Therapy Journalling

 Journalling before a therapy session can help you consider what might be useful for you to explore in the session. You could journal throughout the week between sessions, making notes of things that come up in that time that you would like to bring to therapy, or you could take ten minutes before your session to consider it. It is totally fine if you notice you don’t know what you want to explore, you can explore that in the session.

Journalling after a therapy session can increase self-awareness and can help in creating new patterns in the way you think. You reinforce the things you learned in your session which can result in new insights and behavioural patterns.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

  • Journal in the format that works for you. You could use the prompts in this worksheet or draw or stream of consciousness writing. You might write with your favourite pen or with coloured pens and pencils. You could have a notebook or sketch book or use an electronic device. Whatever feels right to you. 

  • Handwriting can be more useful than typing. Research shows that handwriting, rather than typing, can increase neural activity. However, if typing means it’s more likely for you to do it, then do that.

  • It’s okay if you forget. If you miss a few post-session journaling sessions, try not to worry. You don’t need to try think back over past sessions if you don’t want to, decide what’s right for you. 

  • Make time. Maybe make notes at a specified time through the week or do it ten minutes for your session starts. Some people prefer to use the last 5 minutes of the session for post-therapy journalling or to do it straight away after the session, in their car or at their desk. Consider when will be the right time for you.

  • Read through the previous journal entry Previous journal entries can help guide what you want next and what is useful or not useful for you.

It’s completely up to you whether you share your reflective journal entries, and assess whether this would be helpful for you. It might be that sometimes it is useful for you, and sometimes it isn’t. Whether or not you choose to share what you have written, by increasing your awareness of yourself and your experiences, journaling can help make therapy more effective.

You can access a downloadable/ printable copy of this here.

Pre-therapy Journalling

Consider:

  • Read through the journal entry from after the previous session- is there anything from last week that can inform this session?

  • How would you like to feel after the session?

  • What is your overall goal for therapy? What is the next step to that goal?

  • Has anything come up since your last session that you would like to explore?

  • What would you like the session to focus on? What would be helpful to you?

  • Do you want to focus on talking or exploring something about your identity/ the way you behave/ setting boundaries/ relationships/ something else?

  • Do you want the session to be focused on resource-building? e.g., ways to feel contained/ in control/ calm/ empowered/ boundaried?

  • How would you prefer the session to be portioned out-? e.g., first 10 minutes calming resources, 20 minutes of EMDR, 10 minutes of calming resources, 10 minutes of therapy journalling.

  • Do you want to use particular methods? Embodied/ movement/ yoga/ drawing/ sandtray/ EMDR/ imagination/ talk/ embodied drawing/ clay/ something else?

  • Do you want the session to be indoors or outdoors?

Post-therapy Journalling

Consider:

  • Take-aways from the session e.g., concepts, resources to experiment with, an action plan, goals, therapy milestones.

  • What was the most important part of the session?

  • Read through your pre-therapy journal. What did and didn’t you explore that you had wanted to? If not, why not? What was as expected and not as expected? Do you want to explore these in the next session?

  • What didn’t you say but wish you had? How do you feel about not saying that? Is it something you will share next session? What would make it easier to share that? What makes it hard to share that?

  • How do you feel after the session? E.g., thoughts, feelings, mood, body sensations?

  • Does how you feel now inform what you might like to be different about the next session?

  • What do you want to explore further? What do you not want to explore any further?

  • What do you need now/ for the rest of the day/ week? E.g., do you need time alone or with friends or something fun or something relaxing?