Superhero therapy

1. Introduction

Version followed: Janina Scarlet's Superhero Therapy as an ACT-based approach. The phase sequence follows the ten-chapter structure of her teen and young-adult book (New Harbinger/Instant Help, 2017, ages 14–18), whose chapter titles are listed in library records; a School Library Journal review adds that the text alternates with comic-style pages, that readers train alongside heroes facing problems such as self-harm, eating disorders, PTSD, social anxiety, agoraphobia, shame and anger, and that each chapter ends with a "Superhero Steps" box of practice suggestions. [source: Dallas Public Library and Deakin records; School Library Journal review] Her 2016 UK book from Robinson (Superhero Therapy: A Hero's Journey through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) uses the same device: troubled heroes at a Superhero Training Academy learn ACT, with "charms" for defusion and a "sword of willingness". Both books are illustrated by Wellinton Alves, and they appear to be the UK and US editions of one book. [uncertain] The guide also draws on the publisher descriptions of her professional guide Superhero Therapy for Anxiety and Trauma (Jessica Kingsley, 2021, 224 pages, for ages 7+, teens and adults, with downloadable worksheets) and on her 2022 training outlines (Impact CE; ADAA; PESI's recorded Superhero Therapy for Trauma and PTSD). Publisher, retailer, library and CE pages confirm the book details, the ACT device names, and the topics of the 2022 PESI course (an origin-story treatment plan, game-based homework, fanfiction and cosplay, the superhero mentor exercise, and NET with a superhero narrative). The books' exercise texts, and the contents of the 2016 and 2021 books, are not publicly available [uncertain], so the step-by-step procedures below remain mostly the writer's synthesis built on standard ACT and CBT practice, and are marked as such. [source: Deakin library record; Hachette; ACBS; Waterstones; JKP; Impact CE; ADAA; PESI/Psychotherapy Networker; San Diego Reader]

Superhero Therapy is not a separate school of therapy. Scarlet describes it as bringing popular-culture characters, especially superheroes, into evidence-based therapy. The base therapy is mainly acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and CBT. Her 2022 PESI course also names DBT, CPT, EMDR and narrative therapy as therapies it can be combined with, and narrative exposure therapy (NET) for trauma. [source: PESI; Impact CE] Scarlet is a clinical psychologist working in California; PESI's page calls her a co-founder of Superhero Therapy without naming the other founder(s). [uncertain] She developed the approach while treating Marines with PTSD. Many of them identified with superheroes and felt they had "failed" by developing PTSD. A conversation about Superman's weakness, Kryptonite, changed one patient's view of himself. [source: Wikipedia, Janina Scarlet; Alliant CSPP blog; Impact CE]

Core idea of change: clients use a character they already care about to look at their own suffering with less shame. They retell their history as an "origin story" in which struggle is part of becoming a hero, not proof of failure. They then learn ACT skills, presented as hero training: mindfulness, defusion, willingness, self-compassion, values and committed action. Finally they act on their values as "real life superheroes". Scarlet also gives weight to parasocial bonds with fictional characters, which can help clients feel less alone, and to safety and connection as preconditions for change. [source: JKP; ABCT bookstore page; Inverse; ADAA]

The wider practice of using superheroes in counselling and play therapy is older and broader, and has its own literature edited by Lawrence C. Rubin. Using Superheroes in Counseling and Play Therapy (Springer Publishing, 2006, 368 pages) has chapters on children's secret identities, superheroes in sandplay, the Incredible Hulk and emotional literacy, Batman and trauma, the angry hero, residential work with adolescents with sexual behaviour problems, social skills in autism, attachment, the Star Wars adoption narrative, role-playing games, Star Trek, hypnosis, and the individuation of gay and lesbian clients. Using Superheroes and Villains in Counseling and Play Therapy: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals (Routledge, ©2020, released 2019, 342 pages) is a new collection with different contributors, not a revised edition. It covers positive psychology, child-centred and Experiential Play Therapy, bibliotherapy with comics, specific disorders, superhero teams and families, villains, and identity. Scarlet wrote its chapter 6, "Using Spidey Senses During the Storm of Anxiety"; the chapter itself is not drawn on. [uncertain for its content] This guide covers Scarlet's version. Rubin's books are separate multi-author sources, used here only where named. [source: Springer Publishing page; Routledge page; American Journal of Play review]

Professional frame. "Superhero therapy" is not a regulated profession or protected title. No registration or licence attaches to it. Use it only inside the scope of your existing licence (psychologist, counsellor, social worker, psychotherapist, or an HCPC-registered arts therapist in the UK), and only with competence in the base therapy: ACT (e.g. ACBS trainings), CBT, and for trauma processing a trauma-focused protocol you are trained in (e.g. NET, TF-CBT, CPT, EMDR). Scarlet has run continuing-education courses: a two-day "Certification Course in Superhero Therapy" (Impact CE, January 2022), an ADAA webinar (2022), and PESI's recorded Superhero Therapy for Trauma and PTSD (6 hours 20 minutes, ©September 2022, aimed at clinicians working with teens and adults; its outline includes research limitations and potential risks). A CE certificate is not a credential to practise. Do not use the trauma-processing parts without trauma-therapy training. If you use superhero play with young children as play therapy, the play-therapy credential routes apply (APT Registered Play Therapist in the US; BAPT or PTUK registration in the UK). [source: Impact CE; ADAA; PESI/Psychotherapy Networker] [synthesis for the credential advice]

Children and young people. Scarlet's materials are aimed at ages 7+ (professional guide) and 14–18 (teen book), and also at adults. [source: JKP; Deakin record] Safeguarding, consent and assent, parent involvement and media age ratings are covered in sections 2–5.

