About This Activity
Therapeutic Dungeons and Dragons Social Skills Group is run by middle school counselor Lindsay O’Keefe, who has spent 18 hours training in the Game to Grow method (see all credentials below). The story content has been developed to reinforce specific developmental capacities like regulation, collaboration, and perspective-taking. Additionally, individual treatment goals will be developed in collaboration with participants, parents, and the facilitator to help guide each participant’s individual story. Facilitator Credentials - Lindsay O’Keefe, Middle School Counselor Master’s of Arts in School Counseling from George Washington University Virginia Licensed Professional Counseling Resident Game to Grow Therapeutically Applied Role-Playing Game Trained (Level 1, 2 & 3) Ongoing Game to Grow Supervision and Training What is the Game to Grow/Critical Core TTRPG method? “Critical Core invites children to enter a shared world of fantasy and social problem solving to build social confidence and empowers them to flourish socially on their own terms. Developed under the guidance of autistics, therapists, educators, and psychologists” (Critical Core). Unlike many social skills groups, it does not teach neurodivergent youth to mask, but instead, helps them learn to shift perspectives and develop skills that help them connect more with the neurotypical world. How will this benefit my student? Critical Core’s TTRPG will help participants develop important self-regulation skills and improve perspective-taking skills. They will increase their ability to read emotions and facial expressions, learn how to build and maintain social relationships, develop social problem-solving skills, increase gray-area thinking, and learn to deal with change and disruption in routine. They will also build improved skills for self-reflection in a safe and supportive atmosphere. In regard to the grade level maximum (9th graders), special exceptions can be made for upper school students.
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