We give you opportunity
About Our Network
The Game Therapy Network is a platform that’s connects individuals with practitioners, organisations, and businesses who provide therapeutic support in the form of positive, inclusive and therapeutic gaming.
Game Therapists join recreational therapy and art therapy to benefit people in all stages of life with community integration and social support as the goal.
For a list of our services (and legal requirements) and how best to contact a Game Therapist who suits you, follow this link: Game Therapy Services.
Click the Games On Offer tab for a complete listing of games from Game Therapists in this network, or click on a Game Therapists Name to see the games they have access to.
The Game Therapy directory lists the board games, table top games, card games, role-playing games and games in general that the Game Therapists involved in this network have access to: and on short notice can play with you (no matter your circumstance.)
Each page in The Game Therapy Directory lists the game and the rules in both written and video form. To come will be tutorials on how to play and what to watch out for when learning the games when you are both player and instructor.
We can even organise group-play to build your network of game playing friends.
To further this end The Game Spaces Directory uses a geo-location function to find inclusive game stores, hobby stores, public places and therapeutic gaming practitioners near you.
Please note : We are not an organisation, association, or company in our own right.
Working with :
Mable (formerly Better Caring)
Aspergers Victoria
Banyule Council
Austin Health
Department of Health and Human Services
Carinya Society
The Victorian State Education Department
And more!
Game Spaces
Games on Offer
Numbers League
A Superhero themed math based standalone card game for ages 8 and up. Villains lurk in the streets of Infinity City and the only hope is the Numbers League. Assemble…
Portobello Market
London, 1901. At the world famous Portobello Market, the goal in the morning is to secure the best places to build stalls. Try to place your stalls in the most lucrative…
Pirates of the 7 Seas
Pirates of the 7 Seas is an innovative, fast and competitive board game full of events from everyday pirate life: plundering, old maps, and horrible gigantic krakens. Adventures, new ports…
Otys
Mid-22nd century, after 300 years of unconsciousness, the water rising engulfs the last emerged lands. Fighting for their lives, the survivor’s settlements must remain above the sea level. You live…
Odin’s Ravens
Every morning Odin sends his ravens, Huginn and Muninn, across the entire world to bring back news of what life is like on Earth. Naturally, after thousands of years, they’ve…
Relevant Posts
In Melbourne, games and leisure activities are more than just pastimes—they are powerful tools for fostering community integration and combating social isolation.
In Melbourne, games and leisure activities are more than just pastimes—they are powerful tools for fostering community integration and combating social isolation. Across the city, a variety of programs and…
Roleplaying games offer a uniquely supportive environment for people on the autism spectrum
The clear rules, predictable structure, and shared goals of Dungeons & Dragons provide a safe framework for social interaction. Australian therapists and NDIS providers increasingly use tabletop RPGs in social…
Almost half of Victorian male inmates, and a third of female inmates, have a brain injury. For Michael, diagnosis was the first step to a new life
Nearly half of Victorian male inmates live with undiagnosed acquired brain injuries (ABIs), often stemming from trauma, substance use, or accidents. Without early screening and support, these individuals face cycles…
Join the Waiting List for Free Therapeutic Storytelling Games!
I’m building waiting lists by location for in-person games and also offer online sessions! These games are free for players on my waiting lists because the focus is on group…
For players with ADHD, roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons offer a stimulating and rewarding outlet for focus and creativity
The game’s mix of storytelling, decision-making, and problem-solving keeps attention engaged while promoting executive functioning skills. Therapists and educators across Australia have noted improvements in attention, impulse control, and cooperative…
Free 2 Hour Intro to DND sessions
After waking as captives of the catfolk in a mysterious dungeon, our party has uncovered a diabolical doppleganger plot. Oozefolk Goopulicates are taking over! After rescuing some catfolk and discovering…
Testimonial time,
“Michael has been a reliable and effective support for my 14-year-old son who has Autism. Michael has assisted us with forming and maintaining a Dungeons & Dragons group which has…
Sometimes it just takes 1 person to change your life.
I have absolutely nothing to say about this post and it’s relation to games and therapy EXCEPT one of the best friends I’ve ever had in my life took this…
Which football puppet is your favourite?
In our Sport Appreciation Program, we share stories, favourite teams, and treasured memories — with football often at the heart of it all. One of our favourite activities is making…
Recreational Therapy with Mature Aged
Every Monday we celebrate a lifelong love of sport in a mature aged intellectually disabled program at a disability day centre. Our Sport Appreciation Program honours the passion our participants…
AV’s term DND program for autistics.
