Put Your Feelings Here – A Creative Journal

Reviews:

A special note for clinicians and other professionals: Journaling exercises are a proven-effective adjunct to talk therapy—helping teens bypass defenses, explore feelings in a non-threatening manner, and develop trust in their own coping skills. This journal marks the second addition to the Instant Help Guided Journals for Teens series, which offer evidence-based therapeutic tools in a format that appeals to teens.

“From the first checkbox, Lisa Schab pulls the emotionally overwrought person of any age into a workbook that is inventive, lively, and profoundly useful. Structurally and visually, this engaging book brings emotional skills to life, using sensory, physical, spiritual, and analytic approaches. The format is bite-sized, fast-paced, and appealing—even for teens—but the ideas communicated are life-changing. Using writing and creativity, the reader naturally develops tools that demystify the often difficult world of emotions. I facilitate writing groups for teens, and the exercises in Put Your Feelings Here will be a welcome addition.” — Beth Jacobs, PhD, author of Writing for Emotional Balance, The Original Buddhist Psychology, and A Buddhist Journal

“Lisa Schab has done a brilliant job teaching some of the dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills in a fun, creative, and understandable way to help teens manage their emotions. I love it!” — Sheri Van Dijk, MSW, psychotherapist, international speaker, and author of several DBT books, including Don’t Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens

“This is an excellent book for teens struggling with anxiety. It combines journaling and DBT skills into a particularly helpful tool for adolescents who struggle with low stress tolerance and high emotionality. With more than one hundred exercises, each has a purpose and meaning; they don’t just busy the reader, but rather enhance the reader’s understanding of their emotions and the necessity to manage them. We know from research that some people experience things more intensely than others. They’re more reactive as a result, which is difficult to de-escalate. This book does an amazing job at rectifying that issue—enabling the reader to learn how to calm themselves, build stress tolerance, and cope more effectively with their emotions. I highly recommend this book.” — Deb Norton, MS, LCPC, NCC, private practice therapist specializing in adolescent psychology, president and founding member of an educational nonprofit networking group for mental health professionals, with more than thirty years’ experience in mental health counseling and human services

“Put Your Feelings Here is a creative way for making teens place their emotions on paper. I like that it teaches me skills that I can use in everyday life in similar situations. I like that the book mainly uses visual exercises because not everyone can put what they are feeling down in writing in a few simple words. I liked its humor. I liked how it did not just help you cope with problems, but help solve the problems. I would recommend the book.” — Bee, Chicago, IL; graduated eighth grade; entering high school in fall 2019 for visual arts

“Lisa Schab’s Put Your Feelings Here is an easy-to-use tool accessible to teenagers with any level of therapeutic experience. This book empowers teens to build internal awareness, increase emotional intelligence, and practice evidence-based coping skills creatively. Put Your Feelings Here makes DBT skills relevant and accessible to today’s teens. This book walks the middle path between free journaling and directed prompting, allowing teens to feel in control of the process and to learn transferable skills.” — Margaret Lewis, LCSW, associate director of the Adolescent School Refusal Partial Hospitalization Program at Compass Health Center in Northbrook, IL

“Schab expertly weaves together mindfulness, externalization, calm acceptance, and breakthrough change in this rich array of exercises. Equally useful for self-guided work by teens, and directed exercises or homework by therapists. A wonderful addition to the tool chest!” — Larry Wilson, MSW, LSW, career counselor at Wilson Consulting, and former youth counselor

“Lisa Schab has produced yet another amazing resource for those of us who work in the mental health profession. Put Your Feelings Here is a must-have! This book makes engaging in therapy fun for teenagers as they work on meaningful but simple activities!” — Stephanie L. Pettey, PsyD, mental health coordinator and adjunct college professor in the field of school psychology

Author:

Lisa M. Schab, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker with a private counseling practice in the greater Chicago, IL, area. She has authored eighteen self-help books and workbooks for children, teens, and adults, including The Anxiety Workbook for Teens, The Self-Esteem Workbook for Teens, and the guided journal, Put Your Worries Here. Schab teaches self-help workshops and professional training courses on both emotional issues and journaling, and is a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). You can find out more about her at www.lisamschabooks.com