{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,16]],"date-time":"2026-04-16T05:27:49Z","timestamp":1776317269130,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2005,5,31]],"date-time":"2005-05-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1117497600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2005,5,31]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Although mental health problems increase markedly during adolescent years, therapists often find it difficult to engage with adolescents. The majority of disturbed adolescents do not receive professional mental health care and of those who do fewer still will fully engage with the therapeutic process (Offer et al. 1991; US Surgeon General 1999). Personal Investigator (PI) is a 3D computer game specifically designed to help adolescents overcome mental health problems such as depression and help them engage more easily with professional mental health care services. PI is an implementation of a new computer mediated model for how therapists and adolescents can engage. The model has its theoretical foundations in play therapy and therapeutic storytelling and applies current research on the educational use of computer gaming and interactive narrative systems to these foundations. Previously demonstrated benefits of computer games and interactive narrative systems in education include increased motivation, increased self\u2010esteem, improved problem solving and discussion skills and improved storytelling skills (Bruckman 1997; Bers 2001; Robertson 2001; Robertson and Oberlander 2002; Bers et al. 2003; Squire 2003). PI aims to take advantage of these benefits in a mental health care setting. PI incorporates a goal\u2010oriented, strengths based model of psychotherapy called Solution Focused Therapy (SFT). By engaging adolescents, in a client\u2010centred way, it aims to build stronger therapeutic relationships between therapists and adolescents. PI is the first game to integrate this established psychotherapy approach into an engaging online 3D game. Results of trials of PI with four adolescents, referred to clinics for issues including anxiety and behaviour problems, attempted suicide, and social skills difficulties, are presented.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1108\/17415650580000034","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2010,6,5]],"date-time":"2010-06-05T07:18:34Z","timestamp":1275722314000},"page":"73-88","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":77,"title":["Personal Investigator: A therapeutic 3D game for adolecscent psychotherapy"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"2","author":[{"given":"David","family":"Coyle","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Mark","family":"Matthews","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"John","family":"Sharry","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Andy","family":"Nisbet","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Gavin","family":"Doherty","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"p_1","first-page":"329","volume-title":"Using Computers in Clinical Practice: Psychotherapy and Mental Health Applications","author":"Allen D. H.","year":"1984"},{"key":"p_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/11132-001"},{"key":"p_3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1207\/S15327809JLS1004new_1"},{"key":"p_4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/01.CHI.0000046810.95464.68"},{"issue":"9","key":"p_5","first-page":"14","volume":"22","author":"Bowman R. F.","year":"1982","journal-title":"Educational Technology"},{"key":"p_6","unstructured":"Bruckman, A. (1997) MOOSE Crossing: Construction, Community, and Learning in a Networked Virtual World for Kids. PhD Dissertation,Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Available at http:\/\/ic.media.mit.edu\/Publications\/Thesis\/asbPHD\/ PDF\/asbPHD.pdf (Retrieved December 2004)."},{"key":"p_7","volume-title":"Possible Worlds","author":"Bruner J.","year":"1986"},{"key":"p_8","volume-title":"Acts of Meaning","author":"Bruner J.","year":"1990"},{"key":"p_9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.appdev.2003.11.003"},{"key":"p_10","first-page":"335","volume-title":"Using Computers in Clinical Practice: Psychotherapy and Mental Health Applications","author":"Clark B.","year":"1984"},{"key":"p_11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1521\/jscp.23.4.584.40306"},{"key":"p_12","volume-title":"Clues: Investigating Solutions in Brief Therapy","author":"De Shazer S.","year":"1988"},{"key":"p_13","volume-title":"Proceedings of ICLS2002 International Conference of the Learning Sciences.","author":"Elliott J.","year":"2002"},{"key":"p_14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-3204.28.4.667"},{"key":"p_15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1545-5300.2000.39408.x"},{"key":"p_16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00004583-200210000-00007"},{"key":"p_17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.2044-8260.1997.tb01271.x"},{"issue":"5","key":"p_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"313","DOI":"10.1177\/104438948006100507","volume":"61","author":"Kraus L. M.","year":"1980","journal-title":"Social Casework"},{"key":"p_19","first-page":"16","volume-title":"Proceedings of NILE2002","author":"Lindley C. A."},{"key":"p_20","first-page":"258","volume":"6","author":"Malone T. W.","year":"1981","journal-title":"Byte"},{"key":"p_21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0364-0213(81)80017-1"},{"key":"p_22","volume-title":"Report on Educational Use of Games: Teachers Evaluating Educational Multimedia Report. A report to TEEM.","author":"McFarlane A.","year":"2002"},{"key":"p_23","first-page":"174","volume-title":"Handbook of Play Therapy","author":"Nickerson E. T.","year":"1983"},{"issue":"1","key":"p_24","first-page":"97","volume":"11","author":"Oakley C.","year":"1994","journal-title":"Computers in Human Services"},{"key":"p_25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00004583-199107000-00015"},{"key":"p_26","volume-title":"Proceedings of Playing by the Rules Conference.","author":"Pope A. T.","year":"2001"},{"issue":"1","key":"p_27","first-page":"17","volume":"11","author":"Resnick H.","year":"1994","journal-title":"Computers in Human Services"},{"key":"p_28","unstructured":"Robertson, J. (2001) The Effectiveness of a Virtual Role-Play Environment as a Story Preparation Activity. UnpublishedPhD thesis,University of Edinburgh. Available at http:\/\/homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk\/judyr\/index.html (Retrieved December 2004)."},{"key":"p_29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/1017833.1017841"},{"key":"p_30","author":"Robertson J.","year":"2002","journal-title":"Journal of Computer Meditated Communication 8(1), online at http:\/\/www.ascusc.org\/ jcmc\/vol8\/issue1\/robertson\/robertson.html.(Retrieved"},{"key":"p_31","volume-title":"My voice will go with you: The teaching tales of Milton H. Erickson","author":"Rosen S.","year":"1982"},{"key":"p_32","volume-title":"Innovative Psychotherapy Techniques in Child and Adolescent Therapy","author":"Schaefer C. E.","year":"1999"},{"key":"p_33","volume-title":"Becoming a Solution Detective: Identifying your clients' strengths in Practical Brief Therapy","author":"Sharry J.","year":"2001"},{"key":"p_34","volume-title":"Counselling Children, Adolescents and Families","author":"Sharry J.","year":"2004"},{"issue":"1","key":"p_35","first-page":"49","volume":"2","author":"Squire K.","year":"2003","journal-title":"International Journal of Intelligent Simulations and Gaming"},{"key":"p_36","volume-title":"Helping through action: Action-oriented therapies","author":"Thorne E. M.","year":"1982"},{"key":"p_37","volume-title":"Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. A report to US Department of Health and Human Services.","author":"Surgeon General","year":"1999"},{"key":"p_38","volume-title":"Narrative means to therapeutic ends","author":"White M.","year":"1990"},{"key":"p_39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-3204.31.3.415"}],"container-title":["Interactive Technology and Smart Education"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/17415650580000034\/full\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/17415650580000034\/full\/html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,25]],"date-time":"2025-07-25T00:21:12Z","timestamp":1753402872000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emerald.com\/itse\/article\/2\/2\/73-88\/185284"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2005,5,31]]},"references-count":39,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2005,5,31]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1108\/17415650580000034"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/17415650580000034","relation":{},"ISSN":["1741-5659"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1741-5659","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2005,5,31]]}}}