Therapist Tool Kit

Over the years there have been some resources that have been more helpful than others. I’ll list them them here for my companions. If you have a great resource that has been helpful to clients, send me a brief description and link and I’ll try to post it here. By the way, this is not an ad page. I know you’re a great resource, but don’t send me a link to you! Also, the tools I list will have no connection to me or any of the businesses I partner with.

larryvaughan@mac.com

Mindfulness App

Insight Timer is a great addition to your client’s phone. It’s free, available in IOS and Android, it has awesome Guided Meditations, helps with sleep, anxiety, and stress. Check it out!

Occupy the Brain

Did you know when we are learning we inhibit our amygdala? Did you know that’s where our emotions live? Some ruminative and depressed clients experience relief from… learning a foreign language! Here’s a free, interactive, fun app that can occupy teens and adults! Check it out!

Client resistant to AA/NA?

Consider exploring other pathways to recovery. Annie Grace is a great resource for those less inclined to attend meetings. Great stuff! Check it out!

Stressed Client?

L-theanine is a naturally occurring, non-protein amino acid found in tea that promotes relaxation by reducing stress and anxiety levels. Although L-theanine is not a sedative and does not cause drowsiness, it may help improve sleep quality by promoting a more relaxed state. Here you go!

Is your client lonely?

Blahtherapy is a free chatroom where you can vent or listen. Your client might enjoy either! It’s anonymous, and you definitely get some conversations that fizzle, but it is engaging. I’ve also had therapy students use it to practice their listening skills. Here you go!

A different kind of support for THC users

Here’s a unique community of people online who are in various stages of quitting THC. It’s messy, raw, and sometimes profane over there, so don’t send any nuns this way. Here you go!

Are you ever Angry?

If you’re not angry, you’re probably not paying attention! This can be brutal work! Commiserate with another angry therapist here. John Kim.

Need a HIPAA compliant chat feature for clients?

Depending on your practice, sometimes it can be beneficial to text your clients. Here’s a safe way to do it with boundaries you set. And its free!

Another Supportive Chat

If you know the difference between treatment and support, and I assume you do, then 7 Cups is a good place to be heard. Not a good place for treatment. Take a look!

Chat + AI + CBT

Another great tool for support. For clients in the shallow end of the clinical pool. Here you go!

Mood Tracker

MoodTools is an app designed to help individuals manage their depression. It includes features like a thought diary, mood tracker, and articles on managing depression. Worth a look!

Our Replacement

Youper is an AI-powered mental health chatbot that assists users with managing their emotions and offers self-help exercises. While some features are free, premium features require payment. This one has some clinical data backing it. Click here.

MBTI

This test is based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and categorizes individuals into one of 16 personality types. It explores traits such as extraversion/introversion, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving. Great avatars, skip the paid portion. Find it here.

Jung at Heart

Similar to the MBTI, this test assesses your personality type based on Carl Jung's typology. It provides insights into your preferences for introversion/extroversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving. Who doesn’t like Jung? Other than Freud…

Enneagram

The Enneagram is a system of personality typing that describes patterns in how people interpret the world and manage their emotions. The Enneagram describes nine personality types and maps each of these types on a nine-pointed diagram which helps to illustrate how the types relate to one another. Find it free here.

Career Assessment

This one is $14.95, but it’s worth it for someone who is stuck vocationally, or a college student whose rudder hasn’t made it to the water. Take a look!

General Assessment

Mind Diagnostics offers a range of free mental health assessments, including tests for depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and more. It’s a BetterHelp site, so there’s that. But you don’t need to give your email to get the results. Good interface, and a good way to start a conversation. Find it here!

Outcomes

If you’re not using an outcome measure you’re making the chili blindfolded. Most of the measures, however, are too bulky. So get to know Scott Miller. Innovator and irreverent, you’ll love his tools. Check it out!