A research-based mobile game & companion workbook for teens to support their emotional & mental wellbeing

Mobile Game

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Companion Workbook

Download materials for teachers and social workers

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Created with youth for youth

Free to use for Social Workers, teachers & Psychologists

The Shadow’s Edge game and Social Emotional Workbook are narrative therapy based resources for young people to get to know themselves better, feel good about themselves, explore their identity and process difficult situations.

In the game and Social Emotional Learning companion workbook, players take a journey along 57 prompts inviting them to take a snapshot of their situation in school, family and social relations and to connect with their strengths, gratitude and their dreams. In the story the players help the guardians of Shadow's Edge drive the villain Shadow out of town - realising in the process that Shadow is a part of themselves to befriend.

The game has been researched in a clinical trial and a psychological pilot study at renowned universities (Lurie Children's Hospital / Fineberg School of Medicine; University Zurich). A third independent study is being prepared for publication in Colombia.

The free mobile game has been downloaded by more than 80'000 youth in the US, Colombia and Europe.

Target Audience

Teens & Young Adults, 14 – 24 years old

The game has proven to work best for youth who are investigating their identity and processing feelings of anxiety, loneliness and sadness.

Available Languages

The game is available in English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese and Dutch.

The SEL workbook is available in English and Spanish.

Both resources are free. If you want to use the SEL workbook in print, you can order it on Amazon at cost of print price.

Based on Real World Evidence

The following independent research has been done to support the creation of the game:

Lurie Children’s Hospital Clinical Trial (Dec 2018 – Nov 2020) under the lead of Dr. Bonnie Essner on identity formation, affect variability and emotional regulation. The clinical trial with 174 participants reported that players who engaged with the Shadow's Edge game endorsed higher levels of personal or ideological identity exploration and higher levels of social and interpersonal identity exploration.

University Zurich Pilot Study (Nov 2021 – Jan 2022) under supervision of Prof. Dr. Markus Landolt to investigate the impact of gameplay as a means of primary prevention in mental health. Results suggest the Mobile Game Shadow’s Edge may represent a promising, low-threshold support measure for improving mental health care and promotion for adolescents and young adults.

Upcoming 2023:

CINDE study (Feb 2023 - April 2023) under the supervision of Dr. Orlando Scoppetta to investigate the impact of gameplay and using the SEL companion book on wellbeing and resilience.

Download materials to use in your practice

You're welcome to integrate our resources into your practice in any way that you find helpful. The materials are free for you to use. If you're interested in obtaining anonymized and aggregated data from a group you work with, please get in touch via feedback@shadowsedge.com.

Download materials here

Kristi pikiewicz

Offers individual, couples and family therapy to adults, adolescents and children, and also a range of psychological testing and assessments. Her approach to therapy revolves around healing the divide between your unconscious and conscious selves — why do you feel the way you feel, do the things you do, think the way you think? You may have developed some of these ways of relating to the world as a child or young adult, training the patterns of your life to match your surroundings at the time. These unconscious ways of relating to the world, yourself and others may have helped you then.

Nathaan Demers

Nathaan is passionate about people. This passion has led him to an enriching career as a clinical psychologist, filled with a number of twists and turns working across a variety of settings including therapeutic boarding schools, community mental health, inpatient Neuro/Burn ICU's, Integrated Primary Care, Administrative Psychology, and most recently Digital Health.

He is an active traveler and athlete - these aspects of his life have inspired him to think beyond the traditional confines of mental health care. He strives to find innovative ways to expand the reach of behavioral health services to improve the lives of others. He is currently the VP & Director of Clinical Programs with Grit Digital Health.

Dr. Vic Schwartz

Before establishing Mind Strategies, Dr. Schwartz served for eight years as chief medical officer of The Jed Foundation, a leading non-profit focused on youth and young adult suicide prevention and mental health promotion. While there, Dr. Schwartz was a highly sought-after advisor and consultant and was a leader in developing approaches to messaging to young people about mental health and helping organizations develop their mental health activities and programming.