Counseling Resources
I create resources as I or my clients need them. They are free to use or download below for therapists, clients, or anyone interested in using them.
Please note that these resources are not an adequate substitute for therapy and are not designed for crisis management. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please dial 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. To speak with a counselor 24 hours per day, please dial 988.
Interactive Resources
This activity promotes emotional articulation, allowing users to practice identifying their emotions clearly and understand what their experiences are.
Inspired by a defusion intervention from ACT Made Simple by Russ Harris, this simple activity allows users to play with their distressing thoughts, with the goal of removing some of their sting.
Psychoeducation & Skills
A psychoeducation handout explaining the concept of iatrogenesis — the idea that harm can come from efforts to heal — for the purpose of assisting decision-making around whether to engage in therapy and for how long.
Based on the medieval Christian practice called the Ignatian Examen, this version is adapted for a more secular therapy environment and includes reflection on gratitude and personal growth. For a more directly Christian version truer to the original, scroll down and find it under the Spiritual Resources heading.
A one-page tutorial on urge surfing, a useful skill for dealing with impulsivity or addiction.
A four-page tutorial on cognitive defusion, a useful skill for dealing with intrusive thoughts, regret, and rumination.
Spiritual Resources
While I am not a member of the clergy, I find that the psychological and spiritual domains often overlap. These are tools I have adapted, gathered, or developed for my clients in the past.
Daily gratitude practices are a research-supported intervention that treats depression, improves subjective wellbeing, and increases life satisfaction. This medieval Christian practice serves as an excellent foundation for daily gratitude, and regular engagement with it trains one’s brain to see God more ubiquitously throughout the day. For a secular mindfulness exercise based on this, scroll up to the Psychoeducation & Skills heading and take a look at the Mindful Examen exercise.
Spiritual warfare prayers have both a spiritual and a psychological benefit. Spiritually, they can protect and strengthen us. Psychologically, they can serve as a kind of cognitive defusion exercise — identifying a problem as separate from oneself and making a concrete move to deidentify with it.