleague who genuinely cares about his clients. He combines his education, vast experience, and authentic caring nature to create a safe environment where peolplecan learn, heal, and grow. I've even recommended Chris to my own family member!
Read more Chris Saxon is a respected colleague who genuinely cares about his clients. He combines his education, vast experience, and authentic caring nature to create a safe environment where peolplecan learn, heal, and grow. I've even recommended Chris to my own family member!
Westminster Mar 2017
Review left on Thriveworks.com

Where to find us

Getting here

Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Westminster is located in the Federal Heights area off of Bryant St. We share a building with Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center, and there is a parking lot just behind us. Next door to us is a larger building that houses St. Anthony North Family Medicine 84th.

Phone number

(302) 253-7942

Languages spoken by CO providers

  • English
Tuesday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Wednesday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Thursday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Friday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Saturday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Sunday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Monday 8:00am - 9:00pm

Shown in ET

Tuesday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Wednesday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Thursday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Friday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Saturday 7:00am - 6:00pm
Sunday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Monday 7:00am - 9:30pm

Shown in ET

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