Having read the New York Times article and many of the comments, it's hard to find licensed health care professionals who are comfortable with what happened between Alok Kanojia MD (AKA The Healthy Gamer/ Dr. K) and Byron Bernstein. The colleagues that I've spoken to express something akin to terror at considering doing anything remotely like what happened on his program.
It's also hard to imagine that the California Board of Psychology would have issued as mild a consequence to a licensed psychologist engaged in the same behaviors as the one he received in Massachusetts. That's a welcome relief for California consumers.
Yet, many of the fans and followers of Dr. K's program say that the benefits outweigh the risks and that he means well. However, that doesn't mean what happened is either ethical or legal.Â
It's also possible that his approach has steered people away from licensed mental health professionals and over to unlicensed and unregulated coaches. In the short term, this may be good for their wallets and for his business ($550-$1440 for a minimum block of 12 sessions). It may also help people who are functioning pretty well.Â
Yet, for the people who need actual counseling, this approach might further stigmatize the use of mental health services, delay access to them, and reducing the person's financial resources when the time to receive licensed mental health care begins.
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