What is Dungeons & Dragons (D&D)?

To quote D&D’s official website, “In Dungeons & Dragons, the players form an adventuring party who explore fantasy worlds together as they embark on epic quests and level up in experience. The Dungeon Master (or Game Master, DM or GM, etc. ) is the game's referee and storyteller. There’s no winning or losing in D&D—at least, not in the conventional way.

At its heart, D&D is a game that focuses on storytelling. The dice just help you along. Everything is your decision, from what you look like, to how you act, to what happens next.

The collective creativity in your D&D game builds stories that you’ll tell again and again—ranging from the stuff of legend to absurd incidents that’ll make you laugh years later.” We here at The Quest Therapy don’t own D&D, but we love it fiercely and believe in its value as a mental health tool and the most fun you can have with a twenty-sided die.

What kind of therapy group is this?

To be clear, this group type is what is called Sub-clinical. The focus is not on individual clinical mental health therapy, but instead on developing mental health skills and receiving psychoeducation; psychoeducation is defined as giving group members information and context about their mental health. The kind of group that our D&D therapy groups embodies best is a skills development group. Skills development groups center on introducing and sharpening the skills that members need to cope with difficulties that may damage or exacerbate their mental health. The overall goal lies in strengthening the members’ behavioral and mindfulness resources to help them make positive and adaptive choices and avoid complicating their situation by making suboptimal choices.

Does this kind of thing actually work?

Yes! There is more and more evidence-based research coming out every year on the value of tabletop role-playing games for therapeutic experiences. Multiple universities and psychological journals are publishing research each year on the topic, and you can find therapists across the country utilizing D&D as a tool in their therapeutic tool belt!

Organizations like the American Psychological Association and the National Board for Certified Counselors support certifications such as Certified Therapeutic Game Master, recognizing the psychological value of “real life, lived under imaginary circumstances”.

What does a typical D&D group therapy session look like?

It all begins with Week 1, the introduction. During the first time together, players and the Therapeutic Game Master will have the chance to meet face to face, discuss the ground rules and purpose of the group, introduce the game setting and their characters, as well as make refinements and ask questions about the group and their desired outcome.

Typically, after a session there will be a recommended journaling prompt posted in the group’s Discord channel after the game; this is an opportunity to recount the events of the game in first person, as your character. This not only serves as a chance to keep track of your adventure, but also a chance for you to take your time and explore why you act the way you do in-character, and how you’ll tackle the problems ahead of you using the skills your character has that we want to embody.

On Weeks 2+, typically the first approx. 10 minutes of the session will be catching up on the events of the last session, making sure everyone is ready for the game to come, or perhaps hearing a brief bit about how group members used their skills throughout the prior week. Then, for next approx. 150 minutes of the session, the game is played and players have the chance to interact with the world, the story, and the other characters in the world, utilizing chances to act in ways they want to outside of the game. In the last 20 minutes or so of session, we debrief and review things we liked about our actions, things we wish had gone differently, and support each other by encouraging group members who did well that session.

On the last week, the last encounter of the campaign is played and concluded, and the party says their goodbyes as the group comes to a close. We review lessons we learned throughout the weeks, and if players want to continue their mental health journey, compile resources for them to do so in the future.

How much does TTRPG Group Therapy cost?

Each player’s cost to participate is $135 per session. The cost per hour of group therapy is $45, for 3 hours of group each week, and for an entire 12 week group would be $1,620. This is a skills building group, which means it is not typically covered by insurance companies.

We do offer several event-based & group discounts:

If you take a picture with our booth in cosplay at a Convention, you’ll receive a 20% discount off of your first session! Simply email us your picture at our booth from the same email address that you sign up for The Quest with.

If you sign up as part of a group of 4, all group members will receive 20% off of the entire campaign! Simply include in an email to us at thequesttherapy@gmail.com the names & email addresses of all who are in your group if you want to play together. Great for families, friend groups, and social groups that all want to grow together!

We offer a 10% discount to anyone who pays up front for all 12 sessions, making the total $1,458 for a 12 week campaign.

Session costs are typically charged some hours before session start time is to begin if paying weekly. In the event a card is declined or is having an issue, we’ll contact you to ask for an updated card before session starts.

