Patrick O'Connor, PsyD is a graduate of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and currently teaches part-time at College of DuPage and provides therapy at MiraCare. He regularly brings artifacts of geek culture into his teachings and treatment, including how we as people connect with superheroes and whether people should be concerned about violence in video games. He debuted a new course at The Chicago School in the fall semester of 2013 titled, "Geek Culture in Therapy," where students discovered how geek culture plays a role in our understanding of ourselves and others and how geek culture artifacts are the vehicles through which we develop this understanding.
In 2021, Patrick debuted G.A.M.E. Night, a group therapy approach focused on Games And Meaningful Experiences. Adolescents apply familiar gaming language to everyday life and learn how to better face their obstacles with more fun and social connectedness. This innovative group utilizes a different tabletop or video game each week to engage players in exciting, memorable activities where they get to practice the objective of the week alongside peers.