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Minecraft Therapy

Building Emotional Safety: Minecraft As a Therapy Tool

MinecraftUncategorized
6 min read

Using Game Worlds to Support Real-World Healing

The idea for TherapyCraft didn’t start in a therapy office—or a marketing brainstorm. It started on a modded Minecraft server.

Ashley (my wife, a licensed therapist and certified life coach) had already seen how video games could break down emotional walls in her work. A client of hers, who often struggled to open up in traditional talk therapy, became more expressive and engaged while playing a cooperative game during session time. That moment stuck with her.

Meanwhile, I had been learning all about different Minecraft hosting solutions, capabilities, customization, and costs.

We often play in an online world, most recently the Beyond the Horizon modpack. The world was open-ended. Calming. Emotionally rich. Ashley shared the thought, "What if this could be set up for Therapy sessions? Can I invite my clients?"

There were more questions than answers, lots of concerns about safety and privacy, ease of use, accessibility, and more. But that moment was the seed for what became TherapyCraft—a system we created to help therapists safely and ethically use Minecraft in clinical sessions with kids and teens.

Ashley brought the clinical lens. I looked into the infrastructure and technical safety challenges. Together, we built something that bridges digital play and therapeutic care.

This post shares how we got there—and how we solved the real-world challenges of using Minecraft for therapy in a way that’s secure, accessible, and emotionally impactful.

Why Minecraft Makes Sense in Therapy

Minecraft is already a world many kids feel safe in. It’s:

  • Familiar
  • Customizable
  • Non-linear
  • Screen-based (which helps lower defenses)
  • Often more approachable than sitting face-to-face in a therapist’s office

But Minecraft also has real therapeutic power:

  • Building gives kids agency and control
  • Exploration supports co-regulation and emotional flexibility
  • Storytelling through play encourages emotional expression
  • It works especially well for neurodivergent kids, anxious kids, and those who struggle to connect through traditional talk therapy

Ashley saw this firsthand. We knew it could work. But we had to make it work safely.

🔒 The Real Challenge: Privacy, Access, and Safety

Minecraft was never designed to be a therapy tool. Using it with real clients—especially minors—raises critical questions:

  • ❌ Minecraft is not HIPAA-compliant
  • ❌ Multiplayer chat is not private
  • ❌ Shared servers can expose clients to peers
  • ❌ Console-based players (Xbox, Switch, PlayStation) can’t easily join secure custom servers

So we had to design a system that:

  • ✅ Worked on consoles
  • ✅ Allowed only one client in at a time
  • ✅ Was easy for therapists to manage
  • ✅ Followed privacy best practices and kept PHI separate

As part of our exploration, I reached out to several of my contacts who run Minecraft hosting providers. We asked whether a hosted server setup could meet our needs: no overlapping players, strict access controls, and reliable privacy.

We brainstormed solutions together—systems that would carefully manage who could log in and when, and world setups where players were permanently isolated from each other. It was promising, but fragile. Any misconfiguration or timing error could result in clients accidentally encountering each other.

In the end, we decided the cleanest and safest option was to use individual Minecraft Realms for each client. Realms offered an easy, console-friendly access system, and gave us full control over who could join and when. Clients would never see each other. No overlap. No risk.

That decision shaped the foundation of TherapyCraft.

We may revisit a custom server solution in the future—especially one that allows more flexibility or guided group work—but Realms was the best tool for our early vision: safe, private, and simple to manage.

What We Built

We landed on a system built around Minecraft Realms (Bedrock Edition)—customized with clear session structures, safety controls, and onboarding workflows.

A typical session works like this:

  • Each child has their own Dedicated Realm server. The cost is minimal and included in fees.
  • HIPAA compliant external tools (Zoom) handle voice or video chat—not in-game chat
  • All documentation and sensitive info stays outside of Minecraft, in HIPAA-compliant tools

We also created:

Why Realms (Not Java Servers)?

Technically, dedicated servers (especially Java) give more control. But they’re a support nightmare for console users.

Realms gives us:

  • A unified, cross-platform solution (Xbox, Switch, iPad, etc.)
  • No need for mods, port forwarding, or third-party apps
  • A clean, console-friendly experience that just works

For 1-on-1, session-based work, Realms is the sweet spot.

Want to Use Minecraft in Your Practice?

If you’re a therapist curious about bringing Minecraft into sessions—without becoming a gamer or tech expert—we made this for you.

Ashley created a complete beginner’s guide that walks you through:

  • Which version of Minecraft to use
  • How to structure a secure Realm
  • Creative ways to support emotional regulation and rapport
  • How to stay HIPAA-aligned without overengineering the experience

📖 Download the free guide →

Would You Like to Try Minecraft Therapy?

If you're a parent or caregiver looking for a fresh, engaging therapy option for your child, we invite you to explore Minecraft therapy.

Ashley Jangro, LPCC, is licensed to provide counseling in Colorado (based in Castle Rock) and offers life coaching services nationwide. Whether your child needs emotional support, a new way to express themselves, or a calmer path to connection, Minecraft therapy might be the right fit.

She offers:

  • One-on-one sessions inside a private Minecraft world
  • Personalized onboarding for both kids and parents
  • Options for both console and PC players
  • A gentle, structured approach built around trust and creativity

📅 Learn more and book a free consultation →

📐 Related Links

Sometimes all it takes is a few blocks and a safe space to start building trust.