Play. Connect. Level Up.
AGES 10 - 18
Group Fun
Participate in a group designed by a gaming specialist and psychotherapist. Make friends with like-minded others and learn about yourself in a safe and supportive environment.
Develop Skills
Learn mental health strategies and skills to help relieve anxieties, develop confidence or simply relate with others with similar interests or struggles. Level up and be a healthier you.
Play Games
Who said therapy couldn't be fun? The combination of mental health upskilling and gaming can unlock creative and fun ways of improving oneself. Each session involves fun and personal development.
SUPPORTED BY
Groups | Dates | Fees | 2026
​Term 4 - East Auckland
Ages 10 - 13
Location: The Picton Centre
120 Picton Street, Howick
6 weeks every Thursday 4.00pm - 5.30pm
Start date: Thursday 6th November 2026
End date: Thursday 10th December 2026​
Our final term this year is FREE - in support of Gumboot Friday.
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Groups | Dates | Fees | 2027
​Term 1 - East Auckland
Ages: 10 - 12, 13 - 15, 16 -18
Location: The Picton Centre
120 Picton Street, Howick
8 weeks
Start date: TBC - Term 1 School
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Fee: $50 per week / $400 total
About
Gaming for Growth was created with three purposes in mind: building relationships, levelling up mental health, and having fun.
The Groups - Gaming for Growth
- Each group is designed with the specific age group in mind (10-12, 13-15, and 16 - 18)
- Playing games is the central component. This allows for common ground, engagement and thoughtful friction
- Relationships are built, ideas expanded and skills are developed
- Such skills include youth-friendly Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) skills and skills developed just by simply engaging within a group
- At the end of the programme, participants would have developed connections, improved social skills, created a sense of belonging, emotional relief and had fun gaming
- Gaming for Growth groups are neurodiverse-friemdly
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Gaming for Growth offers an opportunity to level up your mental health, make friends and play games along the way. Join us as we develop skills, build confidence, have fun and much more!
Daniel Harrison
Registered Psychotherapist
(PBANZ, APANZ)
Daniel is an experienced psychotherapist with over two decades working in mental health. With a background in both psychotherapy and a lifelong love of video games, Daniel created Gaming for Growth to combine therapeutic insight with the connective power of play. His groups are designed to support young people in building emotional awareness, confidence and community - while having lots of fun along the way.
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Growing up, Daniel developed a passion for all things gaming. For the most part, gaming was a joyful and meaningful escape that offered a sense of adventure and mastery. However, it also became a way to avoid difficult emotions and disconnect from the world around him. As he grew older, and later as a therapist, Daniel came to understand how gaming could be both a refuge and a barrier. That insight helped shape his belief that games, when used with intention, can be powerful tools for emotional connection, personal growth and mental wellbeing.
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Daniel loves spending time with his wife and kids and still games with his family (and keeps his competitive streak alive!). He believes in the power of community and making therapy more accessible - especially for young people.​