NAT20 THERAPY FAQs

General, Individual, & Role-playing group Therapy FAQs

General faqs

  • NAT20 Therapy utilizes mental health expertise and tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) like Dungeons & Dragons for individual and group therapy sessions. It combines structured storytelling methods (Three-Act Structure, Dan Harmon's Story Circle) with therapeutic goals, providing a safe, supportive, and fun environment for cognitive, emotional, and social skill building.

  • NAT20 Therapy can help with various mental health conditions and struggles, including anxiety, trauma, depression, ADHD, PTSD, and social anxiety. It also helps clients work on issues such as masking, anger, extreme self-sacrifice, fear of talking, and shame related to ADHD impulsivity.

  • NAT20 Therapy offers both individual therapy and Therapeutically Applied RPG Social Skills groups for teens (14-17) and adults (25 and up). They also have specific group offerings like "Galaxy Brain Quest" for adult neurodivergent individuals (30+) and "Restoration Quest" for adult self-care, as well as teen-focused "Creative Campaigners" and "Art of Resilience" groups.

  • For adult and teen Therapeutically Applied RPG Social Skills Groups, sessions are 90 minutes, occurring once a week. The main program is an 18-week session. Other groups like "Restoration Quest" and "Art of Resilience" are 6-week programs with weekly sessions, while "Creative Campaigners" and "Mindful Movement in Fantasy Worlds" are drop-in groups.


  • An initial 60-minute individual intake session costs $280, and subsequent 45-minute individual sessions are $225. For adult Therapeutically Applied RPG Social Skills Groups, clients can choose one payment of $1,700 (saving $100) or three payments of $600 due every six weeks. Teen groups are billed six weeks at a time. Other specialized groups like "Restoration Quest," "Creative Campaigners," and "Mindful Movement in Fantasy Worlds" have their own per-session rates as well.


  • NAT20 Therapy is out-of-network with all insurance plans and does not accept insurance directly. Services are self-pay. However, they have partnered with Reimbursify to help clients easily submit claims for out-of-network health insurance reimbursement.

  • No, Dungeons & Dragons experience is not necessary to join a group. The therapy groups are designed for participants with varying levels of familiarity, including those who have never played before.

  • Clients contact NAT20 Therapy via message or email. Within 48 hours, an intake coordinator will respond with an interest form. Once completed, a 15-minute initial intake phone call is scheduled to assess if the client is appropriate for services. If so, an initial intake appointment is scheduled, and forms are sent via SimplePractice. If there is no availability, the client is placed on a waiting list.

  • NAT20 Therapy uses a range of administrative documentation for group therapy, including Informed Consent, Intake Assessment Forms, HIPAA Release Forms, Emergency Contact Information, Insurance Information, a Therapeutic RPG Group Onboarding Packet (including Intake Questionnaire, RPG Consent Checklist, Group Guidelines, and Character Creation), Progress Notes, Treatment Plans, Assessment Tools, Discharge Plans, Feedback Forms, Billing and Payment documents, Maryland State Licensing Documentation, and Crisis Intervention Plans.

 RPG Group Therapy FAQs

  • TA-RPG social skills groups for teens and adults are therapeutic groups where a therapist facilitates tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, Blades in the Dark, Fate, Monster of the Week, etc. to practice social skills and mental health goals.

    Through role-play, a client can create aesthetic distance between themselves and their character by which they can practice setting boundaries, social skills, and engaging in community in the safe microcosm of our homebrew fantasy worlds. Even in personal games ran just for fun, there is a common occurrence colloquially known as bleed where aspects of real-life inform the game, or vice-versa.

    Tabletop role-playing games offer a unique and powerful avenue for individuals to explore their biases, coping mechanisms, and reactions to events in a safe and controlled environment. By assuming the role of a character in a fictional world, players can delve into complex social dynamics and confront personal challenges in a constructive and introspective manner. These games provide an opportunity to examine how we interpret and navigate different situations, shedding light on our subconscious biases and reactions. Through these insights, we can better understand ourselves, identify areas for growth, and ultimately seek ways to improve our lives. By immersing ourselves in imaginative narratives, tabletop role-playing games offer a powerful and therapeutic outlet for personal exploration, reflection, and transformation.

    We maintain teen groups for ages 14-17 and adult groups for ages 25+.

  • Our groups are 90 minutes long, once a week, for 18 weeks. The sessions are divided into three 6-week sessions: Levels 1, 2, and 3. In Level 1, we build a personalized character, review goals, and learn to play the character.

    Level 2, we will be working on creating a customized story for you and your character, as well as start practicing specified goals.

    Level 3 is the climax of the story as well as the time when clients can work on deeper goals. At the end of level 3, we end the campaign with an epilogue for your character and review overall progress.

  • Pricing for both groups and individual therapy depends on the practitioner providing the services.

    See below for details:

    Charlene MacPherson, LCSW-C

    Level 1, 2, 3 | $600 per level; $1,800 total ($1,700 if all prepaid)

Individual Therapy Faqs

  • At NAT20 Therapy LLC, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive and holistic care for our clients. There is no prescriptive theory or style that NAT20 asks that its practitioners must follow, only guidelines for ethical and moral service to our clients. We utilize various modern approaches, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and other evidence-based practices, to facilitate their holistic growth. CBT helps clients identify and challenge negative thought patterns and behaviors, promoting positive change and empowering them to develop healthier coping strategies. DBT, on the other hand, emphasizes mindfulness, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance. These approaches, combined with other modern therapeutic techniques, allow us to address the interconnected aspects of our clients' lives, such as their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, relationships, and overall well-being. By focusing on the whole person, we can support their growth and help them achieve lasting and meaningful change.

    Each practitioner has their own methodologies and styles of therapy. By checking out Our Team, you can find a particular persons credentials and styles to find something that feels comfortable to you

  • Pricing for both groups and individual therapy depend on the practitioner providing the services. See below for details:

    Charlene MacPherson, LCSW-C

    Intake | 60 min | $280

    Individual Session | 45 min | $225

    Group + Individual Weekly | $300

    • Please fill out this interest form: HERE

  • You can find a more detailed explanation on our Investment page here.

    In this program, we customize and personalize each person's experience. We identify cognitive behavioral goals in order for you to work on them in the group. We take all the information gathered and create a personalized experience for each player within the RPG world.

    This includes weaving together a narrative that covers all of the players’ goals, creating opportunities through encounters to practice your goals, and keeping the game fun and engaging for the players. In short, this is a group run by a licensed therapist with significant effort and is billed accordingly for the amount of time we invest into our clients’ experiences.

    If you are experiencing hardship, know that we understand and will work with you to the best of our ability. Each practitioner may have different pricing based on qualifications, years of experience, and level of education. Please feel free to inquire about our options. goes here