2. Framework

No published source gives a fixed session count or a manualised session-by-session protocol. The 2022 PESI outline says only that pop-culture interests are assessed from the first session and that an origin-story treatment plan then guides intervention. [uncertain] The teen book's ten chapters give a sequence, which is grouped into phases below. Training outlines add an opening phase (pop-culture assessment, origin story, treatment plan, emotional safety) and optional game-based, fanfiction and cosplay, and trauma-processing components. [source: Deakin record; Impact CE; PESI] Session counts and transition criteria are the writer's synthesis.

Format. Individual outpatient work is the default. Adaptations exist for group, family and school or retreat settings; Scarlet reports a two-week retreat for Ukrainian mothers and children, but the sources give no procedural detail. [source: Inverse] Typical length (synthesis): 8–16 weekly sessions of 50 minutes. For children aged 7–11, use 30–45 minutes with more drawing and play. For trauma work, extend to cover the processing protocol.

Phase	Book chapters (Scarlet 2017)	Goals	Typical sessions (synthesis)	Move on when (synthesis)
0. Safety, engagement, consent	(training outline: emotional safety through pop culture)	Rapport, risk and safeguarding assessment, consent and assent, parent agreement, identify the client's characters and media	1–2	Risk assessed and safety plan in place where needed; client has named at least one character they relate to; parent or carer agreement on media and confidentiality
1. Origin story and plan	1 "A hero's journey begins with a struggle"	Formulate the presenting problem as an origin story; set shared, hero-framed goals	1–2	Client can tell their struggle as a story with a "before", a "turning point" and a "what I want next"
2. The monsters of avoidance	2 "Avoiding the monsters makes them stronger"	Map experiential avoidance and its costs (creative hopelessness)	1–2	Client can name at least one avoidance pattern and its cost
3. Hero training (core ACT skills)	3 Hero's mind (mindfulness); 4 Superhero self; 5 Superhero values; 6 Defusion charm; 7 Sword of willingness; 8 Secret lair (self-compassion)	Build present-moment awareness, a stable observing self, values, defusion, willingness, self-compassion	4–8 (1–2 per skill; order flexible)	Client uses each skill in session and reports one use between sessions
4. Hero action (and trauma processing if indicated)	9 "Taking superhero action steps"	Committed action in small daily steps; exposure or NET or CBT trauma processing when clinically indicated	2–6+	Values-based steps are happening; symptom and functioning measures are moving
5. Leveling up	10 "Leveling up in life"	Consolidate, plan for setbacks, connection and purpose, ending	1–2	Client has a written "next level" plan and a setback plan

[source: chapter titles from Deakin library record; phase 0 and treatment plan from Impact CE; daily goals from ABCT bookstore page (Booklist review)]

Measurement (synthesis). Use the standard measures you already use with ACT or trauma work for the age group. Review them at the start, midpoint and end. The superhero frame changes the language of therapy, not how you monitor outcomes or risk.

3. Guiding principles

Safety before connection [source: Inverse]. Emotional and physical safety come first, then build connection to others and to purpose. Practical meaning: complete risk and safeguarding steps, and agree boundaries, before deep origin-story work.
Connection and belonging as change targets [source: Inverse; ADAA]. Scarlet treats belonging as protective, including against suicide. Practical meaning: every phase should end with a step toward a real person or community, not just toward the character.
Fiction lowers shame and opens dialogue [source: ABCT bookstore page, Langley endorsement; Wikipedia]. Practical meaning: when a client cannot yet talk about themselves, talk about the character first, then bridge slowly.
Struggle is part of the hero's story, not a failure [source: Wikipedia; Alliant]. Practical meaning: reframe symptoms as a hero's weakness or wound, never as a character flaw.
The client is the pop-culture expert in the room [source: PESI 2022 outline]. Practical meaning: ask about their fandoms and let them teach you; you do not need to be a fan yourself (PESI). Do not assign a character; let any character, villain or real person count [synthesis].
The character is a vehicle; evidence-based therapy is the engine [source: ADAA; Impact CE; JKP]. Practical meaning: each superhero exercise should map onto a named ACT or CBT process. If you cannot say which one, drop it.
Parasocial bonds are real and can be supportive [source: ADAA; Wikipedia]. Practical meaning: respect a client's attachment to characters and fandoms; do not mock it or treat it as avoidance by default.
Do not diagnose characters (or people you have not assessed) in front of clients [source: Scarlet, "Mental Health Representation Matters", Psychology Today; teaser on her contributor page: perspective taking fosters empathy and compassion, diagnosing characters or people therapists have not met does not]. Practical meaning: talk about a character's experiences and coping, not their "diagnosis".
Self-compassion over self-criticism [source: chapter 8 title; ABCT]. Practical meaning: when a client attacks themselves, ask how their hero, or a hero's ally, would speak to them.
Small, achievable action [source: ABCT, Booklist]. Practical meaning: "hero missions" should be small enough to do this week.
Respect for the media and its owners [synthesis]. Practical meaning: refer to scenes by describing them; use legally owned or licensed copies; do not photocopy comic pages or hand out character art or text. The client's own drawings and stories are fine.
Age-appropriate media [synthesis]. Practical meaning: check age ratings (BBFC in the UK, MPA film and TV Parental Guidelines in the US, PEGI or ESRB for games, publisher age guidance for comics) and family media rules before discussing or showing any content.

