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Short exercises many therapists use. Try them on your own, or bring what you write to your next session. They support therapy; they don’t replace it.
When stress runs high, slowing your breath and noticing your surroundings can help your body settle. Start with a few rounds of box breathing, then try 5-4-3-2-1.
Name what you notice right now. Short answers are fine.
A tool from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). It helps you slow down an upsetting thought and look at the evidence, so you can find a more balanced view.
The example above is fictional. Replace it with your own.
Values are what you want your life to stand for. Tap the ones that feel important, then choose your top three and write one small action for each this week.
Choose up to three values above.
Avoiding something we fear can make the fear grow. A ladder breaks it into small steps, from easiest at the bottom to hardest at the top. Rate how hard each step feels (0–10), and climb at your own pace, ideally with your therapist.
A two-minute look back at your week. Over time, your answers show patterns you and your therapist can talk about.
Write down your sleep each morning for a week. Patterns are easier to see on paper than in memory.
| Day | Lights out | Woke up | Hours | Rested? (0–10) | Notes |
|---|
When a worry pops up during the day, write it down and set it aside for your worry time: 15 minutes at the same time each day. Then, during worry time, sort each one: can I do something about it, or is it out of my hands?
For worries you can act on, write the next small step. For the ones out of your hands, practise letting them pass, perhaps with the breathing exercise.
A plan you write on a good day, for a hard day. Filling it in with your therapist works best. Keep it somewhere easy to find.
Call or text 988 (Canada and the US), any time, or call your local emergency number. If you can, tell someone you trust.
Call or text 988 (Canada and the US), any time, day or night, or call your local emergency number. You don’t have to finish this plan first.
A safety plan is a short list you write ahead of time, for moments when thoughts of suicide or self-harm come up. It works best when you fill it in together with your therapist or another professional, and keep it where you can reach it quickly. Work through the steps in order, and move to the next step if the one before isn’t enough.
This plan is a support, not a replacement for care. If you’ve filled it in on your own, please share it with your therapist or doctor. Use “Copy my notes” below to keep a copy on your phone.
Progressive muscle relaxation: gently tense one muscle group for 5 seconds, then let it go for 10 and notice the difference. Tense only enough to feel it, never to the point of pain. Skip any area that is injured.
Find a comfortable seat, and let your eyes close if that feels okay.
For moments when you’re being hard on yourself. Three short steps, about a minute. Go at your own pace.
Place a hand on your heart, or somewhere that feels comforting. Say to yourself: “This is a hard moment. This hurts.”
Finding a more precise word for a feeling can make it easier to understand and to talk about. Tap every feeling that fits, as many as you like: the big feelings in the inner ring, the more precise words around the outside, or both. Mixed feelings are normal.
Each evening, write three good things from the day, big or small. Over a few weeks, many people find they start noticing more of them.
Choose up to four small routines you agreed on with your therapist, and tick each day you did them. Missing a day is normal. Just pick it up again tomorrow.
| Habit | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | This week |
|---|
A simple way to say something hard without blaming: describe what happened, how you feel, what you need, and a clear request. Fill in the parts and read your sentence out loud before the conversation.
Tip: choose a calm moment, keep it short, and listen to their side too. The example is fictional.
Research shows that how well you and your therapist work together matters a great deal. Take a minute after each session to rate how it felt. Sharing this with your therapist, even when something didn’t feel right, helps them adjust. A good therapist will welcome it.
Five minutes before your session, jot down a few notes. It helps you use your time for what matters most to you.
Grief has no timetable. These gentle prompts are a place to remember, and to plan ahead for days you know may be hard. Write as much or as little as you like.
Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. Plan something small and kind for each one.
If grief feels too heavy to carry, please talk to your therapist or doctor. In crisis, call or text 988.
The PHQ-9 is a short, widely used questionnaire about low mood. Answer each question about the last two weeks. Your answers stay on this device unless you choose to share them.
Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems?
This is a screening questionnaire, not a diagnosis. Only a qualified health professional can assess you. Share your results with your therapist or doctor, especially if your score is moderate or higher, or if it is going up. Many people repeat it every 2 to 4 weeks to see change over time.
PHQ-9 developed by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues, with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc. No permission required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute.
The GAD-7 is a short, widely used questionnaire about anxiety. Answer each question about the last two weeks. Your answers stay on this device unless you choose to share them.
Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems?
This is a screening questionnaire, not a diagnosis. Only a qualified health professional can assess you. Share your results with your therapist or doctor, especially if your score is moderate or higher, or if it is going up. Many people repeat it every 2 to 4 weeks to see change over time.
GAD-7 developed by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues, with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc. No permission required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute.
Create a tidy report of your progress to share with your therapist. Save it as a PDF, then upload it to your therapist’s secure client portal (for example Jane, Owl Practice or SimplePractice), or print it and bring it to your session. Your therapist can add it to your file.
Your answers are saved only in this browser. Save a backup file to keep them safe, then use Restore on your new phone or computer. The file contains your private answers, so keep it somewhere safe.
Send your answers to your therapist so you can look at your progress together. You choose what to share and when. Nothing is sent unless you do it.
This opens your own email app with your answers ready to send. Regular email isn’t fully private, so only share what you’re comfortable with. You can also bring your notes to your session instead.
If you’re in crisis in Canada or the US, call or text 988, or contact your local emergency number. These tools are for education and self-help, not emergency care.
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