03/15/2019
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
For many years, I have provided therapy involving role play, video games, and other psychological interventions with great success. Two of my books on the subject have been published, as well as several articles, and I have lectured on this approach and shared it with others. Many of my colleagues have contributed extensively to the development of this type of therapy as well. It is a collective effort, and not mine alone. It is our mission to share this type of therapy and make patients and clinicians aware of its benefits. I am currently editing a manuscript of contributions from many amazing therapists and academics on this type of therapy. Our community needs to be safe, supported, and feel as if they can reach out to one another without any hindrance or concerns.
Last month, I received a letter from Josue Cardona requesting that I stop using the designation “Geek Therapy.” I took this letter seriously because I respect other people’s intellectual property rights. However, I was also troubled that Mr. Cardona was trying to bully me, and I am concerned that he would bully the entire community of folks who offer role play therapy or other similar psychological interventions. I consulted with an intellectual property attorney because I do not wish to infringe upon Mr. Cardona’s rights, but I also wanted to know what my rights are.
Mr. Cardona operates websites and social media networks where he and others discuss various pop culture topics. He also offers t-shirts for sale and paid membership to a private network. This is very different from what I do, as a licensed therapist, which is to provide therapy. There is no overlap or infringement, and I have no intent to encroach upon or interfere with Mr. Cardona’s business. To be clear, Mr. Cardona and I are not engaged in a legal proceeding.
After making the initial determination that I am not infringing upon Mr. Cardona’s rights, I wanted to protect my use of the “Geek Therapy” designation to offer therapy and to also make that designation available to any qualified therapist. Several colleagues and I are in the process of developing standards for use of that designation and others. I recently filed for a trademark for “Geek Therapy” for the purpose of ensuring that it is available for use by all qualified, licensed therapists and to protect us all from Mr. Cardona’s bullying.
Our goal is to be open and inclusive. We will not be a private network. We will continue to respect other people’s intellectual property rights and contributions.
If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email. If you wish to receive email updates in the future or want to be involved as a contributor, please sign-up for our mailing list at this LINK.
Sincerely,
Anthony Bean, Ph.D