4. Intervention inventory

The inventory covers every intervention named in the sources cited: the book chapter titles, the 2022 Impact CE and PESI course outlines, the ADAA webinar, publisher copy, a review and interviews. The sources name these interventions but do not set out their steps; the teen book's end-of-chapter "Superhero Steps" suggest practices such as gratitude, identifying values, noticing what one likes about oneself, facing difficult thoughts and feelings, and self-compassion [source: School Library Journal review]. The Steps, Example language and Watch-for bullets are the writer's synthesis, using standard ACT, CBT and play-therapy practice in superhero form. They are not Scarlet's wording or her exact procedures. [synthesis] All example language is illustrative.

4.1 Safety, consent and safeguarding set-up (Phase 0)

Purpose: put "safety before connection" into practice; meet the legal and ethical duties of working with minors. [source: Inverse] [synthesis for the steps]
Steps:
1. Assess risk (suicide, self-harm, abuse, exploitation, domestic violence) using your service's standard procedure. Scarlet's teen materials address self-harm, so expect it to come up. [source: ABCT, Booklist]
2. Explain confidentiality and its limits in age-appropriate words, to the young person and the parent or carer together. Say plainly that you must share information if someone is at risk of serious harm. Reporting duties depend on jurisdiction: US state mandated-reporter laws, statutory safeguarding guidance in the UK nations, and elsewhere your national child-protection law and licensing board rules. Know your local referral route and designated safeguarding lead before the first session.
3. Consent: get parental or guardian consent where the law requires it (or assess the young person's own competence to consent where that applies). Get the child's assent separately: explain what you will do (talk about favourite characters, draw, practise "hero skills") and that they can say no to any activity.
4. Parent agreement on media: ask which films, shows, games and comics the family allows. Check age ratings before discussing or showing a title. Agree that you will not introduce media above the child's rating or the family's rules.
5. Safety plan: for any client at risk, write a standard safety plan. It can carry hero framing (e.g. "my allies" for the contact list) without changing its content.
Example language (illustrative): "Before any hero starts training, the team makes sure base is safe. That's what we're doing today. You can say 'pause' or 'skip' at any time."
Watch for: a child who discloses harm through a character ("this hero's dad hurts him"). Treat it as a possible disclosure and follow safeguarding procedure. Do not interrogate through the story, and do not treat story content as evidence either way. Watch also for parents who want the content of sessions reported back in full; renegotiate confidentiality openly.

4.2 Pop-culture interest inventory and hero selection

Purpose: find the characters, stories and fandoms the client already connects with, starting in the first session. These become the shared language of therapy, and the client's fandom knowledge counts as a strength. [source: PESI 2022 outline (assess pop-culture interests in the first session; the client as the pop-culture expert); Wikipedia; Inverse]
Steps: (1) Ask open questions about favourite books, films, shows, video games, comics, anime, bands, athletes and real-life heroes; PESI's outline names books, films, TV and video games as coping tools. (2) Ask who they relate to and why, including villains and anti-heroes. (3) List the traits the client admires and the struggles the character faces. (4) Agree on one or two "anchor characters" for the work. (5) Note any media you do not know and ask the client to teach you; Scarlet's training says the clinician need not be a fan. [source for (1) and (5): PESI; steps otherwise synthesis]
Example language (illustrative): "Which character do you feel gets you? What have they been through? What do you like about how they handle it, and what don't you like?"
Watch for: working best when the client's energy rises and they correct your understanding of the character. A client who says they have no favourites may need real people, animals or their own invented hero instead. Never push a character on them.

4.3 Talking through the character first (bridging)

Purpose: open hard topics with clients who are not ready to speak about themselves directly. [source: ABCT, Langley endorsement; Inverse (cultural references help clients describe experiences that are hard to put into words, e.g. war trauma)]
Steps: (1) Ask about a struggle the character faces. (2) Explore the character's feelings, thoughts and choices. (3) Offer a gentle bridge ("Does any of that feel familiar?"). (4) If the client declines, stay in the story; try again in a later session. (5) When they do cross the bridge, slow down and validate.
Example language (illustrative): "What do you think it was like for her, carrying that secret? ... Is there anything you carry that's a bit like that?"
Watch for: distance that never closes. If after several sessions everything stays in third person, name the pattern kindly and agree a small first-person step together.

4.4 The "Kryptonite" reframe (weakness and heroism)

Purpose: take apart the belief that having symptoms means failing or not being a "real" hero. This comes from Scarlet's founding exchange with a Marine: she asked whether Superman had weaknesses, he named Kryptonite, and he agreed that it did not make Superman less of a hero. [source: Alliant CSPP blog; Wikipedia]
Steps: (1) Hear the client's self-judgement ("I'm weak", "I failed"). (2) Ask whether their hero has a weakness, wound or limit. (3) Ask whether that makes the hero less of a hero. (4) Invite the client to apply the same standard to themselves. (5) Name their "kryptonite" (trigger, symptom) as something to plan around, not something to be ashamed of.
Example language (illustrative): "Does your hero have anything that knocks them down? ... And do we stop calling them a hero because of it?"
Watch for: a visible shift in posture or tone (reported in the founding example). If the client says "but they're fictional", move to real people they admire who have struggled.

