Screens & Gaming Disorder Clinic

Signs of Gaming Disorder or Internet Gaming Disorder:

• neglecting school, university or work.

• loss or withdrawal of social interaction in favour of online platforms

• neglecting regular sleep or eating patterns to stay online

• being dishonest with others about online use

• feeling anxious, angry, depressed or angry as a result of online behaviour

• withdrawal from other activities like sport

• feeling irritable, moody or anger outbursts when asked to come offline

• internet use causing arguments within families

If you have come this far you obviously have concerns you have recognised, or loved ones have pointed out. Some of the common red flags in our tech use is not healthy are:

• Impacting your relationships

• Impact on your job or studies

• Limiting your sleep, exercise or hygiene

• Feeling irritable and upset when you are not able to get online

• Continuing to prioritise tech use despite the negative impacts on your life

We understand finding specialist help in this area is difficult and often not available within travel distance for most people.

The SGD clinic has been offering video consultation appointments for almost a decade. While it may sound odd to “help” people for tech addiction using technology, the appointments follow the same format we use if you were physically sitting in the clinic.

So whether you are overseas, around Australia, or just don’t have the time to fight traffic, online consultations are readily available. Dr Brad accepts referrals from all over the world.

Online consultations are run in a similar way to in clinic ones! Once you have had your first session, you receive access to Dr Brad’s online booking calendar. The morning of an appointment our automated system sends you an email link for your video consultation.

All billing, rebates and receipts are done through our automated system, so once your appointment is finished there is no need to call or follow up with our support team.

Aussie research has found that 1-3% of children and adults have a diagnosable Gaming Disorder. and 10% have a smartphone addiction.

If your child is in the more severe end, or if you are unsure and would like an expert opinion, you can make a referral to The Screen & Gaming Disorder Clinic for assessment by a professional, by completing the form at the bottom of this page.

After your assessment you will be offered treatment options (if needed) which could include a range of child counselling/therapy, parent support sessions, or parent and child relationship sessions delivered by Dr Marshall.

Don’t worry, this is more common than you think. Many people who suffer from smartphone addiction or internet gaming disorder do not believe they have a problem, or are too anxious to seek help.

This is why Dr Brad spent years working with his research clinic colleagues at Macquarie University developing and validating parent treatment strategies that have shown to be very effective.

If your child or family member will not attend but you are still concerned, we recommend you make a parent appointment for parent coaching.

Dr Brad is a registered Psychologist. For those residents living in Australia you may be eligible for Medicare rebates. Current fees at the clinic are set to $320 for an initial consultation and $290 per 50 min session thereafter. Medicare rebates are approximately $98 per eligible session.Check with your family GP and ask if you qualify for a mental health care plan. While we are not a bulk billing service, rebates help ease the cost.

Dr Brad does accept self manage plans only. He is not a registered NDIS provider and therefore doesn’t accept plan managed funds.