Minecraft Is Being Used in Child Therapy: How Video Games Are Helping Kids Heal

Minecraft as a Tool in Play Therapy

Since the early 20th century, child psychologists have used Sandplay Therapy — also known as Play Therapy — to help children express emotions through play. Traditionally, the tools were simple: toys, figures, and sandboxes. But in recent years, digital sandboxes have entered the scene — and one game stands out above all: Minecraft.

Since around 2010, psychologists have increasingly used video games as part of their practice, and Minecraft has become a powerful ally for child therapy sessions worldwide.

A Psychologist’s Discovery in Wartime

The idea to use Minecraft as a therapeutic instrument came from Oleksii Sukhorukov, a former psychologist from Ukraine. During the 2022 war between Ukraine and Russia, he noticed his son playing Minecraft with friends online. That moment sparked an idea that would soon change his career.

“I discovered that Ukrainian children were playing together online — some living under Russian occupation, others in government-controlled areas targeted by missile strikes, and some already refugees,” Sukhorukov told The Guardian. “And yet, they were still playing together, supporting each other, and building their own worlds. Isn’t that amazing? I wanted to learn more about how video games could be used for good.”

Inspired, he returned to psychology and partnered with the Donetsk National Technical University to create a dedicated Minecraft server designed for therapy sessions. The server is moderated by trained therapists and social workers and includes activities and projects for children with special educational needs.

Minecraft as a Safe Space for Expression

Minecraft’s success in therapy isn’t surprising. As one of the world’s most popular games since its official launch in 2011 (and alpha version in 2009), it offers an open environment of survival and creativity — the perfect digital playground for emotional expression.

According to Ellie Finch, a social worker who uses games in her sessions, online therapy during the pandemic highlighted the limits of traditional video calls. “Many of the children I worked with were already playing video games,” she said. “Talking about the games they loved — what they built, who their characters were — helped me understand them better. Then I realized the real power was in actually joining them in the game.”

Finch uses Minecraft to begin sessions with an exercise:

“I ask each child to build a safe place in their world. It could be a house, a castle, a treehouse, or even an underwater observatory. What and how they build tells me a lot about who they are — even in the very first session.”

Each child has their own world and creations. After building, Finch invites them to reflect on their structures and stories — turning gameplay into a therapeutic dialogue.

Why Safe Servers Matter in Therapy

When using Minecraft for therapy or education, safety and privacy are essential. Children must be able to play, build, and share emotions in a controlled, moderated environment — free from online risks.

That’s why more therapists and educators choose GGServers to host their Minecraft worlds.

GGServers provides secure, high-performance Minecraft hosting with full control over your environment. You can whitelist players, set custom permissions, and monitor sessions with ease. With 24/7 support, DDoS protection, and data centers around the world, your therapy or classroom sessions stay private, smooth, and lag-free.

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The Future of Gaming in Mental Health

Minecraft proves that video games can be more than just entertainment — they can be tools for connection, empathy, and healing. As digital therapy becomes more common, psychologists are discovering how virtual worlds can help children communicate and grow emotionally.

By combining creative freedom with professional guidance — and hosting those experiences securely through GGServers — Minecraft continues to redefine what it means to play, heal, and connect.