Tabletop Roleplaying Therapy
Finally, a Therapist Who Speaks Your Language
You’ve spent your life a half-step out of sync with everyone around you. While everyone else was trying out for a team, you were finishing that seven-hundred-page fantasy novel on a Friday night. While everyone else was talking about the afterparty, you were three hours deep into your newest campaign.
Eventually you found your people — but it took work, and it took time. And now you need a therapist who actually gets it. Who knows what a d20 is. Who knows exactly why The Empire Strikes Back is the best movie of the original trilogy.
At Dallas Psychotherapy, we recognize the power of geek culture and all its trappings — video games, TTRPGs, or those niche shows only you and a few friends have watched to completion. Too often, though, “integrating geek culture” into therapy doesn’t rise past the superficial — a few references sprinkled into a session, nothing more.
We wanted to go deeper.
Be the Hero of Your Own Story
Tabletop Roleplay Game Therapy (TTRPG-T) is an innovative approach that may be exactly what you need. Traditional talk therapy can leave you talking around the problem. TTRPG-T blends narrative structure, game mechanics, and clinical therapy into something different.
If talk therapy was the lecture, TTRPG-T is the lab — where you get to find out what it’s like to be the hero of your own story, and discover the transformation you’ve been looking for.
How a Session Works
Dr. Holliman has developed a unique approach to running TTRPG-T in individual counseling sessions — no more canceling because half the party can’t make it.
Your first session is a Session 0: you’ll talk through your mental health background, any content boundaries, and build a character keyed to your specific goals. Every session after that starts with a brief check-in and a look at how your character’s arc has been showing up in your real life. Then you’ll play — roughly 45 to 50 minutes. We’ll close with a debrief, working together to name what the adventure meant.
Your System, Your Story
All TTRPG-T sessions are conducted via telehealth, using a HIPAA-compliant video platform. Dr. Holliman occasionally uses Roll20 for maps or mechanics, but often runs sessions in theater of the mind.
Systems Dr. Holliman regularly runs:
- D&D 3.5, 4th, and 5th Edition (2014 & 2024)
- World of Darkness & Chronicles of Darkness (Vampire, Demon, Werewolf, Changeling, Hunter)
- Blades in the Dark
- Call of Cthulhu
- Shadowrun (Classic & Anarchy)
- Star Trek Adventures
Don’t see your system? Dr. Holliman is always glad to learn something new — he spends most evenings reading TTRPG manuals before bed.
Roll for Initiative
If you’ve read this far, something about TTRPG-T made you feel seen. You don’t need to have played a TTRPG before, and you don’t need to know the rules. All you need is a willingness to sit down, roll up a character, and see where the story takes you.
Sessions are available via telehealth to residents of Texas, with flexible scheduling to fit around your week. Your first conversation costs nothing — just a chance to ask questions and see if this is the right fit.
Be the adventurer you already are. Reach out today, and let’s reimagine the narrative of your life.
Schedule your free initial consultation with Dr. Holliman.
Currently Recruiting for a TTRPG Research Study
Dr. Holliman is conducting an IRB approved study examining a tabletop role-playing game intervention and its effects on self-esteem and depressive symptoms. Participation involves virtual sessions, completion of brief questionnaires, and collaborative storytelling facilitated by a licensed counselor.