Michael Keady

Michael Keady is a storyteller and dad from Perth, Western Australia. He’s also an AuDHD counsellor and lifelong nerd, after being introduced to Star Wars and Sonic the Hedgehog while recovering from a bike accident when he was 4.

 Michael started on the path to becoming a therapist after a career in construction. When he had an opportunity to find a new direction in life, he took inspiration from his World of WarCraft character, a paladin, who lived to support and protect the people around him. After some deliberation, and seeing a need for mental health in the construction industry, he decided to become a therapist.

Mike started his career as a school youth worker which put him in contact with at-risk young people who needed a more authentically presented and relatable professional. After seeing a need for clinicians to have access to information about videogames and anime, Mike started an education resource called Pop Culture Competence. After getting a lot of support from his local nerdy communities, this quickly grew into a private practice under the monicker of “The Nerd Therapist”. 

Mike currently practices as a counsellor specialising in supporting neurodivergent youth and adults in individual therapy and therapeutic RPG groups. Mike has ten therapeutic roleplaying game groups running at the moment, with plans to open more. Mike’s favourite modalities outside of therapeutically applied RPGs are person-centred therapy and dialectical behaviour therapy. 

In addition to private practice, Mike streams twice weekly on a Monday afternoon and a Wednesday morning as “Perth Nerd Therapy” on Twitch and Youtube.