Frank - Heroes Quest Coaching

he/him

Timezone

America/chicago

Language

English

Identity

Neurodivergent

About Frank - Heroes Quest Coaching

I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and Certified Therapeutic Game Master. My first introduction to D&D happened on my 12th birthday in 1983, when I received a red box edition (BECMI) set. I remember it being one of my favorite childhood gifts, outshining even the much coveted Atari 2600 which came several years later. The previous summer, I had started playing with a new friend in a new town and it was the fastest I had ever made a new friend. If we hadn't moved away, or if my undiagnosed autistic self had found it easier to meet new people, D&D would have been a huge part of my life. I played it periodically, when my social anxiety would allow me to people, and I always loved it. I played the video games inspired by it, always a solo rogue or ranger. But RPGs and stories (I'm a huge literature nut) and a lot of therapy helped me find my way in life, and some years back, I decided to become a therapist myself to try to help other people. When I heard about the opportunity to become a Certified Therapeutic Game Master, I leapt at it and forked over a credit card so fast it was smoking. Now for the past two years, I have been practicing DMing with some friends so I can provide TTRPG Therapy, BUT I can't do therapy using tools like discord or work with anyone outside of the state I'm licensed in. What I CAN do is offer *life coaching* TTRPG sessions and teach you the principles of Acceptance and Committment Therapy (ACT) and help you learn how to apply them in your life. So I am expanding my Heroes Quest Therapy practice to include coaching.

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Featured Prompts

My favorite books are

I love literature of all sorts and have favorites across genres. When it comes to fantasy fiction, I grew up reading Terry Brooks, Ursula K. LeGuin, Anne McCaffrey, David Eddings, Piers Anthony, Orson Scott Card, and so many more.

How Frank - Heroes Quest Coaching runs games

I like to try to meet my clients where they are. I have been developing this TTRPG therapy/coaching program (It's a whole out of game sidequest process where you set goals for yourself and your character and learn about new ways of addressing your problems) for over 3 years now as I've been working in community mental health as an outpatient therapist and working on my PhD in Counseling Psychology--where I am researching the intersection of TTRPGs and ACT. I want to play the kinds of games my clients want to play, whether that's classic Tolkien-esque high fantasy (a personal favorite), or a dark Curse of Strahd sort of tale, or the weird, wacky, and deadly world of fever-dream-like OSR adventures that are excellent for teaching you how to roll new characters. Mostly though, I want to be able to help my players embody their characters and give them a full-throated voice full of nuance and depth. The more real I can help you make your character, the easier it will be for you to see the ACT principles at work. Please don't misunderstand: the coaching isn't a distraction from and doesn't alter the course of the game. I'm not here to railroad you into some aha moment. Rather we start by looking at what makes your hero tick, and as you learn about the psychological principles at work, you can begin to apply them in your own life. You can expect daily brief journal prompts on a private channel and regular feedback from your coach who will help you every step of the way.

Frank - Heroes Quest Coaching's ideal table

I have more details about the program I am building at https://heroesquesttherapy.com/coaching, but I'm contemplating some test runs as I get the Discord server set up right (I am still learning how to mold Discord into the tool I need it to be). I've been researching how others use it for PbP games. I like the idea of a persistent world of PbP that you can join any time and take your time building a character that resonates with you and join periodic live session quests when you are able to, on your schedule, which excursions being offered at various times during the week that you can sign up for, or gather your party at the tavern and schedule a session at a time that works well for you (We will accommodate within reason).