Introducing my new specialty: Gamers, Geeks, and Misfits!

In this post, I’m going to talk a little about my new counseling focus and how it relates to me personally. I’ve already announced my new specialty on several platforms, but I wanted to go into depth about what this actually means as well as how I chose it (no, I didn’t use a random topic generator).

Being a recent graduate of a counseling program means that I’ve done a lot of work on narrowing down who I want my niche clientele to be. It’s a weird part of a counseling career that most people don’t think of when they choose to pursue a mental health degree (or any career, honestly): specialization. In a way, it is an awesome freedom to be able to choose who I work with day in and day out, but on the other hand, it is a huge commitment.

This is why narrowing my focus has been a slower process for me than for some other fresh counselors. However, with the help of my growth-fostering supervisor, as well as many hours of introspection and external processing with friends, something seemed to click: what if I could focus on a group of people a little closer to home?

This is when I fell down the rabbit hole of whether or not it is okay to focus on people whose problems mirror my own so closely. Well, clearly I came to the conclusion that it is indeed okay. In fact, that I’ve gone through similar life paths will actually serve to bring me closer to my clients in a sort of you-don’t-have-to-explain-what-an-RPG-means kind of way.

Landing on geeks, gamers, and misfits has been the only topic that has given me butterflies to think about—the nerdy possibilities are endless in terms of outreach, topic-focus, and modality of counseling!

So, what do I mean by these terms, anyway (without getting into too much detail—definitions might be a good topic for a whole post in themselves)?

GAMERS: To me, a gamer is someone who plays video, computer, or tabletop games as a hobby.

GEEKS: Yes I do mean geeks and nerds! If you know anything about geekdom, it’s that these terms are not synonymous, but practically it’s more concise to say one. Either way, I want to be inclusive towards academic, technical, and socially awkward types alike.

MISFITS: What I mean by misfit is essentially anyone who views themselves as “alternative” to the norm, in chosen or unchosen ways. Consider this the “et cetera” category for those who don’t game or call themselves geeks but are different in other ways.

If you’re interested in learning more, you can email me here and I’d be happy to answer any questions. I am accepting new clients in South Austin at this time, so I’d be happy to set up a free 30-minute consultation with you if you’re interested.

This blog was edited by Samantha Rice

Julia Stamman, M.S., LPC-Intern

Supervised by Ann Stoneson, LPC-S

julia@juliastamman.com