About
Gaming Approaches Towards Education, LLC (GATE) started as a conversation at a kitchen table between two doctorate-level counselors and a game designer. Timothy, Brian, and Moses talked about how we could use role-playing games in therapy and what boardgames mechanics could aid them in their therapeutic process. This talk led to a weekly meeting about starting a therapeutic practice that would use these ideas and theories. Finally, 2018 Gate was officially formed and open for business, beginning in a small office in Perth Amboy, NJ.
The idea was to help children, adolescents, and families by supplying mental health services in a fun and easily understood way. Along the way, we found that our mixture of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Play Therapy, and Autplay Therapy techniques is also appealing to adults.
GATE’s focus is not solely on therapeutic gaming, as your wellness is our core focus. If more traditional therapy is needed or more suited, then that is the approach we will take. We talk with you during our intake process and figure out what is best for you and your wellness. For some, talk therapy supplies the catharsis they are seeking. For others, gaming therapy can create positive change as well. To do so, GATE works with you to assess what therapeutic strategies and games could fit with you or your family’s goals.
We run Individual, Social Skills Groups and Therapeutic Roleplaying Groups. We hand-pick games that promote positive social relationships build our ability to communicate and develop emotional wellness and personal growth. We use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Play Therapy techniques to help children, adolescents, families, and adults.
Therapeutic Role-Playing Groups
While simultaneously learning empathy, problem-solving, and critical thinking, our role-playing groups allow you to identify your feelings around a particular situation or problem. You can then take these skills and apply them to your life outside of the group to continue to improve.
Parent Support Groups
Are you looking for a community of adults who understand what it’s like to parent children with differences? Our parent support groups offer coping strategies and a safe space to share parenting stories.
Board Game Therapy
This type of therapy helps you learn specific skills through a board game setting. You’ll learn how to use these new skills during a game and then how to apply them to your everyday life.
Autism Play Therapy
Autism play therapy provides a space for autistic children to grow. Our therapists help your child improve emotional regulation and concentration while learning social skills, relationship development, and sensory processing.
Our Therapists
Timothy Grant
Timothy Grant has worked as a manager since 2005 in several businesses. While in management, he started working on designing tabletop board games and role-playing games. Shortly after that, he began consulting with Dr. Quinones about games, their mechanics, and how to use them in therapy. Timothy is one of the co-designers of Venture Village, a game to be published by 9th Level games. It is a game to be used in therapy, school, and at home, and it will be coming to Kickstarter later this year. Timothy helps run groups in a two-facilitator model with a licensed professional, using games as a tool for therapeutic change. In addition, Timothy is currently working on becoming a Mental Health Technician. To help him understand how to create better therapeutic games and train others to use them as tools for therapeutic and personal growth.
Brian Carl Quinones, EdD
Brian Carl Quinones, EdD, is a licensed professional counselor who received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology and Argosy University. He uses an integrative gameplay approach to help individuals find healthier ways to think, feel, and behave in their daily life. Outside of the office, Brian is an advisory board member for the Unpub network. He is currently working on tabletop RPG Venture Village with 9th Level games. Also, he supervises the use of roleplaying games as a therapeutic tool for other professionals. Dr. Quinones cares about the communities he helps and continues to take additional pieces of training to aid in personal and professional growth. In addition to practicing at Gaming Approaches Towards Education, LLC, he continues to work on his psychology license, specializes in Anxiety, ADHD, Autism, and is a member of the Association for Play Therapy, a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor and certified Autplay practitioner.
Moses L. James III, EdD
Moses L. James III, EdD, is a Licensed Professional Counselor and permit holder in Psychology in the state of NJ. His approach to psychotherapy incorporates the mental, emotional, and physical self. He is a Certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapist (CCBT). Moses takes an educational approach to psychotherapy and engages each person as a unique individual, worthy of unconditional acceptance, regardless of your personal circumstances or struggles.
Karen Law, BCBA, M.Ed
Karen Law, BCBA, M.Ed, has worked with the autism community in a wide range of roles: researcher, job coach, teacher, behavior therapist, and behavior analyst. Her interest in the field began when her brother was diagnosed with autism. She has experienced navigating the unique therapeutic needs of different lifespan stages in her professional and personal life. She studied Genetics and Psychology in college, to better understand the interaction of nature and nurture in the development of autism. In her graduate studies, she became certified in teaching and behavior analysis. Currently, she is working as a therapist for GATE, interested in the application of gaming to address the intersection of counseling and ABA needs for the autism population.
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