Tabletop Role-Playing Game Group Therapy

Girls+ Dungeons & Dragons Group

This 10 week online group focuses on teaching group members how to work in a team, build positive peer relationships, practice creative problem solving, and develop assertive communication skills. No D&D experience is needed and all tools will provided. All your teen needs is a computer with a webcam, microphone, and stable internet access.

This group is for girls+ (cisgender girls, those assigned female at birth who identify as nonbinary, and trans girls) who are 13-17 years old. Groups are limited to 4 participants and it is expected that participants will attend every session. Potential participants undergo a pre-group screening to ensure the group is a good fit for their needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is this group good for?
A: This group is a great fit for teen girls+ who are isolated, experience social anxiety, or have had trouble making/keeping friends. Group participants will develop confidence, increased self-esteem, assertive communication skills, problem solving as part of a group, and develop a better understanding of non-verbal communication (body language, facial expressions, tone of voice).

Q: What is Dungeons & Dragons and how does TTRPG group therapy work?
A: Dungeons & Dragons (D&D or DnD for short), is a tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG). Each group member creates a character in a fantasy world and the group works together to solve puzzles, complete missions, and defeat villains. The storyline of the game is like a collaborative choose-your-own adventure and changes based on the group’s decisions. Throughout the course of the game, group members learn how to work as part of a team, build positive peer relationships, practice creative problem solving, and develop assertive communication skills. Group participants do not need any prior experience with tabletop role-playing games. We will use the 5e ruleset.

Q: How does D&D group therapy help with social anxiety?
A: When a teen plays a tabletop role-playing game, they put themselves in their character’s shoes and have the opportunity to try out new ways of interacting and communicating in a lower-pressure environment. Playing a character allows teens to do and say things that may feel too intimidating in real life (IE: express thoughts/feelings, stand up for themselves, ask for help, etc…). For instance, a quiet teen might have trouble sharing her thoughts or opinions in real life, but if she’s playing as a hero, she’ll learn how to use her voice throughout the course of the game. The skills that teens discover through playing tabletop role-playing games can be applied to their everyday lives.

Q: What therapeutic approaches do you use?
A: I have completed the Therapeutic Game Master certification training from Geek Therapeutics and have learned how to integrate third-wave cognitive behavioral therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy into tabletop role-playing games.

Q: How do you run group therapy online?
A: Group sessions will be held on a secure Zoom video call to protect confidentiality. Games are private and will only include group members and myself. In order to play D&D, we’ll use a few free online tools. Players will make their characters using a website called D&D Beyond and the game will be played on a website called Roll20. Roll20 shows the map, characters, and creatures encountered in the adventure. All your teen needs is a computer with a webcam/microphone and stable internet access!

Q: Will my health insurance cover group psychotherapy sessions?
A: While I am in-network with BCBS, BCN, and UHC/Optum, not all plans cover group psychotherapy (CPT code 90853) in an outpatient mental health setting (non-facility). Although I check health insurance benefits as a courtesy, sometimes the information I can pull up on the insurance company’s website is incorrect. Please call your insurance company to ensure that group psychotherapy is a covered service.