Improving mental health through innovation in Seagoville

From the outside, the Seagoville Youth and Family Center—the largest mental health services provider in the Seagoville community—looks like a cluster of simple portable buildings. But as soon as visitors step inside, they are greeted by a welcoming, modern setting where a dedicated team of clinicians, led by manager Robert Martinez, find innovative ways to provide mental health care to students.

Recently, the center unveiled a range of pioneering methods to address some of the mental health challenges among youths, including video game therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, and an equine therapy summer camp. 

The Seagoville YFC is the first in the district to introduce video game therapy, Martinez said. 

“Video game therapy has been proven to help students with autism and ADHD communicate. If they’re playing a video game, they’ll speak to the therapist and answer their questions,” Martinez said. 

So far, Minecraft is the only video game available and in use for therapy at the clinic and has already proven to be efficient, Martinez said, as it provides a creative, open-end

ed “sandbox” that allows students to build things that represent their grief, anxiety, and other feelings.

“In therapy, we use sandboxes—literally containing sand—where clients use figurines and objects to represent their emotions. Minecraft offers the same thing. You can create anything,” Martinez said. “Students can build memorials for loved ones or create worry boxes for anxiety.”

The structure and timing elements in gaming, such as countdowns and clear session limits, also help students develop time management and transition skills that they can apply in daily life, Martinez continued. Even the design of video games, including the music, stimulate the brain to release dopamine, which increases focus and attention.

“This is why students with ADHD can focus while playing games and can benefit from listening to video game soundtracks even during schoolwork or tests,” Martinez noted.

Student feedback is crucial and ongoing in shaping the video game therapy program, Martinez said. A Seagoville High School student with autism has been especially influential, providing detailed input on the physical environment—such as TV placement and lighting—and recommending Minecraft. This student is also compiling a list of games that are therapeutic, relevant, and accessible. Martinez’s goal is to slowly expand the video game library, selecting titles that simulate social situations.

“There are also specific games used for therapy where you can practice social skills, like going into a restaurant and talking to people, which help people with autism practice learning social skills. Our goal is to get those kinds of games as well,” he said. 

In addition to video game therapy, the clinic partnered with Equest to provide equine summer therapy to students, making Dallas ISD one of the few in the nation to offer this program. Funded by the Susan L. Canole Foundation, the summer camps are free to students who need them. 

“This past summer, we held our first equine therapy summer camps for our students. We ran two summer camps: one for the younger students and one for the older ones,” Martinez said. “We also have a connection with Broken Boat Ranch in Seagoville, where students and their families can go on trail rides. A nonprofit organization covers the cost.”

The clinic also organizes a variety of support groups, such as the only Spanish-speaking group for parents of children with autism, a girls mentoring group at Seagoville Middle School, and a teen parent support group that, beyond the physical and material, addresses the social and emotional needs of new parents.

“To start the year, I asked each clinician: ‘If you could have a passion project, what would it be?’” Martinez said. “Clinician Paula Agulefo chose to work with teen parents, Victoria Sanders with middle school students, and Pablo Estrada leads the Spanish-speaking group for parents of children with autism.”

The Center offers several key services: EMDR, which uses eye movement to help patients access and work through trauma; the Creative Canvas, a new art therapy room; and basic medical care for students, families, and local Seago

ville residents, filling an important gap in community health resources.

“We are committed to serving the students and we deeply value being part of this community. We hope these kinds of events will help spread the word,” Martinez said. “We are the largest provider of mental health services in Seagoville, a role we take seriously. We appreciate being part of the school district and look forward to working with as many students as possible.”

Parents and guardians can visit the Seagoville Youth and Family Center every Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. to meet with a manager or clinician, access resources, or enroll their child in mental health services. No appointment is necessary.

Find more information on all 13 Dallas ISD youth and family centers, click here.