D&D Peer support groups

 
 

Welcome, adventurers!

Are you feeling burnt out by day-to-day life?

Are you struggling to budget your limited energy?

Are you looking for accessible ways to recharge more effectively?

Do you ever wish you had friends who really understood what “Spoonie” life is like?

If any of these apply, you may be a good fit for one of my upcoming virtual D&D peer support groups! There, you can escape reality for a bit, harvest some dopamine, find community with folks who really understand your struggles, and build a rewarding hobby to enjoy for years to come. Those interested can even learn to run their own games!

Target Audience

My target audience includes folks experiencing one or more of the following:

  • chronic illnesses and/or disabilities (e.g. migraine, POTS, fibromyalgia, CFS/ME, long COVID, MCAS, chronic pain, depression, etc.)

  • neurodivergent burnout (from diagnosed or suspected ADHD, Autism, OCD, SPD, etc)

  • similar energy-management challenges.

The focus of the groups will be on peer support, building energy-management and coping skills, learning effective and sustainable self-care strategies, and resource-sharing.

As a structured activity with clear rules and safety tools, D&D is also a great context for some folks (e.g. Autistics, folks with social anxiety, and deep introverts) to get to know others in a gradual, low-stakes, natural-feeling way. It’s basically the opposite of speed dating… Should we call it “slow friending,” maybe?

How to apply

Please fill out the wait list form below to apply! You don’t need to know anything about D&D to join, as I’ll be teaching the rules as we go, and adapting the rules-burden to fit each group’s needs.

Before joining, you’ll be asked to participate in a short screening (via video call, phone, or email; your choice) to ensure you’re a good fit for a current or upcoming group. Depending upon the number of applicants versus openings, you may be offered a spot in an existing or upcoming group, or you may be placed on a wait list for an upcoming group

Structure

These groups combine a lightly-psychoeducational D&D game (for 1-2 hours) with a more traditional support group format (for 30-60 minutes) for a total of 2-3 hours, depending on the needs of each group. Groups will be relatively small (4-7 players per session) and may be either open or closed depending on each group’s preferences.

The D&D campaign will be customized to fit the needs and goals of each group, including timing, length, and frequency, as well as story elements and challenges designed specifically for each player’s character, and for the group as a whole. These campaigns are generally rich in roleplay and problem-solving, and may be low-combat (or even no-combat) in groups that prefer this. Safety is prioritized, and multiple safety tools will be available.

Character design

If designing your first character feels intimidating or overwhelming, don’t worry; we’ll work on character design together during our first meeting as a group! This allows us to interweave characters’ stories, to identify clear goals and motivations, and to build richer characters overall. It also helps us ensure each character has a clear role (or roles) within the group, so each player can contribute to the story in a unique and meaningful way.

Collaborative group character-building is awesome (trust me!), but some folks prefer to think through their choices more thoroughly before committing to a particular class, species, or background. So everyone who joins the group will be given immediate access to my D&D library via DnDBeyond.com, to peruse their character options in the Player’s Handbook at their leisure.

Those who want 1-on-1 guidance may receive it via email or text, or may request an individual character-design consultation (currently free), wherein I help you identify the best species, class, subclass, and background for your needs/wants as a player. I can even help you figure out your PC’s (player character’s) appearance, make up a backstory, suggest possible connections with other PCs, and identify specific short-term and long-term goals for your PC.

If all these options still sound like too much work, you can choose a pre-made character (one I’ve already optimized for the campaign) or you can tell me what sounds fun to you, e.g.:

  • “I want to be a walking library with a quick dagger”

  • “I want to be an expert archer with a silver tongue”

  • “I want to throw monsters into other monsters”

  • “I want to light everything on fire”

… and I can design you a custom character with knowledge and skills essential to the campaign, and suited to your desired level of play complexity.