4.5 Origin story formulation and processing

Purpose: turn the client's history into a case formulation they can own, in which pain and adversity are part of an origin story. This is Phase 1 and the core of the 2021 guide. [source: JKP; Impact CE ("formulating and processing an origin story")]
Steps: (1) Explain that most heroes have an origin story that includes loss or hardship. (2) Ask the client to tell, draw or write theirs: life before, what happened, how it changed them, what they learned to do to survive. (3) Map the survival strategies onto ACT processes: what they avoid, the thoughts they get hooked by, what they care about. (4) Add "what the hero wants next" (early values). (5) Write a short one-page version together and revisit it at the end of therapy. For trauma, keep this to a headline-level narrative. Detailed trauma processing belongs in 4.17, under a trauma protocol, once stabilisation is in place.
Example language (illustrative): "Every hero's story has a chapter where something hard happened. You don't have to tell me the details today. What's the title of that chapter, and how did it change you?"
Watch for: a narrative shifting from "it ruined me" to "it shaped me, and I want...". Signs of overwhelm (see 5.3) mean you should stop the narrative and ground. Keep in mind that a child's origin-story drawing is not evidence of abuse or of a diagnosis.

4.6 Superhero treatment plan

Purpose: agree goals and the order of skills in hero terms. The 2022 PESI outline says the plan brings together the origin story, the presenting problems, adaptive and maladaptive coping tools, and strengths, and is then used to guide intervention. [source: Impact CE ("creating a treatment plan using Superhero Therapy"); PESI]
Steps: (1) From the origin story, list the presenting problems ("villains"), the client's current coping, split into what helps (adaptive) and what costs them (maladaptive), and their strengths ("powers"). [source for these four elements: PESI] (2) Add the "training" (skills to build) and the "missions" (values-based goals). (3) Turn each into a measurable treatment goal. (4) Choose outcome measures. (5) Share the plan with the parent or carer at the level agreed in 4.1. [synthesis for steps 2–5]
Example language (illustrative): "Here's your training plan: which skills we'll build first, which missions you'll try, and how we'll know you're levelling up."
Watch for: goals that only stay in the metaphor ("be like Storm"). Translate each one into behaviour ("speak up once in class this week").

4.7 Inner villains and monsters: externalisation and avoidance mapping

Purpose: externalise problems as "inner villains" or "monsters" (anxiety, depression, anger, shame), and show that avoiding them makes them stronger. This is creative hopelessness in ACT. [source: ABCT ("inner villains"); chapter 2 title]
Steps: (1) Ask the client to name or draw the villain, with its powers and the lines it says. (2) List what the client does to escape it (avoidance, numbing, staying home, scrolling, self-harm), with short-term relief and long-term cost for each. (3) Ask what happens to the villain's power over time when they run. (4) Introduce the idea that heroes learn to face villains with skills, not to make them disappear.
Example language (illustrative): "When you hide from the Worry Monster, what happens to it next time, bigger or smaller?"
Watch for: a client who wants to "defeat" the villain for good. Gently steer away from elimination goals, as ACT does. With children, keep villains non-frightening and let the child control the drawing (can shrink it, give it a silly voice).

4.8 Hero's mind: mindfulness training

Purpose: present-moment awareness, framed as training the mind like a hero trains the body. [source: chapter 3 title; ABCT]
Steps: (1) Short guided practice (1–5 minutes; shorter for younger children): breath, the five senses, or a "hero scan" of the body. (2) Afterwards, ask what they noticed and what pulled their attention away. (3) Set a daily micro-practice ("training"). (4) Use a character with heightened senses or focus as a metaphor if the client likes it.
Example language (illustrative): "Heroes notice what's around them. Let's switch on hero senses: five things you see, four you hear..."
Watch for: trauma survivors who become distressed by eyes-closed or breath-focused practice. Offer eyes-open, external-focus options and keep practices brief.

4.9 Your superhero self (observing self and identity)

Purpose: build a stable sense of self that can notice thoughts and feelings without being defined by them (self-as-context). The client also develops a hero identity based on values. [source: chapter 4 title] [synthesis for the ACT mapping]
Steps: (1) Explore a character with a secret identity or many roles. Who are they underneath the costume changes? (2) Help the client notice the "you" that has been there through every chapter of their life. (3) Ask the client to design their own hero (name, symbol, values, allies, weakness) by drawing or writing. (4) Revisit this hero when the client's self-story turns harsh.
Example language (illustrative): "The costume changes, the mood changes, but someone is there noticing it all. That noticer is your hero self."
Watch for: perfectionist designs, such as a hero with no weakness. Bring back 4.4 so the hero can have a weakness.

4.10 Superhero values

Purpose: clarify what the client cares about, as the hero's code or mission. [source: chapter 5 title; ABCT; ADAA (helping clients find a sense of purpose)]
Steps: (1) Ask what the client's hero fights for and why. (2) Ask what the client would fight for if fear weren't in charge. (3) Sort values by life area: friends, family, school or work, health, fun, community. (4) Pick one value to act on this week.
Example language (illustrative): "If you had a hero code, three lines on the inside of your cape, what would they say?"
Watch for: values borrowed from parents or the character rather than owned. Ask "Would you still choose this if nobody knew?"

