Benefits of Group Therapy via Tabletop Roleplaying Games (TTRPGs)
Understanding Group Therapy and the use of Tabletop Roleplaying Games
To first understand the benefits of using a Tabletop Roleplaying Game (TTRPG), we must first understand how group therapy works. Group therapy is a form of therapy wherein multiple clients meet with a therapist to process mental health or other related issues. Typically the subject of the processing is ascertained before the group starts such as anxiety, grief, anger, relationships, etc. The members of the group then build skills and connection within the group structure to support a different experience than traditional individual therapy.
When you introduce TTRPGs to group therapy, you are changing the frame of the group session while still meeting those key points of getting together with other people to work toward a specific goal. The therapist runs the group of four to six players (clients) as a game master to help people navigate the game and focusing the content of the game toward immersion into the world of the game and the topic of therapeutic processing. The benefits of using a game to process therapy is that it provides a non-traditional approach to therapy which can be beneficial if a client has reservations about traditional one-on-one therapy or feels that they need something different than standard sessions.
How is this relevant to therapeutic goals?
TTRPGs can help with practicing skills in a safe and story driven environment giving real time experience that can translate into strategies used in daily life. For example, you may have to convince a guard to let you into a city. The skill that would be applicable to life outside the game could be assertive communication or conflict resolution depending on how the dice land. It can also reflect on how a group can come together as a team to push past the same obstacle. Another example would be working on handling the unknown. In a fantasy setting, the laws of reality are different from those in our day to day experiences. In a world where anything can happen, real time practice in dealing with the unexpected can be translated into navigating stressful periods where we have little to no control over what’s happening. It also encourages using other people as a support system.
How it works at Beyond the Storm Counseling
Currently, all groups are virtual. Dungeons and Dragons is the TTRPG that the therapist game master will be facilitating. Clients do not need to have prior experience to play the game. Clients will not need any materials for the game; anything required for play will be provided by the therapist and/or done through a free platform. There will be a total of 10 sessions that meet once a week for 10 weeks at a specific time designated by the therapist. For example if the first session, which is an establishing session or “Session 0”, is on a Wednesday at 5:30, the following sessions will be Wednesdays at 5:30. Unlike individual therapy, confidentiality falls on the therapist and the players with the added caveat that we cannot control what is said by members outside of a session. If clients want to talk about anything outside the session, stick to game details and use no identifying information with the exception of character names.
There are a few steps to follow before the games begin.
Fill out the necessary information found on the Beyond the Storm website. You will be filling out an intake packet catered toward group therapy itself and a few forms detailing confidentiality in groups, fees, and a few other documents required to begin therapy.
You will have one individual session to go over expectations for both the client and the therapist and to get some history to understand how the therapist can best work with your specific needs within the group. This session can be covered through insurance. The gaming sessions will be charged out of pocket.
There will be ten sessions beginning with an establishing session or Session 0. Session 0 is a session where clients will make characters and learn the basics of the game. The game will be beginner friendly but provide an experience that will give veteran players a fun game while working through the goals of the group.
The players will meet for 9 more sessions to work together and play their way through daring adventure and work on therapy.
What now?
If any of this sounds interesting, go to beyondthestormcounseling.com to get started with the intake process. The first session with the therapist individually can get covered by insurance if applicable. The group sessions will be out of pocket. The cost is $35 per 90 minute session or 10% off if all sessions are paid for up front. If there are any questions regarding the process, go to beyondthestormcounseling.com/contact and someone will get back to you.
