RPGs & MENTAL HEALTH
How does the merger of therapy and tabletop RPGs actually work?
ABILITY TO EXPLORE CHOICES & DECISIONS
Clients create their own characters, including backgrounds, memories, and personality traits that drive these characters. Research has shown that when individuals create characters, they see these characters as representing aspects of themselves. Therefore, as the client is role playing in game play, they are able to try out new ways of interacting with others and view, through their character, how certain decisions could play out. Staff are then present to assist the client in identifying ineffective thought patterns they are utilizing in game play and how this parallels to real life challenges.
ABILITY TO GAIN SOCIAL SKILLS
Social skills training is something that staff are constantly working on with clients, and Tabletop RPGs provide both an opportunity to work on this in and out of character. Staff have observed teens who barely look or speak to their peers engage in assertive communication while looking others in the eyes. The transformation and ability to work on these life skills has been life-changing for TTR’s clients!
ABILITY TO PROCESS TRAUMA
While engaging in game play, staff utilize Narrative Therapy and CBT concepts in order to address trauma in session. The clients reprocess their trauma in a story form during both game play and individual therapy as well as focus on components including meaning-making and integration. Being in character allows the client to process through their trauma as a form of In Vivo Therapy (based on CBT). However, the client is far enough removed from the situation to allow them to feel safe enough to fully process thoughts and feelings.
ABILITY TO PRACTICE ACTING CONTRARY TO IMPULSES
Many clients struggle significantly with impulse control; acting based on urge and instant gratification versus thinking through a variety of options, making informed decisions. Tabletop RPGs allow an opportunity to practice taking a step back, sometimes at the prompt of staff, sometimes through a failed attack (seeing the consequence and realizing that they need to act contrary to impulse next time), and sometimes through realizing that they need to act based on their character versus their own desires/ impulses. Research on ADHD and other impulse control disorders shows the need to slow down the relationship between experiencing a feeling and acting (Phillips, 2019), therefore, we take steps throughout the campaigns to assist clients in understanding this connection and working to achieve reduced impulsivity.