Dungeons and Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is like playing pretend with friends, but with a fun set of rules to guide the adventure. One person, the Dungeon Master, leads the story, while the other players each create characters—like warriors or wizards—and work together to solve problems, fight monsters, and explore imaginary worlds, rolling dice to decide what happens.
By popular demand, we’re thrilled to bring D&D to The Wellness Initiative, answering the call from those already linked who wanted this exciting and creative way to connect.
Sharing hobbies like D&D is not only fun but also great for wellbeing—building bonds, sparking creativity, and providing moments of teamwork and laughter. Our own Lived Experience staff, who’ve used D&D as a tool in their own journeys, know firsthand how meaningful shared experiences like this can be, turning challenges into triumphs and creating a sense of belonging for everyone at the table.
At The Wellness Initiative, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is all about fun, creativity, and connection. You can choose to play online or in person, making it easy to participate in a way that works best for you. Our campaigns are flexible too—you can dive into a one-day adventure or enjoy an ongoing story over up to five sessions.
If you’re new to D&D and don’t know where to start, don’t worry! We run a character-building session before each campaign begins, where you can create your very own unique character and learn the basics. It’s the perfect way to ease in, meet your group, and get excited for the adventure ahead! Whether you’re a seasoned player or a curious beginner, this is a space to explore, connect, and have fun.
Sam (our Dungeon Master) explains his own journey with Dungeons & Dragons
DnD was a big part of my own personal recovery. Not only is it a lot of fun but it allows you to connect with others and just be yourself, even though you're playing as a different character. One of the things I absolutely love about DnD is the ability to explore different personalities. I can be a really quiet person in real life but in DnD I love playing loud and charismatic characters.
It gives you an opportunity to experiment and learn new social skills in a safe place. If your character can advocate for themselves when discussing who gets what loot or by asking "should we attack that dragon"?...then there is nothing stopping you from using these skills in your own life."
By popular demand, we’re thrilled to bring D&D to The Wellness Initiative, answering the call from those already linked who wanted this exciting and creative way to connect.
Sharing hobbies like D&D is not only fun but also great for wellbeing—building bonds, sparking creativity, and providing moments of teamwork and laughter. Our own Lived Experience staff, who’ve used D&D as a tool in their own journeys, know firsthand how meaningful shared experiences like this can be, turning challenges into triumphs and creating a sense of belonging for everyone at the table.
At The Wellness Initiative, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is all about fun, creativity, and connection. You can choose to play online or in person, making it easy to participate in a way that works best for you. Our campaigns are flexible too—you can dive into a one-day adventure or enjoy an ongoing story over up to five sessions.
If you’re new to D&D and don’t know where to start, don’t worry! We run a character-building session before each campaign begins, where you can create your very own unique character and learn the basics. It’s the perfect way to ease in, meet your group, and get excited for the adventure ahead! Whether you’re a seasoned player or a curious beginner, this is a space to explore, connect, and have fun.
Sam (our Dungeon Master) explains his own journey with Dungeons & Dragons
DnD was a big part of my own personal recovery. Not only is it a lot of fun but it allows you to connect with others and just be yourself, even though you're playing as a different character. One of the things I absolutely love about DnD is the ability to explore different personalities. I can be a really quiet person in real life but in DnD I love playing loud and charismatic characters.
It gives you an opportunity to experiment and learn new social skills in a safe place. If your character can advocate for themselves when discussing who gets what loot or by asking "should we attack that dragon"?...then there is nothing stopping you from using these skills in your own life."
Meet our Facilitators
Sam
Hi, I’m Sam and I have a kind and engaging personality. I truly love to meet new people and have a passion for listening and sharing what we have in common.
On my own recovery journey, I was the recipient of a peer worker who helped me to reconnect with my life and maintain my recovery. With their help, kindness and understanding I got to see firsthand the benefits a peer could make in a person’s life. It was because of experiencing these benefits and growing a found connection to the world of peer work that I decided I wanted to do the same using my lived experiences in a beneficial way. I am now in the exciting position of working with the Wellness Initiative. As a part of my own self-care, I enjoy exploring nature on long walks or simply getting stuck into a good video game and love anything generally nerdy. I can’t wait to meet you, listen to your story and be a part of your recovery. Did you know that Sam also facilitates our Dungeons & Dragons social group? |
Chantelle
Hi, I’m Chantelle and I’m excited to get to know you and share in your journey. The idea of working towards mental wellness, as opposed to ‘fixing’ mental illness, was a huge turning point in my recovery. Reframing this allowed me to stop focusing on all the things ‘wrong with me’ and instead start to see opportunities for good in my life, creating wellness one small step at a time.
I believe that everyone struggling with their mental health, low self-esteem or life in general deserves someone who believes in them, an opportunity to feel good about themselves and to feel hopeful about living their best lives. I am grateful to have had this in my own recovery journey and am passionate about helping others to experience this also. Things that I enjoy in life include spending time outdoors, going for walks amongst the trees, camping trips, gardening, spending time with my family of pets (my cat, 2 pythons, 2 ducks and many fish) and cooking. I also love learning, trying new things and taking on challenges, all of which help me to help others in their journey to finding what's important to them, what they enjoy and overcome challenges. Did you know that Chantelle also provides Peer Mentoring? |
Where to From Here?
Want to learn more about when our next Dungeons & Dragons campaign is running?