D&D LEARNING LAB FOR THERAPISTS

Learn the game.

Practice your skills.

Build your world.

An ongoing, hands-on learning and practice group for therapists (and other helping professionals) who want to run their own adaptive, player-centered games someday.  Beginners and procrastinators welcome! Free and paid options available.

 

Are you...

  • Interested in running therapeutic/supportive D&D games, but aren't sure where to start?

  • Feeling overwhelmed by the rules, or afraid you're not smart or talented enough to DM?

  • Struggling to set aside time for such a big project?


If any of these apply: this may be the group for you. Maybe you’re already planning out your first therapeutic D&D campaign, or maybe you’ve never even played before! No matter where you are in your journey, this learning lab is designed as a place to…

  • Learn the rules of D&D 5.5e

  • Get firsthand experience playing multiple Classes and/or Species

  • Build practical, applicable DM skills (not just theory!)

  • Develop and playtest your own one-shot or campaign, one tiny piece at a time


how it works

My goal is to train you as a player and/or as a DM (“Dungeon Master,” or as I prefer: “Dungeon Manager“) at whatever level of detail you wish, and at whatever pace is comfortable for you. Here's how it works:

1. Firstly, this group has no commitments and no deadlines! As your Dungeon Manager, I'll always come prepared to run my own campaign (or other modules on request), so you can focus on learning the player's side of things until you’re ready to try DMing.

2. You’ll also have the option to see the DM's side of the game, with detailed explanations, tips, and tricks to help you build your own DM toolbox. We'll discuss simplifications, accommodations, and other ways to adapt the game to your players' needs, as well as your own!

3. If and when you feel ready, you can start running your own practice encounters within a supportive group. You'll have access to various prefabricated encounters/campaigns to choose from, or I can help you create and develop your own homebrew setting and/or campaign. You can run an encounter, a puzzle, or even just a single round of battle, all with as much support as you need!

4. Not ready to start DMing yet? No worries! Experiencing the game as a player is an important part of your educational journey, and one that too many DMs disregard. But instead of picking a single Class and Species to play for months at a time (as in most campaigns) here you can swap or alter your character as often as you wish! This allows players to learn much more in much less time than a traditional campaign (even if they never DM a single encounter).


 

details

  • Free seats available regardless of income

  • There are no commitments or attendance requirements

  • We’ll meet virtually every two weeks, for 60-90 minutes (come late, leave early: no problem!)

  • The exact day and time will depend on the scheduling needs of participants. Please complete the interest form below to vote on times!

  • We’ll be using intentionally simple programs that won’t excessively tax non-gaming computers (so no Roll20 or Foundry).

As with my DnD-based Peer Support Groups, screened/approved can play for free whenever there’s space! Or you can PWYW (“Pay What You Wish”) from $5-$25 to reserve a seat. Your reservation fee helps make additional free and reduced-fee slots available in my D&D-based Peer Support groups for folks with chronic energy-draining conditions.

This game will be focused on learning the rules, so we’ll go slow, we’ll repeat things, and I’ll be providing written references and tools to simplify many processes. Most of the math will be automated, but I can also walk you through each roll if you want to learn to play with just pen and paper!

My training campaign (an ancient-Greek-themed mystery, see below) will be available to play every session, but will be set aside frequently to give players the chance to DM. So if you’re working on your own campaign, you’ll have frequent chances to playtest your material, hone your battle skills, and troubleshoot issues.

But you’re also allowed to just sit back and enjoy the player’s side of things if you wish! And if you signed up to DM on a particular day, but aren’t feeling up to it in the moment (or ran out of prep time), you can back out with no shame and no consequences. Or we can hold you accountable, but only if that’s your preference!

why I created this group

When I first founded my therapy practice, I already knew I wanted to integrate TTRPGs into my work someday. In fact, I chose the name of my therapy practice (Next Page Counseling) specifically for the acronym! But I didn’t have the experience I needed to run good D&D games yet, as I hadn’t played D&D since high school, and had never DMed before.

So I took the Level 1 training through Game to Grow, which was pretty good! They reviewed research findings on the therapeutic benefits of TTRPGs, and gave examples of how to make encounters therapeutic. After a one-day seminar, they told us to come back for the Level 2 training once we’d created a complete, therapeutic D&D one-shot and were ready to DM it in front of a group.

… Wait, what???

To me, this felt like they were saying “you’ve seen a video of someone playing violin; come back for your second lesson once you can play Ode to Joy.” The gap between Level 1 and Level 2 seemed enormous, especially for someone with executive functioning challenges. I had no idea where to start, and everyone’s advice to “just take a whack at it” didn’t exactly help.

Thankfully, I found another training, which not only went into much more detail on the theory underlying therapeutic TTRPGs, but also culminated in each of us designing and running our own one-shot within the training group. This was the bridge I needed to move from theory to practice, and the accountability was enormously helpful!

But when the class inevitably ended, I needed ongoing accountability to push me forward. So I created a group for folks in that training who wanted more practice; a group that eventually became this one!

The point of this D&D Learning Lab is to help you learn D&D 5.5e in smaller chunks, and build confidence with practice at your own pace. Instead of expecting new DMs to spend dozens/hundreds of hours preparing a finished campaign setting before they start DMing, I wanted to create a much easier on-ramp. My hope is to help more busy professionals break into this rewarding and expanding field, and to make supportive and therapeutic D&D accessible to more people.

SIDE NOTE: if you have the time, money, and bandwidth to do so, I *do* recommend you eventually take a proper professional development course on therapeutic/supportive TTRPGs (and I'll be happy to recommend some). But if you need nuts and bolts practice, support, or accountability far more than theory and research right now, I'm here to help you dip your toes in right away. You’re so much closer than you think!

MY TRAINING CAMPAIGN

Wondering what my current training campaign is like? Well, it turns out my Classical Studies degree finally came in handy...

ANTHEMOESSA, ISLE OF THE SIRENS

 

Welcome to Anthemoessa, the Isle of the Sirens and home to many figures from Greek mythology! At this popular tourist mecca, you can explore the Vale of Penthos to discover the mysteries of Camp Icarus, conquer the Puzzle Mage's tower and earn a fortune, or battle your way through lava caves, abandoned mines, and the harsh plateau in search of answers to your many questions, like…

-”Where did those farmers disappear to?”

-”Who burned those ships?”

-”What the f#@$ is happening to everyone in Mage River Valley?”

-”Did you see that giant dragonfly, or am I hallucinating?”

-”Who keeps brushing up against my mind?!?!?”

Or you could choose exclusively nonviolent jobs, and use your savings to start a lavender dispensary… Or a cult… Or a revolution! Whatever goals you choose to pursue, my goal is to make it fun for everyone. So be prepared for bad puns, wacky magic, and serious shenanigans.

I’m hoping to launch this group in October (2026), though this depends how many folks are interested! To speed this along, and to be notified at launch, please enter your email below to join my mailing list! I’ll send out a scheduling survey or Doodle once I have sufficient numbers.