4.11 The defusion charm

Purpose: cognitive defusion: seeing thoughts as thoughts, not commands or facts, framed as a protective charm against the villain's words. [source: chapter 6 title; ABCT (Hayes endorsement links defusion to "charms")]
Steps: (1) Write down the villain's most frequent line ("You're useless"). (2) Practise a defusion move with it, for example adding "I'm having the thought that...", saying it in a cartoon or villain voice, singing it, or writing it on a card and holding it at arm's length. (3) Ask whether the thought's grip changed, not whether it went away. (4) Give the move a charm name the client picks, and have them use it once a day.
Example language (illustrative): "Let's cast the charm: 'My villain is telling me I'm useless.' Say it in the silliest villain voice you can. What happens to it?"
Watch for: the client using defusion to argue with or get rid of the thought. Bring back the aim: noticing, not winning. Do not use silly voices for trauma memories or for thoughts tied to real current danger; check for safety issues first.

4.12 The sword of willingness

Purpose: willingness and acceptance: making room for painful feelings in the service of values, framed as the hero's "ultimate weapon". [source: chapter 7 title; ABCT (Hayes endorsement links willingness to a "sword")]
Steps: (1) Name a value-based action the client avoids because of a feeling. (2) Describe the feeling physically (where it is, its size, colour, temperature). (3) Ask whether they would be willing to carry it with them for the sake of the action. (4) Rate willingness 0–10 and pick a step at the willingness level they have now. (5) Debrief afterwards: what did carrying the feeling make possible?
Example language (illustrative): "The sword isn't for killing the fear. It's for cutting a path forward while the fear comes along."
Watch for: willingness that is really gritting one's teeth. Check for openness and curiosity. With children, avoid violent sword play if the family rules or a trauma history make it unsuitable; a shield or light makes an equivalent image.

4.13 The "Patronus Charm" (willingness and vulnerability)

Purpose: listed in the 2022 Impact CE course outline as part of building willingness and vulnerability within emotional safety. It draws on the protective charm in the Harry Potter books. Scarlet also wrote Harry Potter Therapy: An Unauthorized Self-Help Book from the Restricted Section (self-published, September 2017, 132 pages). [source: Impact CE; Apple Books listing] The Patronus is not named in her 2022 PESI course outline. No publisher, retailer, press or CE page describes her procedure. [uncertain] The steps below are the writer's synthesis, not Scarlet's method.
Steps: (1) Ask the client to recall a moment of being loved, safe or proud, or to imagine a protective figure or animal, and describe it in sensory detail. (2) Let them notice the felt sense in the body. (3) Pair it with naming a vulnerable feeling or approaching a feared topic, holding the image as support. (4) Have them draw or write their protector, and practise summoning it briefly between sessions. [synthesis, close to compassion-focused imagery]
Example language (illustrative): "Think of a memory that feels warm or safe. What would your protector look like if that memory took a shape?"
Watch for: clients with no safe memories. Offer imagined or fictional protectors, or a future self. Do not use the image as a block against feeling; its job is to make approaching feelings possible. Use this only if the client knows and likes the source story.

4.14 The secret lair: self-compassion

Purpose: an inner and outer place of safety and kindness to recover in, framed as the hero's secret lair. [source: chapter 8 title ("Setting up your secret lair with self-compassion"); ABCT]
Steps: (1) Design the lair (drawing, list or imagined): what is in it, who is allowed in, how it feels. (2) Add a self-compassion practice: a hand on the heart, a kind phrase in the voice of a caring ally or mentor, naming common humanity ("every hero gets knocked down"). (3) Agree on real-world lair spaces and rituals (a corner of a room, music, a comfort object). (4) Use the lair after exposure or a hard session to close.
Example language (illustrative): "After a big battle, heroes go back to base and patch up. What does your base have in it, and how would your mentor talk to you there?"
Watch for: a lair that becomes a place to avoid from, for example withdrawing for days. Agree on time limits and a way back to missions.

4.15 Superhero action steps (missions)

Purpose: committed action through small, values-linked daily goals. [source: chapter 9 title; ABCT ("simple, achievable daily goals")]
Steps: (1) Pick a value (4.10). (2) Choose one specific, small mission for the week (who, what, when). (3) Predict which inner villain will show up and which skill to use (charm, sword, lair). (4) Review at the next session: what happened, what was learned. Praise the attempt, not just success. (5) Grade missions upward. Graded exposure tasks can be built as missions (see 5.4 for safety).
Example language (illustrative): "What's one mission, small enough that you're nearly sure you can do it, that moves you toward the hero you want to be?"
Watch for: missions that are too big, or missions set by parents. Missions should be the young person's choice, within safety limits.