How does this price compare to the price of typical psychotherapy?

The price for individual therapy varies from provider to provider, but most are between $150-$200 per hour when paying out of pocket. For many who either don’t have insurance or their insurance does not have very good mental health coverage (if any at all), group therapy is often a great way to engage in self-care and self-improvement of one’s mental health without paying individual therapy prices. We believe that pricing our groups the way we do is a way to make mental health accessible and affordable for more people, getting more

I have a severe disorder (self-harming, suicidal ideation, extreme depression or anxiety to the point of not being able to interact at all with others, etc.). Am I a good fit for D&D Group Therapy?

When you sign up for a virtual therapy group, there will be some questions in our sign-up form about your ability to engage with the group in a positive and meaningful way. This includes being able to be largely on time for sessions, to be able to interact with the Game Master and other players via webcam, and to generally avoid crisis at the “table”. If you find yourself experiencing severe mental health issues or symptoms, a higher level of care should be sought. We recommend individual therapy for more severe issues, or hospitalization in case of mental health emergencies.

If in the middle of a session, a player experiences a mental health crisis, the therapist will pause the game and address the crisis in a separate channel, resolving the situation and doing crisis counseling to assist the player. Typically this will result in the player being referred to a higher level of care, as the group is not productive for them at that point (nor are they able to be supportive and productive for the other group members.) If you have questions about the severity of your symptoms, feel free to contact us before signing up for a group to see if you’re a great fit.

Are Therapeutic D&D Groups bound to confidentiality?

This will be explored in the first session, but it bears repeating here as well. With individual counseling, therapists are largely bound by HIPAA to preserve client/clinician confidentiality. In a group, there is an altered expectation: The Therapeutic Game Master(s) is/are still bound to confidentiality concerning group members and what is mentioned at the “table”, but other group members may not abide by HIPAA practices. We recommend players do not enter into a habit of discussing critically sensitive personal details in group sessions, as there is a lessened expectation of privacy when members who are not ethically bound by law to confidentiality are present.

The goal is for you to be able to grow together with your party, but use discretion when disclosing personally identifying information beyond name and general location, time zone, etc. Utilize your best judgment.

I’ve never played D&D or a tabletop Role Playing Game before, will I be behind?

Absolutely not! Our groups are very beginner friendly, and there will be time before, during, and after Session 1 to learn how to play, how to create a character sheet, how to interact with the virtual game board, and how to engage with the mechanics of the game.

The D&D Beyond system we will be using incorporates automatic formulas into the dice rolling that make the game very streamlined, and we emphasize a spirit of patience for other players who are learning the game, as well as an expectation of helpfulness from players who may have more experience and can lead by example. Please let your Game Master know if you’re having any difficulty with the mechanics of the game, we’re more than happy to help!

There are certain topics that trigger extreme negative reactions in me, or that I have an aversion/trauma response to. How can I be safe and play this game with full consent?

We utilize a variety of safety tools that the group itself helps to choose and normalize during the first session. Groups will establish ground rules and safety standards all members agree upon before actual gameplay occurs.

What happens if I’m significantly late to a session, or miss a session?

We require that if you commit to a Quest Therapy Group, that you make your best efforts to attend. Your party needs you!

Typically if there is a session where an emergency or unforeseen event pops up, there is one grace incident where there’s no charge or fee for missing the session. Life happens, emergencies happen, we understand and can extend grace one time.

More than a single missed session, late joining of session (more than 20 minutes late), continued or repeated disconnections from the call/game without remedy or late cancels/no-shows will incur a $75 fee per incident. If you paid a one-time fee for all sessions, there will be no refund for missed sessions (as the initial rate was discounted).

We only have a maximum of 6 spots at the game table per group, this fee is present to encourage Players to honor their commitment not just to the game, but to themselves and their fellow group members.

I have an issue with another Player in the group, what should I do?

It depends on the degree of the issue in question. If you have observed another group member engage in activities or communication that dishonors the spirit of respect and cooperation that the game embodies, please alert your group leader and they can attempt to offer resolution.

What if I have other questions?

Please feel free to contact us. The best way to reach us directly is via email, we can absolutely answer your inquiries and do our best to serve you!