Raffael Boccamazzo, PsyD

Raffael Boccamazzo, PsyD (more affectionately known as “Doctor B”) is a psychologist and the clinical director of Take This. He has served in this role since 2015 overseeing many of Take This’ educational and public-facing programs, also applying his perspective as an autism self-advocate. Outside his work with Take This, Dr. B is an expert on the applied use of tabletop role playing games in clinical and learning settings, and is the co-creator of a pantheoretical model on their applied use. He is also a chapter author in the book Video Games and Well-being: Press Start, co-authored Gardens of Fog – a best-selling, mental health-themed, charity, adventure module for Dungeons & Dragons, and is a frequent contributor - on and off camera - to the YouTube channel How to ADHD. An award-winning speaker and presenter in the game community, Dr. B leads dozens of talks and panels each year and has been featured in such media outlets as the New York Times and gaming publications like Game Informer, Polygon, Kotaku, Gamasutra, SyFy Wire, Geek Wire, and VentureBeat.  

Workshop Topic

Crisis Listening for Leaders
Crises are - by definition - stressful. Being able to compassionately listen to others’ stress while managing your own role is a challenging task, but it is easier with some practice. Leaders are often caught between their desire to support their team and their responsibilities to the larger company. This workshop will cover some concrete skills for active, empathic listening, as well as how to clarify your role to others.

Roundtable Topic

What Actually Is Burnout, And What Do We Do About It?
We hear the word "burnout" a lot, but we often use it as a synonym for overwork, when it's so much more complex than simply overworking. This roundtable will briefly address what research tells us about the definition of burnout, the factors which contribute to it, and its impact. After this brief review, we will discuss as a group what practical steps might be taken to address burnout at different levels.