Horrible Therapist Game

• 🧠  How to Play Horrible Therapist
• 📏  Horrible Therapist Game Rules
• 🎭  Horrible Therapist Game Variations
• ❓  FAQs about the Horrible Therapist Game

You ever play a game so chaotic it feels like a group therapy session that’s completely gone off the rails? That’s the Horrible Therapist game in a nutshell.

It’s where your friends become the worst mental health professionals imaginable, your deepest (and dumbest) secrets are weaponized for laughs, and the line between emotional support and emotional damage blurs fast.

Perfect for parties, pre-games, or bonding with your emotionally unstable chosen family, this game brings out everyone’s inner menace. Think improv meets drinking game meets group roast — except this time, your “trauma” is made up and the points don’t matter. Let’s break it down.

👉 Craving more chaotic party games? Check out Happy Salmon, same energy, fewer fake therapy degrees.

How to play Horrible Therapist

To play the Horrible Therapist game, all you need is a few chaotic friends and a willingness to emotionally spiral for fun. The goal? Pretend to be therapists and patients while trying to “diagnose” each other’s fake problems in the most unhelpful, hilarious way possible.

1. Set the stage.

Designate one player as the “Patient” and everyone else as “Therapists.” The Patient picks a random card, phrase, or scenario to be the made-up issue they’re bringing to therapy. It can be something like “I can’t stop crying over my houseplants.”

2. The session begins.

The Therapists take turns giving unsolicited advice, bad diagnoses, or unhinged coping strategies—on purpose. The more ridiculous, the better.

3. Choose the worst.

After everyone’s had their turn, the Patient picks the “worst” therapist—the one who gave the most unhelpful (but hilarious) response. That player wins the round.

4. Rotate roles.

Each new round, switch who plays the Patient so everyone gets a turn falling apart in fake therapy.

👉 Want to crank the chaos even higher? Try Edward 40 Hands, same emotional damage, but with duct tape and beer.

Horrible Therapist game rules

This game thrives on chaos, but there are a few unspoken (and very bendable) rules that make it extra spicy.

1. Keep it short and savage

Nobody likes a monologue. Therapists should deliver their terrible advice quickly and with punch—keep it snappy, weird, and roast-y.

2. No breaking character

Even if someone says something so wild it breaks your brain, try to stay in the moment. Bonus points for keeping a straight face while suggesting breathing techniques that involve screaming into spaghetti.

3. Use props (optional but fun)

Wearing fake glasses, using a clipboard, or bringing out a couch can turn the vibe from “silly little game” to “live comedy show.” Commitment makes the chaos land harder.

Horrible Therapist game variations

Once you’ve mastered the basics, here are some twists to keep the Horrible Therapist game fresh and unhinged.

1. Drinking game mode

Take a sip if your advice gets chosen as the worst. Down your drink if the Patient calls you “genuinely concerning.” Everyone drinks if the Patient laughs so hard they can’t speak.

2. Comic book therapy

Players create comic-style speech bubbles instead of saying their advice aloud. Reveal them all at once for a round of visual mayhem and dramatic readings.

3. Historical therapist

Therapists must give advice as if they’re a historical figure—like Sigmund Freud, Cleopatra, or Abraham Lincoln. Expect phrases like “honest Abe thinks you need to get honest with yourself.”

4. Group therapy mode

Everyone plays a patient at once, and one person is the chaotic therapist trying to help them all at the same time. It’s like trying to host a Zoom call with 10 toddlers and no mute button.

FAQs about the Horrible Therapist game

1. How many players do you need?

3 or more is ideal, but the more the messier. This game thrives on group chaos.

2. Do I need to buy anything to play?

Nope. You can use prompts from a deck if you have one, or just make up wild “problems” and go from there.

3. Is this safe for people who’ve actually been in therapy?

It can be—if everyone’s in on the joke and it’s played with emotional intelligence. But if your group has recent trauma or sensitive boundaries, maybe skip it or adjust accordingly.

4. Can you play this sober?

Absolutely. It’s naturally chaotic enough to be fun even without alcohol, but a few drinks can crank up the unfiltered responses.