Therapeutic Group For Children
The Fellowship
The Fellowship is a therapeutic group for children ages 9-13 with big imaginations, to help them develop confidence, build new friendships, and grow as people. It uses Dungeons and Dragons as a base, with additional therapeutic elements that promote interpersonal and self-regulation skills. The Fellowship is led by City Counseling Center’s Joe Anderson, LPC, with supervision from Tony Gleason, LCPC. In addition to being a Licensed Professional Counselor, Joe holds a certificate in therapeutic roleplaying and has completed a Dungeon Master Certification course through Health Quest Innovative Therapeutics under Dr. Megan Connell, PsyD.
In this twelve-week program, participants take on the role of fantasy adventurers and create a narrative as they play, working together to face danger and overcome challenges. Group members develop specific goals for their personal growth, to be expressed through their characters’ stories, which guide the therapeutic elements of the group. The distance between player and character gives participants a space to “try on” different selves and practice skills that they can then carry over into their own lives.
For children who need some extra help with…
Social Skills Development
Self-Esteem
Conflict Resolution
Benefits of the Fellowship
In the process of playing, players learn to:
- Work as a team
- Take other people’s perspectives
- Confront uncertainty and anxiety
- Believe in themselves
- Build friendship-making skills
- Navigate conflict
- Set goals and work toward them