As part of my personal time, I speak publicly about mental health, my research, and education. I primarily speak at fandom conventions such as Anime, Comic, and Gaming conventions and psychological confrences. Since the beginning in 2019, I have spoken at dozens of conventions/conferences and presented over 25 discussions, lectures, and panels. My current and past presentation topics are below. I am always looking for new ideas and needs within communities!

Live Design of TTRPG settings series

I travel around the world setting up single session presentations where I and attendees design a bespoke RPG setting unique to our desires of interests. In a matter of little more than an hour we have a ready to play RPG world! No notes, no premade ideas, just a little chaos that turns into a whole new world!

Hikikomori: Social Isolation in Anime and Manga

Hikikomori, Hiki, NEET. These are character types often seen in Japanese media we know and love. But where do these characters come from? Explore the background and truth behind these characters, the uniquely Japanese cultural factors the created them, and the modern research about them we can learn from.

This is a lecture on my research, the history of the condition, and how it ties into Japanese pop culture. Part discussion and part education, I try to raise awareness of the problem and teach the audience the past, present, and future of hikikomori. I also tend to focus on how people might be able to help in their own communities, hikikomori or no.

3 C’s Live: Fandom/Anime/Whatever Edition! A new way to discuss favorite characters.

This panel uses psychological case reviewing techniques to put a new spin on discussing favorite characters. Learn all about why our panel of nerds and psychologists think characters act and what that might mean. Join us to go on a deep dive into understanding what makes our favorite characters tick, you’ll even learn how to use this discussion tool outside of the panel! So, why didn’t Shinji just get in the robot? Why is Jaime Lannister such a horrible, yet weirdly lovable person? Come discuss these and more with us, maybe we’ll learn something?

This is an interactive discussion series based upon Character Case Conceptualization, a fusion of psychological case reviewing and good old-fashioned passionate discussion among nerds. Here I (and a panel of friends) teach the audience to apply psychological thought to the characters and series they love. The idea is to facilitate new and deeper conversations among communities, and maybe even learn new things about what we love. The topics are infinite, the discussions often hilarious. We’re just as likely to talk about the meaning of life as we are to reference decades-old media no one has thought about in years.

Mental Health in Anime, Manga, and Japan

The series we like can be pretty crazy, right? Well hold on, why don’t we talk about mental health? This panel examines popular anime and the ways mental health is present in or has influenced them. The discussion will also focus on how Japanese cultural views of mental health may appear in our favorite media. Come join our professionals to examine important questions and trends, and maybe learn some new ways to look at classic favorites.

This lecture and discussion were born out of many requests from convention-goers to talk about mental health. Focusing on education and outreach, I speak at length about mental health in Japan, and how it has affected and produced media that the audience enjoys. There is a particular focus on the importance of mental health support and awareness.

How to talk to your kid/parent/loved ones about anime: A workshop

Talking to the people you love about your favorite series is tough right? Lots of awkward conversations? Not anymore! Come join us and work on communicating about our favorite things, with the help of psychology and a few friends. We’ll guide you through the tough conversations you’re bound to have!

This workshop was born out of a parental request at a convention. A dedicated parent asked me (and many other guests) how best to communicate with their child about the media the child was interested in. Struck by good parenting, as well as the response, it felt like this was a solvable question! So, here it is! Here we used research and in-person practice to better understand communication skills and hopefully up our success in talking to those we love about what we love!