4.16 Fiction, fanfiction and cosplay

Purpose: foster connection, creativity, self-expression and post-traumatic growth through stories and costumes the client creates. Scarlet's 2022 PESI course includes fanfiction writing and cosplay creation, aimed at reducing anxiety and trauma symptoms. [source: ADAA webinar description; PESI outline] Neither source gives steps. [uncertain] Garski and Mastin's chapter in Rubin (2020) covers therapeutic fanfiction and the queer hero's journey. [source: Routledge contents]
Steps (synthesis): (1) Invite the client to write a short scene: their hero meets someone who feels like they do, their hero after the battle, or a letter from their favourite character to them. (2) Read it together and ask what the client was saying to themselves through the character. (3) Draw out values, compassion and growth themes. (4) Keep it optional and short. Drawing or comic panels by the client can replace writing for younger children or clients who dislike writing. (5) Fanfiction: the client writes a new scene in an existing story world, such as a missing scene in which a character faces what the client faces, or a different ending. The work stays private unless the client chooses to share it; never post a client's work online yourself. (6) Cosplay: the client designs, and if they wish makes, a costume of a character whose qualities they want to practise, then plans one values-based step to take in that role (e.g. going to a fan event). For minors, agree materials and event attendance with carers. Hot-glue guns, craft knives and spray adhesives need adult supervision and ventilation.
Example language (illustrative): "Write half a page: your favourite character finds you on your worst day. What do they say?"
Watch for: stories that turn hopeless or include self-harm or suicidal content. Treat these as possible risk communication and assess directly.

4.17 Trauma processing within the hero frame (CBT, NET)

Purpose: Scarlet's training pairs Superhero Therapy with trauma-focused work. The 2022 Impact CE outline lists NET and CBT. The 2022 PESI course has a segment on NET and the "superhero narrative" for PTSD: building exposures into narrative work to reduce drop-out, and helping the client move the trauma narrative from victim to survivor. A superhero narrative is also used to strengthen motivation and willingness for exposure. PESI also lists EMDR, DBT and CPT among compatible therapies. [source: Impact CE; PESI; JKP ("anxiety and trauma")] The outlines do not give the procedure. [uncertain]
Steps: follow the established protocol you are trained in (NET, TF-CBT, CPT, PE or similar) exactly as its manual sets out. Use the hero frame only for engagement, the rationale ("the hero goes back to the place of the battle to take back its power"), and closure (4.14). Do not change the protocol's exposure steps because of the metaphor. [synthesis]
Example language (illustrative): "This next part is the hardest training. We'll go through it step by step, and you're in charge of the pause button."
Watch for: see 5.3 and 5.4. Do not start processing until safety, stabilisation and (for minors) carer support are in place.

4.18 Game-based interventions

Purpose: improve engagement with between-session practice. The 2022 Impact CE course has a separate block on game-based therapy, with research and demonstrated interventions. The 2022 PESI course covers misconceptions about video games, their psychological benefits, how to discuss games in session without being a gamer, bringing video games into therapy, and gamifying homework. Scarlet's interactive book Therapy Quest (Robinson, 2018; illustrated by Vince Alvendia) casts the reader as the hero of a fantasy quest who learns ACT-based skills and gathers a crew of companions. Rubin's 2006 collection has a chapter by George Enfield on role-playing games in psychotherapy. [source: Impact CE; PESI; Hachette UK (Therapy Quest); Springer Publishing contents] The outlines do not describe specific games or steps. [uncertain]
Steps (synthesis; the gamified-homework aim is from PESI): (1) Use games the client already plays to explore roles, goals, frustration and teamwork. (2) Frame skill practice as "levelling up": experience points for missions, "skill trees" for ACT skills. (3) Try tabletop-style or choose-your-own-path stories where the client decides how a character deals with an inner villain. (4) Check game age ratings (PEGI or ESRB) with parents. Do not use online multiplayer with strangers in session.
Example language (illustrative): "If this week were a level, what was the boss, and what skill would you put your points into next time?"
Watch for: games that crowd out skill practice, and problematic gaming patterns (sleep, school, isolation). Assess these with care rather than assuming them.

4.19 Parasocial support and real-world connection

Purpose: respect the support clients get from fictional characters and fandoms, and use it as a bridge to real relationships and belonging. [source: ADAA (characters can act as surrogate friends or support); Inverse; Wikipedia]
Steps: (1) Ask what a character or fandom gives the client (comfort, being understood, a sense of purpose). (2) Use the character's voice as an internal support ("What would they say?"). (3) Identify safe real-world communities linked to the interest (clubs, library groups, moderated fan groups, school societies). (4) Plan one connection mission.
Example language (illustrative): "It sounds like this character has been a friend through hard times. Who in your real life could be part of your team, too?"
Watch for: online-safety risks in fan spaces (grooming, exploitation, harmful content). Cover online safety with the young person and the carer, and follow safeguarding procedure if exploitation is suspected. [synthesis]

4.20 Hero teams: family and group work

Purpose: use superhero and villain teams in family and group work. Rubin's 2020 collection has a part on superhero teams, including Steve Kuniak's chapter on the family as a superhero team and chapters on scripted stories for young children's social-emotional skills and on the Avengers. [source: Routledge contents; American Journal of Play review] Scarlet's book device, a group of heroes at a training academy, can also be adapted for groups. [source: ACBS page] [synthesis for group use]
Steps (synthesis): (1) Each member designs a hero with a strength and a weakness. (2) Family members name their "team powers" and how they support each other against a shared villain (e.g. the family's Worry Monster). (3) In groups, run each skill module (4.8–4.15) as academy "training", with ground rules on confidentiality and respect. (4) Close each session with a team ritual.
Example language (illustrative): "Every team has members with different powers. What does each of you bring when the Worry Monster shows up at home?"
Watch for: family scapegoating (one member cast as the villain). Keep villains as problems, not people. In groups, screen for acute risk and active trauma symptoms before members share origin stories.

