Why Tabletop Roleplaying Games?

TTRPGs (Tabletop Roleplaying Games) have become increasingly visible over the last decade, but for many people outside those spaces, they can still seem confusing at first glance. Shows like Critical Role, Dimension 20, Adventure Zone, etc. have become significant forms of media and yet…Aren’t they just people playing games? And perhaps more relevant to our conversation - what would pretending to be fictional characters around a table have anything to do with therapy?

As both a therapist and someone who has spent years participating in and facilitating collaborative storytelling spaces, I think TTRPGs offer something uniquely powerful for group therapy work: they create opportunities to practice being human together.

At their core, tabletop roleplaying games are collaborative storytelling experiences. Players create characters, make decisions together, solve problems, navigate conflict, and respond emotionally to the unfolding story. Unlike many traditional games, the goal is not simply to “win,” but, rather, to have fun along the way. The experience itself is relational. Players are asked to communicate, tolerate uncertainty, adapt to one another, and engage creatively with situations they cannot fully control.

It is precisely that which makes them surprisingly effective therapeutic environments.

For many people, (especially neurodivergent clients, teens, and individuals struggling with anxiety, identity, or social connection) direct social interaction can feel overwhelming or overly exposed – uncomfortable, in other words. TTRPGs create a layer of narrative safety. A client may find it easier to practice assertiveness through a character before doing so directly in their own life. Or, someone who struggles with emotional expression may discover feelings through storytelling that would otherwise remain difficult to access. Indeed, conflict, collaboration, disappointment, repair, leadership, vulnerability, and trust all emerge naturally within the structure of play.

Importantly, these experiences are not “fake” simply because they happen through fiction. In fact, I believe it makes it even easier to access what is real. Stories allow us to externalize parts of ourselves safely and we often discover truths about ourselves through imagination that feels too vulnerable to approach directly.

Furthermore, group TTRPG work helps cultivate a sense of belonging. Many people come into therapy with significant fear of there being no place where they fully fit as themselves socially. Shared storytelling can create spaces where people experience being valued and listened to, which is emotionally impactful for anyone. In my experience, this is particularly meaningful for clients who have historically felt isolated, misunderstood, or excluded from traditional peer environments.

There is also something important about the collaborative nature of these games themselves. Traditional stories are often told from a position of knowing - with certainty. For example, someone may tell us a story about something that happened yesterday or share a written narrative. TTRPGs are different. The story is discovered together in real time. Players influence outcomes, negotiate decisions, and shape the emotional tone of the experience collectively. That process naturally develops flexibility, perspective-taking, problem-solving, and relational awareness.

In therapy groups, I often see clients practicing skills without initially realizing they are practicing them:

• tolerating uncertainty

• managing frustration

• repairing after conflict

• communicating needs

• recognizing emotional cues

• collaborating under stress

• balancing individual wants with group needs

And because these moments arise organically within the game, the learning often feels more embodied and less forced than traditional skills training alone.

TTRPGs are not a replacement for therapy. Rather, they can function as powerful therapeutic containers: structured spaces where emotional, relational, and interpersonal experiences emerge naturally - often creating a sense of catharsis - which provides something that can then be explored more intentionally.

At their best, these groups become more than games. They become spaces where clients practice trust, identity, connection, creativity, and resilience together — often while discovering that there is room for them at the table after all.