Dungeons and Dragons Group Therapy

D&D Tabletop Roleplaying Group Therapy

D&D is a popular tabletop role-playing game where players assume the roles of characters in a fictional world, engaging in collaborative storytelling, problem solving, and decision making under the guidance of a Dungeon Master (DM). In our therapeutic D&D games, our licensed clinicians are certified in utilizing and adapting this intervention to foster personal growth, emotional expression, and social skills development. The clinician guides the game, ensuring that the experiences in the game relate back to participants’ personal growth and therapy goals.

They provide a safe, controlled space for participants to:

• Safely Explore Challenges – Explore difficult emotions, past traumas, or challenging social situations.
• Express Emotions – Players express their emotions through their character, making it easier to discuss and process real-life feelings.
• Develop Social Skills – In the game, participants must collaborate, communicate, and negotiate, which helps improve social skills, empathy and conflict resolution in a low-stakes environment.
• Problem-Solving and Resilience – Players face a variety of challenges, such as puzzles, battles, or moral dilemmas, that require creative thinking and adaptability. These skills can translate to improved coping skills in real life.
• Empowerment – D&D characters can be heroic, strong, or wise, offering players a sense of empowerment that might contrast with their real-life feelings fostering greater confidence and self-esteem.

These groups are particularly useful for people who may find traditional talk therapy challenging, as the imaginative and playful nature of the game can make it easier to address sensitive issues in an indirect but meaningful way.

We offer groups for elementary ages in grades 3-5, middle school ages 6-8, high school grades 9-12, young adults 18+.