At Dragon’s Den Counseling, group therapy sessions go a little differently.
“We do a little check in at the beginning, just to make sure everyone's doing okay. And then we play for roughly an hour,” said Zach Webber, licensed professional counselor and professional Dungeon Master.
Webber uses role playing in the game Dungeons and Dragons to help clients practice real-life scenarios.
Groups gather in his office, but rather than a circle of chairs, they sit around Webber’s D&D set-up: a gaming table fit with a TV screen surface and 3D printed characters.
“If everyone is involved doing it, especially me, you know, I'm doing all the voices, doing the silly stuff, and music, it is very easy to get immersed in,” Webber said.
Groups venture through a fantasy world, facing conflict and tough social interactions. Their decisions create the storyline. But, Webber guides them through intended lessons.
He said the strategy helps clients engage and take on a new perspective toward hard-to-process social situations, like conflict and making friends. And, build skills like self-advocacy and confidence.
“Instead of talking about what-ifs, it makes it a lot easier to talk about and relate to,” Webber said.
Often, in D&D players simply roll a polyhedral dice to determine how interactions go: a good roll might persuade a non-player character. But, in Webber’s sessions, he prompts clients to talk through the interaction.
“It doesn't even matter what they say, I just want to get them to practice saying it,” Webber said. “The roll really determines it, but if they say something really awesome, I might give an advantage, rewarding them for being creative or stepping out of their comfort zone.”
At the end of the session, they talk through the fantasy journey, in 30 minutes of “processing.” They discuss their interactions, what areas they may have done well, or lessons they can take to use in the game and their life.
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“Like, you did a really good job talking to the people in the game, what are some situations where you think you might be able to take some of that courage from your character?” Webber said. “They're just playing themselves in reality, your real life values and beliefs and all that bleeds into your character.”
Bleeding is a role-play term for when a player’s emotions, experiences and beliefs spill into their actions in the game. Webber says this is essential to the success of his practice.
“It can be hard, especially for neurodivergent individuals, to really visualize or think through certain things,” Webber said. “So it’s cool to have that visualization of what you want or scenarios that maybe you don’t like or you do like.”
The format has shown beneficial for neurodivergent clients, such as those with ADHD or Autism, where traditional talk therapy often doesn’t keep their attention or engage their thought process between sessions.
Webber uses similar techniques in individual sessions, using clients’ interests within their therapy plan, often video or board games, or characters from movies and books. He works with kids, teens and adults, and said older age groups engage in some of his most creative sessions.