therapists Tool kits 1.1
- Jacob Somers
- Nov 26, 2025
- 5 min read
Your Lifeline in the Storm - Journaling
The cost of therapy without insurance ranges from $100-$200 for each visit.1 With this consideration over half of Americans, roughly 27 million, experiencing a mental illness are going untreated due to poor access to care. With this concern, providing therapy aids in gaining the tools needed for self-care, personal awareness, emotional intelligence, regulation, and more. This introduction will provide some awareness of why we discuss each Therapist Tool Kit series, as a means to bridge the gap for those who have little, poor, or no access to beneficial therapeutic care. Under no circumstances does this replace the need for therapeutic intervention, but an aide to managing an illness, disturbance, or painful feeling, thought, or behavior.2
Why Journaling? It was found that journaling has a notable reduction to mental health concerns within the populations challenged with PTSD, other anxiety disorders, depression, or a combination of the aforementioned.3 With a notable reduction of anxiety for those struggling with PTSD or present trauma in processing their thoughts and emotions without utilizing numbing and other poor coping practices.4
There are six types of journaling approaches that we will cover today that can work for various situations and individuals. The most effective mood and mindset-adjusting approach is Gratitude journaling. An effective technique for letting go of strong emotions is Letter Writing. A brain dump is simple, and an effective way to journal, but can result in rumination as well as a tendency to target negative thoughts. Utilizing episodic journaling allows for the day to be reviewed and pairs well with a short gratitude prompt for mood regulation. Habit tracking allows for someone who is feeling scattered, anxious, or overwhelmed to create both a ‘to-do list’, as well as recognize successes over a trackable period of time. Lastly, journaling prompts can be a huge advantage for those who feel like they can’t think of what to journal about.
Gratitude Journaling
Gratitude journaling is more than just listing things you’re thankful for—it’s a powerful tool for shifting your mindset. When we regularly document the positive aspects of our lives, we train our brains to focus on the good, even in challenging times. It’s like flexing a mental muscle, gradually building resilience and a more optimistic outlook. Over time, this simple practice can help reduce stress, improve mood, and foster a deeper sense of contentment. It’s a way to anchor ourselves in the present, appreciate the small joys, and cultivate a habit of seeing life through a lens of abundance rather than scarcity.
When practicing gratitude journaling we first need to choose, are you utilizing your own journal where you ask yourself daily questions such as “what am I thankful for today” or “what are my strengths that I showed today”? Or are you going to utilize prompts, for prewritten questions for each day? It’s always possible to use a combination of both of these journaling styles, and we will discuss prompts further below.5
Letter writing
Writing a letter to a lost love one, a restented past self, or a present anger to someone in your life is a fantastic tool to allow yourself to grow. Letter writing allow us to develop a greater understanding, coping of our painful feelings while aiding us in letting go of the weight as it is taken off our backs and left behind on our papers.
When utilizing letter writing as it is a practice of role playing, it is important to be in a private place where you will not be interrupted. Additionally, know before you begin and after it is complete that there is no intention of sending this letter*. This means that writing it digitally via email is something I caution against as it could be sent accidentally. Utilizing a paper also allows for us to tear, crumple or burn it for another catharsis towards the coping of our painful feelings. Use this letter to write to a lost loved one that perhaps you were unable to gain closure to, someone who has hurt or angered you, a version of yourself you feel weighed down by, or a illness that is burdening you to say goodbye.6
*While you do not want to intend to send this letter to a real person, it can provide a terrific outline for a mindful discussion on boundaries, concerns, and discussing hurt that an individual may be happening due to a how someone is acting.
Brain Dumping
When struggling with incesant anxiety over thinking or feeling overwhelmed by running thoughts, brain dumping is found to be an effective journaling tactic. Through brain dumping you will work to take these racing thoughts and place them on paper to allow you to move throughout your day lighter. Brain dumping is also an organizational practice so group these thoughts in categories, such as ‘To-Do’, thoughts, and what you’re feeling/why. This allows you to develop a greater image of these thoughts while preventing rumination.7
Episodic Journaling
Episodic journaling is the most common that I have heard in my practice. This is usually thought of as a recollection of the days events or even an evaluation of thoughts, dreams, or events that took place since the last entry in your journal. This can be very effective in preventing rumination, while being at risk of causing a shift into fixed negative thinking. To prevent this I will encourage you to conclude each entry with a gratitude reflection, such as naming two to three things that you are thankful for happening that day or ensuring to reflect on the positives you have gain progress on in that entry. This will provide some protection to prevent your journal entries from challenging, heavy, and emotional days from worsening your state of mind.
Habit Tracking
Developing new, and healthier habits that are goal centered is an important piece to allow you to grow into a healthier self. This can include greater self care regarding diet, exercise, hygiene, etc. Beginning with a ‘habit plan’ that develops what habits will work towards your overall goals. Then utilizing a behavior chart, or habit tracker (many exist both virtually and for ink/paper printouts) to track and evaluate progress towards your personal goals. Ensure you have developed a routine to integrate your tracker to your daily agenda, at least checking once a day in the evening as a reflection of the events of the day.8
Journaling Prompts
Lastly, utilizing journal prompts can be devotionals, guided journals, or homemade bullet journals that utilize a written prompt that focuses each of your entries on a personal goal. This can include the above styles such as, gratitude, mindfulness, letter writing, episodic, or brain dumps. I have attached some examples below;
After you’ve chosen your journaling style, then begin the routine of journaling strong by developing a time of day routine where you will journal each morning, during lunch, or in the evening. These routines should allow you a space where you can think clearly and have the availability (lacking distractions) to focus intentionally on your journaling time. Even better if you can have a singular space that you dedicate to your journaling, which may be harder for the on the go person, but it’s ideal if you are able to build a space, routine, and mindset around journaling being in your daily agenda.
build a space, routine, and mindset around journaling being in your daily agenda
In conclusion, these six journaling techniques can be used to effectively adjust and manage challenging or painful thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. These are tools not to be used as a replacement for therapy. This also means that it is not a magic wand to make these challenges go away, but have an opportunity to empower you to manage them. If you find yourself in need of assistance for an underlying emotional, cognitive, or behavioral concern reach out to a professional for greater help in the management of these concerns to your local Community Service Board or using the Therapist Search Tool at Psychology Today.
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