This comment seems to get flung around a lot in arguments against TTRPG Safety Tools.

Yes, it’s true. I’m not a licensed therapist. In fact, I’m probably one of the last people you’d want to receive any kind of mental health therapy from.

Likewise, my TTRPG sessions are not therapy sessions. Sorry, just being brutally honest. This is not something said in utter cruelty, but rather a statement of honest intent. I come to the table to have a good time with my players. It’s meant to be a fun time playing a game.

As one of my favorite YouTubers would say, “But it’s not what you think.”

I’m a proponent of TTRPG Safety Tools. I want my players to feel valued, safe, and have a really fun time playing whatever game I’m going to run. That’s why we employ Safety Tools all the way from Session Zero all the way through the last game session.

Any therapeutic value derived from one of my game sessions is purely a side effect. (*Note I didn’t say “coincidental” because I firmly believe there is no such thing as a coincidence.) If my players just want to escape the hard reality of mundane Earth life for a few hours and pretend to be their characters, that’s terrific. I hope everyone is having a good time. That’s what we’re there for.

The feeling after a good game session is somewhat cathartic. Maybe we overcame an issue in game that one of the players can relate with in real life. That’s super. If we provided insight into a problem, even accidentally or incidentally, then I’m happy for the player. Let it be known that I have never diagnosed a player or attempted to use my game as a method of treatment.

There are plenty of licensed therapists who use roleplaying (games) to help their clients.

Roleplaying, and even tabletop roleplaying games are great therapeutic tools in the hands of a trained professional. I know several psychology majors in college that did projects and one guy who did his Master’s Thesis on RPGs as therapy. Most of these examples are one-on-one therapy, though.

Without dropping a 20 page paper on you, the idea is sometimes roleplay can be helpful in rehearsing what the client can do/say in a specific situation. Sometimes playing a little one-on-one RPG can help a client ease up into a session and relax enough to talk about what’s really going on. Other times, a particularly shy client might be able to open up in character about what’s going on in the real world. Again, these are tools for a trained therapist in a one-on-one professional setting.

I would also point out that a lot of the TTRPG used is a not-as-violent or a nonviolent game. (*I know. It’s freaky that there are nonviolent TTRPGs out there but turns out they exist.) Some clients are sensitive to violent situations, even fictional ones. Some people are very non-confrontational. We could be here all day listing different symptoms and mental disorders triggered by violence. In a therapeutic situation we just have to trust that the therapist knows what they’re doing.

The difference between therapy and TTRPG Safety Tools.

I’m a huge proponent of TTRPG Safety Tools. I also think if someone is having mental health issues, seeking out therapy from a trained professional is a great idea. However, the TTRPG table with a group of players assembled strictly to have fun is not the place for therapy.

Safety Tools are not a consent to treat. Even if the GM is a certified therapist there is no formal contract amongst players in the Safety Tools. There is no rulebook I’ve ever seen that says I have to diagnose or treat a players mental health issues.

This is not intended to be as heartless as it might sound.

Plenty of extremely vocal (usually bitter old Grognard types) opponents of Safety Tools will argue all day that GMs are being forced to become therapists. The argument usually sprouts up around Session Zero debates, consent in gaming forms, and the X card or Lines and Veils approaches. There’s a massive difference between being considerate of other peoples’ trauma and/or mental health issues and giving therapy.

Safety Tools exist to promote smooth gameplay by specifically avoiding triggers that would otherwise stop play in its tracks. It’s better to know up front what the GM expects and what the players prefer to avoid at the table than have a major surprise down the road that ends in tears. It’s better for people to know what expectations are ahead of time. That’s not anything like therapy, though.

It all comes back to the tried and true notion of, “Don’t be a jerk.”

Being a decent human being, especially for GMs, is pretty much mandatory in TTRPGs. If you can’t get along and play nicely with others, you probably shouldn’t be at the game table with them. No GM in any game anywhere has the right to be an outright arse to the players. There is no license to hurt people’s feelings in any game.

GMs can be considerate and understanding of players’ mental health concerns and not be therapists. It’s very easy, actually. If the group has been together for a long time, they already know how to avoid one another’s triggers. Otherwise, that’s why we have TTRPG Safety Tools. We can be sensitive to someone else’s concerns without being therapists.

Thank you for being here with me today. I appreciate you hearing me out to the end. Please, be kind and considerate wherever you go. Tomorrow we tackle yet another consent in gaming issue.