4.21 Superhero play, drawing and props with younger children

Purpose: age-appropriate delivery for children aged about 7 to 11. [source: JKP (ages 7+)] [synthesis for steps]
Steps: (1) Use drawing, comic-strip panels, figures, masks or capes to carry the exercises above. (2) Keep each activity to 5–10 minutes and alternate with movement. (3) Involve the carer at the end of sessions to learn the hero skill and coach it at home.
Materials and physical safety (synthesis): non-toxic, age-appropriate art materials. Do not tie capes or cords around the neck, because of the strangulation risk; use velcro or no fastening. Use soft props only, and clear floor space for action play to prevent falls. No real weapons, and no replica weapons if service policy or the child's history makes them unsuitable.
Example language (illustrative) [synthesis]: "Let's draw your hero's cape. What power does it give them when the worry monster shows up?"
Watch for: play that becomes aggressive or re-enacts trauma repetitively without relief. Slow down, ground, and consider whether a play-therapy-trained clinician is needed. Children's drawings and play are not diagnostic evidence of abuse or of a disorder.
Touch [synthesis]: superhero play and props need no physical contact. Do not join rough-and-tumble or wrestling play, allow only brief child-initiated contact, follow your service's touch policy, and never any sexual touch.

4.22 Leveling up: consolidation and ending

Purpose: consolidate gains, plan for setbacks, and end therapy as a new chapter. [source: chapter 10 title]
Steps: (1) Re-read the origin story (4.5) and add the new chapter. (2) List the skills learned (the client's "power list") and when to use each. (3) Write a setback plan: early warning signs ("the villain's return"), skills, allies, and when to come back. (4) Review outcome measures. (5) Hold a closing ritual (certificate, drawing, letter from the therapist).
Example language (illustrative): "Sequels always bring the villain back. What will your hero do differently this time?"
Watch for: fear that the gains will vanish when therapy ends. Agree on booster sessions or follow-up if needed.

4.23 Superhero mentor exercise (distress tolerance)

Purpose: named in Scarlet's 2022 PESI course as an exercise to increase distress tolerance and emotional resilience, taught in the segment on NET and the superhero narrative. Use it alongside 4.13, 4.14 and 4.17. [source: PESI/Psychotherapy Networker outline] The outline gives no steps, and Scarlet's procedure is not published elsewhere. [uncertain]
Steps (synthesis, built on compassionate-mentor imagery and ACT self-compassion work; not Scarlet's procedure): (1) Ask the client to choose a mentor: a character who guides a hero, or a real or imagined mentor. (2) Have them describe the mentor in detail: voice, look, and what the mentor knows about struggle. (3) Before or after a hard task (an exposure, a difficult memory, a mission), the client imagines the mentor beside them and hears what the mentor would say. (4) Write the mentor's message on a card in the client's own words, and practise calling it up between sessions when distress rises. (5) Review: did the distress become more bearable, even if it did not drop?
Example language (illustrative): "Every hero has someone who trained them. Who would yours be, and what would they tell you right now?"
Watch for: a mentor voice that turns harsh or demanding (some fictional mentors are); steer towards warmth. If the client was harmed by a mentor-like figure (coach, teacher, leader), choose a different image. The exercise supports distress tolerance; it does not replace a safety plan. [synthesis]

5. Handling problems

The sources cited say almost nothing about troubleshooting. The only specific guidance is safety before connection [source: Inverse]. The 2022 PESI outline has a segment on research limitations and potential risks, but its content is not described. [uncertain] Everything below is the writer's synthesis from general ACT, CBT, trauma and child-therapy practice. [synthesis]

5.1 Stuck clients

Stuck in the metaphor (lots of character talk, no personal change): name the pattern kindly, then bridge with one concrete question ("What would that look like on Tuesday at school?"). Turn each metaphor into a specific behaviour mission (4.15).
No interest in superheroes or pop culture: do not force it. Use real-life heroes, animals or sports figures, or the client's own invented hero. Or drop the frame and deliver ACT or CBT plainly. The frame serves the therapy, not the reverse.
Plateau after early gains: go back to values (4.10) and willingness (4.12). Check whether missions have quietly turned into avoidance (easy tasks only).

5.2 Resistance and ambivalence

A teenager who finds the frame childish: match how they see themselves. Use darker, older or anti-hero stories (within age rating), games, or real people, and drop words like "academy" or "charm". Invite them to critique the metaphor; that builds ownership.
A sceptical parent ("you're just talking about films"): explain that the content comes from an established therapy (ACT or CBT), which Scarlet describes as evidence-based, and that the characters are the delivery format. Show the treatment plan (4.6) and measures.
A client mandated or brought by parents: start with what the young person wants (often autonomy). Frame therapy as their mission, not the parents'.

5.3 Overwhelm and dysregulation

Signs: shutdown, dissociation (glazed look, delayed responses), panic, sudden anger, a child leaving the room or switching suddenly into chaotic play.
Responses: stop the narrative or exposure. Ground with eyes open and an external focus (hero senses, 4.8). Lower the intensity: switch from first person back to the character, or from detail back to headlines. Go to the lair (4.14) before ending. Never end a session mid-overwhelm.
Prevention: pace origin-story work. Agree a stop signal in advance. Do not process traumatic memories outside a trained trauma protocol (4.17).
Media content triggers: a scene, character death or villain may echo the client's trauma. Ask before bringing in a story, and let the client choose what is discussed. Never show clips without checking content and age rating first.

