Building a Social Venture: Celebrating Progress and Feedback

I wanted to say a BIG thank you to everyone who has written such lovely reviews for my Level 1 and Level 2 trainings in Using Minecraft as a Therapeutic Tool! It really makes my day when a review comes in. The reviews for the Level 2 trainings I ran in July have been amazing. You can read all the reviews here: https://www.elliefinch.co.uk/reviews

Starting a social venture is not easy but it really helps boost my moral when I get such wonderful reviews for my training programme!

Since 2021, I’ve been training practitioners to incorporate video games and digital tools into their practices and organisations. Over this time, I’ve been fortunate to receive incredible support from Cambridge Social Ventures at the University of Cambridge, as well as an award from Unltd, which has helped me establish my social venture out of my training programme in Using Minecraft as a Therapeutic Tool.

Creating this social venture is really important to me as I want to highlight the positive social impact using videogames therapeutically can have on children, young people and their families. I noticed that some practitioners dived right into using video games without giving enough thought to crucial aspects such as data protection, security and informed consent whereas other practitioners felt like imposters as they aren’t gamers themselves. I’ve developed my training programme to provide information about the vital elements of using videogames such as security whilst also highlighting that you don’t need to be a gamer to use video games in your service

In my latest blog posts, I shared the stories of some of the amazing individuals and organisations I’ve trained over the past year. This time, I want to highlight the lovely feedback I’ve received from them. All the hours I put in to developing the training and letting people know it exists are countless. It really makes a difference to receive such amazing feedback from people who have completed my training programme.

Here are just a few reviews I’ve received:

You can read more reviews here: https://www.elliefinch.co.uk/reviews

If you’d like to share your story about how you’re using video games in your work, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

You can find out more about the Using Minecraft as a Therapeutic Tool training programme here.

Ellie Finch

Ellie Finch, MA MBACP (Accred), is a clinical supervisor, counsellor, and social worker specialising in support for neurodivergent clients and families of children with additional needs or complex conditions.

Her work is rooted in a neurodiversity-affirming approach, which values neurodivergence as a natural variation in human experience and focuses on building supportive, respectful environments rather than 'fixing' difference.

Ellie is known for her innovative use of creative digital tools and videogames like Minecraft in therapy to create accessible, engaging support. She is founder of PlayMode Academy, a non-profit social venture that trains professionals in the therapeutic use of creative digital tools.

PlayMode Academy is part of Ellie Finch Counselling, Consultancy and Training Ltd, a non-profit company limited by guarantee (a structure often used by social ventures in the UK).

Ellie is also part of the University of Cambridge research team behind Bridging the ChASM: Creating Accessible Services using Minecraft - a project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) that explores the therapeutic potential of videogames and how they can be used to create more inclusive mental health support.

NOT AN OFFICIAL MINECRAFT SERVICE. NOT APPROVED BY OR ASSOCIATED WITH MOJANG OR MICROSOFT

https://www.playmodeacademy.org
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A huge thank you to everyone who participated in our launch event!

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Using Minecraft in Play Therapy