What a unique program! This fantastic grass roots organisation is open for registrations to their Term 2 Roleplaying Games programs. Largely led by lived experience neurodivergent facilitators who are paid…
Graffiti: From Street Walls to Family Walls
Graffiti: From Street Walls to Family Walls Graffiti is often misunderstood — dismissed as rebellion or vandalism. But in a safe, creative space, it becomes something powerful: a way to…
Great session today with our Sunday neurodiverse teens TTRPG group!
We threw the party into chaos with a magical mind swap — each player had to play a different character’s body while keeping their original personality. The result? Hilarious teamwork,…
An aunt and her ASD nephew walk into a multi-level dungeon ….
In Captives of the Catfolk, the players wake up in a mysterious dungeon, captured by eccentric Catfolk who serve exotic interdimensional masters. As they navigate their captivity, they realize that…
Playing D&D engages memory, imagination, and communication — all key areas that help slow cognitive decline
For individuals living with early-onset dementia, tabletop roleplaying games offer mental stimulation and meaningful social connection. In Australia, some aged care and community programs are exploring RPGs as cognitive therapy…
Building Worlds, BuildingConnections : A RecreationalTherapy Approach to TTRPGs
Today, I ran world-building sessions with two autistic siblings to create interconnected #DND campaigns tailored to their needs. Each sibling has their own world—one dark and treacherous, the other filled…
Roleplaying games can play a valuable role in recovery and rehabilitation for stroke survivors.
They promote cognitive exercise, communication, and social engagement in a fun, low-pressure environment. Australian occupational therapists and support workers have found tabletop RPGs useful for rebuilding language and executive function….
I spent today playing cards with an Iraqi aged social support group at an Iraqi restaurant
As elders share stories over steaming cups of tea, youngers learn about traditions, hospitality, and the importance of community. I spent today playing cards with an Iraqi aged social support…
Looking for Players: PF2eRM
**Sky Kings Tomb** SYSTEM Pathfinder 2e remastered LOCATION In person game in Greensborough, Victoria. TIME Wednesday nights 6pm onwards. PRICE: Free social game PARTY SIZE: 5/6 **Beginners Welcome.** AGE: 18+…
Pocketbooks are the GO!
Pathfinder 2e soft cover in digest size. Less money, and more love. Building a social circle for an #autistic adult client using this game system. Games will be at their…
DND provides a structured, team-based environment that mirrors the camaraderie many veterans miss after service.
Roleplaying games offer a unique form of social and emotional support for veterans. In Australia, veteran-focused programs and RSL groups have started to use tabletop RPGs to help former service…
Aspergers Victoria’s Dungeon and Dragons term program.
It’s that time again – registrations are now open for Aspergers Victoria’s Dungeon and Dragons term program. Groups are a mix of online and in person. Aspergers Victoria (a name…
In addiction recovery, structure, connection, and purpose are vital — and roleplaying games deliver all three.
DND offers a creative outlet where players can rebuild confidence, trust, and communication skills in a supportive group setting. Australian recovery centres and support programs are beginning to include tabletop…
A Recreation Therapy Approach to Comic Books
From kids to adults, comics can be a bridge to new skills, social connection, and emotional well-being. A small step into a colorful world can lead to big changes! I…
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is a profile on the autism spectrum marked by an intense need to resist everyday demands.
With PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), traditional expectations—like getting dressed, attending school, or completing work—can cause serious distress. It doesn’t mean someone doesn’t want to do things; it means the anxiety around demands…
Rolling for Rapport: TTRPGs and Teens on the Spectrum
Tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) like Dungeons & Dragons are low-pressure, social scaffolds perfect for teens who are autistic or otherwise neurodivergent. As a diversional therapist, Michael Thorburn thinks in outcomes:…
Roleplaying games can support recovery from gambling addiction by replacing risk-based behaviours with collaborative, non-monetary play.
In D&D, chance (rolling dice) exists, but it’s framed within teamwork and narrative, not financial stakes. Therapeutic game programs in Australia and abroad use RPGs to help participants reconnect socially…
The physical terrain and miniatures make the game world more tangible
As a Recreation Therapist, I’ve seen firsthand how Dungeons & Dragons (DND) can transform lives—especially for individuals with health concerns like Acquired Braini Injuries 《ABI), Cerebral Palsy. or Autism Spectrum…
LOOKING FOR PLAYER
I have a young client, 12-13 age group, in South Morang area who will be attending St Helena Secondary College next year (2025). We are looking to add a player…
Open for new clients
I have a slot open for a 2 hour session on Tuesdays 12.30 till 2.30pm. Leisure counselling, recreation education, community integration, resource building. All age groups, all health conditions.