Top 3 Therapy Tools
Our Compassionate Counseling St. Louis therapy team loves working with anxious and angry college students, kids, and teens.
All of our therapists specialize in anxiety work, and love working with anxiety across the spectrum - from your classic anxious responses to anxiety that looks more like an anger management issue. And while all of our therapists are trained in assessing for anxiety-driven anger, incorporating CBT, and utilizing Feedback Informed Treatment, our team also gets to bring in their own background and specialty for each client.
This week, we’re each sharing our top 3 therapy items and why we love them!
Kelsey Torgerson Dunn, MSW, LCSW
Anxiety Therapist, Owner and Founder, Author
My top 3 therapy items:
1. Dry erase markers: I love dry erase markers, for when I need to sketch out an anger iceberg, identify where feelings are happening in the body, or give my clients a chance to gather their thoughts and make a list of everything important before we start our session together. The more colors, the better!
2. My phone (for meditation music): I love using my phone to pull up a quick soundtrack for meditation practice. Whether we're doing a 5 senses scavenger hunt or a rainbow guided meditation, calm tones make it so much easier for our bodies and brains to relax.
3. My computer! Since I'm still providing virtual therapy (albeit with a very small caseload), I couldn't do it without my trusty macbook. Pivoting to virtual therapy in March of 2020 was really unexpected and stressful, and I've been so glad to find that virtual is still an amazing and convenient option for our kids, teens, and college students at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis.
Brandi Wilson, MA, PLPC
Teen Therapist and Disordered Eating Specialist
1. WARM TEA! It really helps my voice and being able to speak with clients more comfortably. My favorite tea is a honey, peach and mint mix! So soothing and yummy.
2. Good pens: There is something about having a great writing instrument, it really makes things feel so much enjoyable and easy to read later when I am taking notes and thinking about client assignments.
3. Essential oils or candles: Sensory input is such a helpful way for me to ground or set the tone for therapy sessions. I want my clients to feel relaxed and calm in the space! Based on where I am located this may not always be possible, but I totally take advantage when it is!
Molly Shaffer, MA, LPC
Teen Therapist and Trauma Specialist
1. Fidgets: I have to have some sort of fidget for my clients to use in session. Fidgets are great for helping people regulate while talking about difficult topics, like trauma. They give you something to do with your hands and somewhere to look.
2. Sandtray: Sandtray is used for processing topics that are difficult to talk about, playing out emotions, and is sometimes simply used as a calming/sensory tool. I don’t always use it a ton, but I’d love to incorporate it more, especially with younger kiddos.
3. Games: I play games in therapy so often, whether it be in person or virtual. It's not only fun, but games can be turned into so many different types of therapy interventions by changing the rules or creating questions related to the moves of the games.
Allegra Grawer, MSW, LCSW
EMDR and Trauma Therapist
1. Fidget toys: If we’re in person, I love to let clients use fidget toys or other tools; something that client can manipulate or watch to help to regulate.
2. Items to create an aroma container: This is a wonderful grounding tool that taps into many senses. Clients can take their containers and use them in between sessions to help with grounding.
3. Sandtray: For virtual sessions, I use an online sandtray with lots of manipulatives or characters. This can be used in many different ways, and most clients love making virtual sand trays!
Susie McGaughey, MA, ATR, LPC
Art Therapist
1. Paper and something to draw with: As an art therapist, I always want to have some sort of option for clients to be able to express something when words fail them or when words are not enough. Often, these drawings lead to conversation that is easier to have once there is a tangible expression of their feelings or their experience that we can both see and be curious about together!
2. Music: As part of my commitment to create a warm and inviting space for you, music is almost always a part of the equation. Chill, calming sounds provide a wonderful backdrop while clients are making art or engaged in a mindfulness activity. And sometimes, some fun, upbeat music is a helpful tool when we need to shake off a particularly difficult conversation with a dance party or when some really hard feelings were expressed so we can end session on a hopeful note.
3. Mindfulness Tools: In addition to music, I love tools that can help my clients practice mindfulness in session. Some favorites include singing bowls, calming glitter jars, and those colorful expanding and collapsing spheres that help kids to practice taking in and releasing great big breaths! Most of my sessions start and end with a grounding mindfulness ritual that utilizes one of these to help move us in and out of session with calm and focus.
4. (Bonus!) Growth mindset: A "growth mindset" can be defined as the belief that a person's capacities, abilities, and understanding can be improved over time. Most kids learn about having a growth mindset when it comes to tackling problems in their academics, but having a growth mindset in therapy, too, can help kids to be open to challenging negative thoughts, to learning new coping skills, and to being willing to practice these things with me! With a growth mindset, real progress can be made in a short amount of time.
Did one of these tools catch your eye? Are you interested in working with our anxiety therapists at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis? Compassionate Counseling St. Louis provides specialized anger management and anxiety therapy in St. Louis for kids, teens, and college students. We love helping with thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. We work in Clayton, MO and serve kids, teens, and college students throughout St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Ladue, University City, Town and Country, Webster Groves, Creve Coeur, Kirkwood, Richmond Heights, and Brentwood. You can set up your free phone screening to see if we’re a good fit for your needs right on our website.
