Why Heroes Quest Academy exists
Psychological flexibility isn't just something we can explain. It's something we can practice—especially when our plans change, uncertainty shows up, or our next meaningful choice feels difficult.
Heroes Quest Academy grew from a question: What changes when clinicians get to experience the processes of ACT instead of only learning to describe them?
About the founder
I'm Frank Horbelt, LCPC, founder of Heroes Quest Therapy, a Certified Therapeutic Game Master, and a doctoral researcher exploring therapeutic tabletop role-playing and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
As a clinician, I'm interested in how the context we create can shape what people notice, practice, and carry beyond a session. Tabletop role-playing offers a distinctive setting for uncertainty, collaboration, perspective-taking, values, and action—without requiring a scripted answer.
I founded the Academy to share and examine that approach with other clinicians through experiential training and, eventually, practical facilitator resources.
The thinking behind the approach
In the Heroes Quest approach, the game isn't a decorative metaphor or a way to disguise a worksheet. It provides a shared context in which participants encounter choices, difficult thoughts, setbacks, relationships, and possible values-guided actions.
The facilitator's task is to design and maintain a thoughtful, collaborative environment, help participants reflect on their experiences, and connect those experiences to relevant ACT processes. Whether working with clinicians in training or clients in therapy, the facilitator intentionally shapes that context and uses guided reflection to connect what happens during play to the processes of psychological flexibility.
You don't have to be a gamer to be curious
Some clinicians arrive because they already love tabletop adventures. Others are looking for a more engaging way to learn ACT. Both perspectives belong here. Gaming knowledge is not a prerequisite for The ACT Experience, and becoming a game facilitator is not a requirement for finding value in it.
See what experiential ACT can look like
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