Game Master Round Table
The use of therapeutically applied role-playing games (TA-RPGs) is a rapidly growing field. Join us for a discussion between experienced therapeutic GMs about what makes their approaches similar, what defines them, and how you can make your own game better for you and your players.
Adam Johns, LMFT
Executive Director
Game to Grow
Dr. Jared Kilmer PhD, (He|Him)
Director of Counseling Services
Game to Grow
Jared N. Kilmer, PhD leads the counseling clinic at Game to Grow and sees clients in individual and family therapy. He is a licensed clinical psychologist and serves as one of Game to Grow’s therapeutically applied role-playing game (TA-RPG) group facilitators.
He has developed groups utilizing TA-RPGs to promote psychological flexibility, resilience, and well being in military veterans recovering from mental illness, as well as to promote confidence, teamwork, and interpersonal effectiveness in children and adolescents. Jared is passionate about measuring the cognitive and emotional benefits of games and developing effective therapeutically applied gaming interventions among multiple populations.
Cheryl Paberzs, MS MFTC (She|Her)
Therapist|Co-owner
Dynamic Healing, inc
Cheryl has a Master’s of Science in Couples and Family Therapy from the University of Oregon in Eugene and has been practicing therapy with individuals, couples, families, and groups since 2014. She has experience in settings including community mental health, schools, emergency crisis response, and private practice.
Her current passion project involves running social skill-building/therapy groups utilizing Dungeons & Dragons.
She grew up in Michigan and is currently a co-owner of Dynamic Healing in Louisville, Colorado. Fandoms include: Critical Role, Supernatural, Star Wars, and Marvel
Dr. Heather Whittal, Psy.D (She|Her)
Clinical Psychologist
Boulder Valley Psychotherapy
I am a clinical psychologist in Colorado. I provide psychotherapy and groups for kids, teens and adults. I specialize in working with people with neurodivergent brains.