Mind Castle

An ACT-based game to help young people face life’s challenges

Giovanni Colella, Derek Paraboschi, Carolina Solina, Grazia Ferramosca

Product: Teaching tools

Trim size in cm: 26 x 16,7 x 7,2 cm

ISBN: 9788859041955

Publication date: 01/09/2025

Mind Castle is the first board game inspired by the principles of ACT – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Set within the walls of a medieval castle, players must navigate tricky decisions and challenging situations. The aim is to support young people in confronting difficult thoughts and emotions — not by avoiding them, but by taking meaningful actions aligned with what truly matters to them.
Through gameplay, psychological growth becomes more approachable, impactful, and —importantly — fun.

• 4 game boards
• 60 Action cards
• 6 Character cards
• 29 Event cards
• 14 Progress cards
• 8 Support cards (Loyalty–Betrayal)
• 4 Turn cards (rules)
• 24 Progress tokens
• 4 Tension tokens
• 4 Time pawns
• 1 ten-sided die

Mind Castle

An ACT-based game to help young people face life’s challenges Giovanni Colella, Derek Paraboschi, Carolina Solina, Grazia Ferramosca

Mind Castle is the first board game inspired by the principles of ACT – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Set within the walls of a medieval castle, players must navigate tricky decisions and challenging situations. The aim is to support young people in confronting difficult thoughts and emotions — not by avoiding them, but by taking meaningful actions aligned with what truly matters to them. Through gameplay, psychological growth becomes more approachable, impactful, and —importantly — fun. Find out more!

The box contents

4 game boards

60 action cards

6 character cards

29 event cards + 14 progress cards

24 progress tokens + 4 tensions tokens

8 support cards (Loyalty-Betrayal)

4 turn cards

4 time pawns

1 ten-sided dice

How to play

Each player chooses a character representing a personal value and manages Time and Tension tokens while making decisions. On their turn, players perform two actions:

play a Towards card (acting on values for long-term gain);
play an Away From card (avoiding discomfort for short-term relief), gain Progress, or draw new cards.

Cooperation and trust are tested through Loyalty/Betrayal choices when asking for help. The game ends when a player runs out of time; points are scored for value-based actions, exploration, and progress, while barriers and avoidance reduce scores. The winner is the one who best balances effort, courage, and strategy

Leaf through the instruction booklet translated into English to facilitate your evaluation:

The Authors

Giovanni Colella. Psychologist and psychotherapist, expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and neurodevelopmental disorders. Derek Paraboschi. Psychologist and psychotherapist, uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in clinical work with adolescents and adults. Carolina Solina. Cognitive-behavioural psychologist and psychotherapist.

Thematic Areas

Psychology/Psychiatry > Clinical psychology / psychotherapy
Psychology/Psychiatry > Psychiatry
Psychology/Psychiatry