About Board Game Therapy™

What Board Game Therapy™ Is

Board Game Therapy™ is a facilitation framework created by Sean M. Smith. Rather than leaving outcomes to chance, BGT™ offers structured methods for matching games to goals, guiding productive discussion, and carrying useful insights beyond the table.

The framework centers on the TABLE method: Target, Assess, Build, Lead, Extract & Extend. Facilitators use TABLE to shape the encounter before, during, and after play. The guiding maxim is: Shape the encounter, not the person.

BGT™ treats tabletop games as structured social spaces where groups can practice problem-solving, collaboration, and honest conversation.

Board Game Therapy™ is not inherently psychotherapy. Its use depends on the facilitator, scope, setting, and purpose. Licensed clinicians may integrate structured play into an existing treatment relationship; Host and Coach applications remain nonclinical. Playing a board game does not automatically make an activity therapy.

The framework operates across three application scopes: Host (Leaders & Facilitators), Coach, and Therapist. Branded outcome evidence is still developing; adjacent research on connection and group process may inform the work, and formal evaluation remains a next step. Start with what BGT™ is and is not for the short definition.

Founder: Sean M. Smith, M.A.

Sean M. Smith, M.A., is a Licensed Resident in Counseling and a certified coach in Virginia. He works at Free Spirit Counseling in Yorktown under the supervision of Clinical Director Dr. Jill Nardin, and he founded the practice's weekly Board Game Therapy™ social support group. His work draws on cognitive-behavioral and person-centered techniques, with an approach that promotes self-compassion, resilience, and living according to one's values.

He developed Board Game Therapy™ from facilitation practice and professional work with groups that needed clearer structure around shared play. The framework grew from noticing that good tables already create connection, and that intentional design (goal, readiness, facilitation, and board-first reflection) helps that connection carry into everyday life.

Sean has about 18 years of military service. References to his service are biographical only and do not imply government endorsement. He earned an M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Liberty University, a B.S. in Information Technology Management from Trident University, and an A.S. in Information Systems Technology.

Ready to learn more? Join the book waitlist, or reach out to discuss whether BGT™ is a fit for your context.