5.4 Exposure safety and contraindications

Before graded exposure or trauma processing, confirm: stable enough living situation and no ongoing abuse (for minors, safeguarding first); no acute suicidal risk without a safety plan; carer support for children; and informed consent and assent to exposure specifically, including that distress will rise before it falls.
Do not start or continue exposure during active psychosis, severe dissociation without stabilisation, current domestic violence, or ongoing contact with an abuser. Trauma processing must not "rehearse" unsafe situations. [synthesis; standard trauma-therapy practice]

5.5 Non-adherence (missions not done)

Ask about the mission without judging. Was it too big? Was it unclear? Did a villain show up that you had not predicted? Shrink the next mission by half.
For children, enlist the carer as "mission control" (a reminder, a sticker chart) without turning the mission into the parent's agenda.
Remember that not doing a mission is data about avoidance (4.7), not a failure of the hero.

5.6 Ruptures

Misunderstanding or mocking the client's fandom (getting lore wrong, dismissing a character): own it, apologise, and ask them to teach you. Expertise in the fandom belongs to the client.
Using a character the client has stopped liking, or one whose creator or actor became controversial for them: ask, then let the client swap characters.
Spoilers: ask before discussing plots of new media.
Feeling the metaphor minimises their pain: validate and step out of the frame; talk directly.

5.7 Modality-specific difficulties

Disclosure through story: if a child or teen describes abuse, self-harm or exploitation in a story or drawing, follow your safeguarding procedure as if they had said it directly: listen, do not lead or question in detail, record their words, and refer. Story or art content is not diagnostic evidence, and you must not use it to conclude abuse did or did not happen. Mandatory reporting thresholds and routes depend on jurisdiction; check yours.
Self-harm and suicide in hero narratives (heroic sacrifice, a character's death): explore what the theme means to the client and assess risk directly with standard questions. Do not romanticise sacrifice, and do not discuss methods. Lethal-means counselling should cover safe storage and removal only.
Violent content and age ratings: much superhero media carries a 12/12A/PG-13 rating or higher and contains violence. Use only content within the child's rating and the family's rules. With younger children, use characters and scenes from age-appropriate titles, or describe the general situation without the violence.
Copyright and intellectual property: do not photocopy or distribute comic pages, character artwork or scripts, or brand worksheets with characters. Refer to and describe stories; use legally owned media; let clients draw or write their own versions for private therapeutic use. Scarlet's published worksheets are copyright; use them as the publisher's licence allows. [synthesis]
Identity and representation: a client may not see themselves in mainstream heroes (ethnicity, gender, disability, sexuality, neurodivergence). Invite characters from wider media or the client's own creations. Rubin's 2020 collection has a part on identity, with chapters on female superheroes, therapeutic fanfiction and the queer hero's journey, Black Panther and young Black children's sense of self, and the alter ego and the inner hero. [source: Routledge contents; American Journal of Play review]
Escapism versus avoidance: Scarlet argues that a temporary escape into fiction or games can be healthy when it helps people unwind. [source: Inverse] Ask whether the client's media use is restoring them (it can be) or crowding out values-based living. If the latter, use 4.7 and 4.15.
Over-identification (taking on a character's harmful behaviours, for example vigilante aggression or self-neglect): separate the character's values, which can be borrowed, from their methods, which are fictional.
Parent involvement balance: brief carers on the skill of the week and how to coach it. Keep the young person's confidential material confidential within the limits agreed in 4.1. Involve carers more for children under about 12, and negotiate with teenagers. Include carers in safety planning whenever there is risk.

Sources

Pages consulted:

Further pages consulted (October 2026):

Books cited (details from the publisher and library records above):

Scarlet, J. (2016). Superhero Therapy: A Hero's Journey through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. London: Robinson. Illustrated by Wellinton Alves.
Scarlet, J. (2017). Superhero Therapy: Mindfulness Skills to Help Teens and Young Adults Deal with Anxiety, Depression, and Trauma. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger (Instant Help). Illustrated by Wellinton Alves.
Scarlet, J. (2021). Superhero Therapy for Anxiety and Trauma: A Professional Guide with ACT and CBT-Based Activities and Worksheets for All Ages. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Illustrated by Dean Rankine; foreword by Dennis Tirch.
Scarlet, J. (2017). Harry Potter Therapy: An Unauthorized Self-Help Book from the Restricted Section. Self-published (Dr. Janina Scarlet; ebook distributed by Draft2Digital), 132 pp. Scarlet, J. (2018). Therapy Quest. London: Robinson (Little, Brown Book Group). Illustrated by Vince Alvendia.
Rubin, L. C. (Ed.) (2020). Using Superheroes and Villains in Counseling and Play Therapy: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals. New York: Routledge (released 2019), 342 pp. ISBN 9781138613270. Includes Scarlet, J., "Using Spidey Senses During the Storm of Anxiety" (ch. 6). A separate, earlier collection: Rubin, L. C. (Ed.) (2006). Using Superheroes in Counseling and Play Therapy. New York: Springer Publishing, 368 pp. ISBN 9780826102690.

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