characters, and roll dice to determine numerous things ranging from combat to seeing if the character remembers a piece of lore to if they can hear a twig crack under the foot of an enemy in the distance. With the changing of time and technological advances, it can also be played online through sites like
Roll20.net,
dndbeyond.com, and
foundtryvtt.com.
general idea of what the campaign (the collection of each gaming session) will be about, the primary goals that will be achieved, and what will need to happen to conclude the story. They also play all monsters and non-player characters (the characters not played by the player). While the GM has the skeleton of the story planned, the players collaboratively tell it along with them, creating hours and hours of entertainment.
idea the positive effect it would have on my life. Looking back on the with magical powers. My character had my mannerisms, my fears, and my hopes. She even had my family of origin structure. Through her, I grew outside of the game, and I knew then that this game that I played every other week with my friends could, and eventually would, help the clients I served. After researching more, I found other therapists and play therapists worldwide who use D&D in therapy to help their clients. One of the biggest struggles we have all come across is the lack of research in this area, especially with regard to use in play therapy settings.
Aspects in Adlerian Play Therapy and forth between phases (Rosselet & Stauffer, 2013). In phase one of AdPT, the therapist builds an egalitarian relationship with the client. During D&D play, this would occur through the bulk of character creation. In phase two the therapist gathers information about the client, in this case by observing how the client plays their character and by verbally hypothesizing motivations about the character’s words and actions. Phase three allows the play therapist to help the client gain insight, and during D&D this may be related to similarities between the character and the client. Finally, in phase four, the client will be able to take what they have learned about themselves (perhaps through their character) and apply it to their life outside of treatment (Kottman & Meany-Walen, 2016).
Character Creation – Phase 1 and 3 Change can begin in therapeutic D&D during character creation, at they want to gain from their time spent playing a character. This light structuring early in the play process helps the client and the therapist keep the client’s goal in mind. For example, if the client feels as if no one is hearing them and that how they have met their needs has not
CLINICAL EDITOR’S COMMENTS:
Playing Dungeons and Dragons with a skilled play therapist gives role-playing clients a chance to fully embody themselves, as well as to experience new ways of being.
worked in the past, they might use their character to try a different that the character will have) that utilizes the charisma statistic (your ability to interact with others effectively), and the therapist might help them further by inviting the client to develop a background story for the character that would help reinforce this desire to use their voice (Mearls & Crawford, 2014). During role-playing, which will be described later, the cumulative choices made will aid the character in utilizing various communication skills, giving the client numerous opportunities to practice, via their character, using their voice effectively (Hartwig et al., 2024).
Alternatively, suppose the client has felt physically weak in the past. In that case, the therapist might suggest playing a larger species, ensuring that strength is their character’s highest statistic, or this strong character the therapist can help the client gain insight into the client’s own strengths, even those that are not physical, or they might offer suggestions for how the client could become physically stronger if appropriate. A goliath who wields a great axe might look intimidating, though they would do well to use their skills in diplomacy rather than their weapon.
Character creation may take more than one session. As the client continues to develop their character, it is crucial that the therapist point out similarities or differences between the character and the client. Conceptualize the client’s choice to play a particular species or class considering their presenting concerns, and you both may discover that they have created themselves, only with magic.
One addition to therapeutic D&D games with clients is giving a character an extra skill during creation. For example, a client who wants to work on their assertiveness might add ‘assertive’ to their in that skill. During game play, the client may then work to appear assertive, and the therapist would be deliberate about asking them for ‘assertive checks’ given that it is pre-determined as a skill. These checks could be as simple as the character telling another character, Should the client not exhibit their intended skill, then the therapist GM might remind them to use this skill.
www.a4pt.org | March 2025 | PLAYTHERAPY | 17
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