Summary of The Hero’s Path

Tentative start date October 6, 2026

The Hero’s Path is a psychoeducational and skills-based group grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). It uses heroic themes, storytelling, media, and elements of geek culture to make the skills more engaging, easier to understand, and easier to remember. You do not need to know anything about gaming, fantasy, comics, or geek culture to participate.

The group helps participants better understand how their thoughts and emotions can influence their choices, behaviors, and the direction their life takes. Topics include cognitive defusion, acceptance, mindfulness, locus of control, identifying personal values, and learning how to continue moving toward what matters even when difficult thoughts or emotions come along for the journey. Participants will also explore self-esteem, self-worth, and how to develop a more authentic understanding of who they are outside of the thoughts, labels, and experiences that may have shaped how they see themselves.

Participants will explore practical coping skills, journaling and reflection, communication and support needs, and ways to recognize when their internal “Narrator” may be taking control of the story. Sessions may include guided mindfulness, group discussion, media clips, storytelling, and other interactive activities. The goal is to make the material meaningful and useful without making the group feel like a class or overly academic.

At its core, The Hero’s Path is about building the skills each person needs to become the Hero of their own story. It is not about ignoring what someone has survived or pretending difficult experiences did not happen. It is about helping participants see that they are more than those experiences and can begin choosing how they want to live, what they want to stand for, and what they want the next chapter of their story to become.

Tuesday 5:30-6:30PM