70 therapy journal prompts

How to therapy journal

A therapy journal is a notebook you keep alongside counseling. It is not homework you can fail. It is a way to catch thoughts and feelings as they happen so you do not lose them by the time your next session comes around.

1. Before the session.Spend five minutes writing what is on your mind and what you want to bring up. Many people forget their main point once they sit down.
2. Right after the session.Write what stood out, any insight, and anything your therapist suggested you try.
3. Between sessions.Note moments that connect to what you talked about: a trigger, a win, an old pattern showing up.
4. Bring it with you.You can read from your journal in session or just use it to jog your memory. You decide what to share.

Therapy journal prompts to use before a session

1. What is the main thing I want to talk about this week?Write
2. What has been bothering me since my last session?Write
3. Is there something I have been avoiding bringing up? What makes it hard to say?Write
4. How would I rate my week from one to ten, and why?Write
5. What went better than expected since we last met?Write
6. What question do I want to ask my therapist?Write
7. Did I try anything we talked about last time? How did it go?Write
8. What feeling has been strongest this week?Write
9. Is there anything about therapy itself I want to discuss, like pace or approach?Write
10. If I only had five minutes in session, what would I spend them on?Write

Prompts to write after a therapy session

1. What was the most important thing that came up today?Write
2. Did anything surprise me about what I said or felt?Write
3. What did my therapist say that I want to remember?Write
4. How do I feel right now, compared to when I walked in?Write
5. What is one thing I want to try before the next session?Write
6. Was there something I wanted to say but did not? Write it here.Write
7. Which part of the session felt uncomfortable? Why might that be?Write
8. What do I want to keep thinking about this week?Write
9. What do I want to pick up next time?Write
10. What do I need to take care of myself after this session?Write

Therapy journal prompts for between sessions

1. Describe a moment this week when an old pattern showed up. What happened before it?Write
2. When did I notice myself reacting the way we talked about?Write
3. What did I do differently this week, even a little?Write
4. What thought kept repeating today? Where did I first learn it?Write
5. Which coping skill did I use, and did it help?Write
6. What triggered a strong feeling, and how strong was it from one to ten?Write
7. What would I tell my therapist about today if I could call right now?Write
8. Who did I set a boundary with, or wish I had?Write
9. What did I do today that took care of my future self?Write
10. Which moment this week felt most like the person I am working toward?Write

Prompts based on a thought record

Many therapists use a thought record, an exercise from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Walk through these in order when something upsets you.

1. What happened? Describe the situation in plain facts, like a camera would.Write
2. What was the first thought that went through my mind?Write
3. What did I feel, and how strong was it from zero to one hundred?Write
4. What facts support that thought?Write
5. What facts do not fit that thought?Write
6. Is there a more balanced way to see the situation?Write
7. How strong is the feeling now, from zero to one hundred?Write
8. What would I like to do next time this happens?Write

Therapy journal prompts for understanding yourself

These are good topics to write about at home and bring into session. For more, see journal prompts for self-discovery and shadow work journal prompts.

1. What brought me to therapy in the first place? Has that changed?Write
2. What do I hope my life looks like when I no longer need therapy?Write
3. Which relationship in my life do I most want to understand better?Write
4. Which story about myself would I like to look at more closely in session?Write
5. What did I learn about feelings in the home I grew up in?Write
6. When do I feel most like the real me? Least like it?Write
7. What do I tend to minimize when I talk about my life?Write
8. What am I afraid will happen if I really change?Write
9. Which of my needs feel hard to say out loud?Write
10. What does feeling safe with another person look like for me?Write
11. What story about my past do I tell most often? Is there another way to tell it?Write
12. What do I want to understand about why I react the way I do?Write

Prompts for tracking progress in therapy

1. What can I do now that felt impossible when I started therapy?Write
2. Which of my goals has moved forward? Which feels stuck?Write
3. What do I notice about myself that I did not notice a few months ago?Write
4. How have my relationships changed since I started?Write
5. What tools or skills have I learned that I use without thinking now?Write
6. What setback taught me something?Write
7. What do I want to focus on in the next three months?Write
8. How would I describe my progress to a friend?Write
9. What has therapy shown me about my strengths?Write
10. What would I tell myself on my first day of therapy?Write
11. What small change has made the biggest difference?Write
12. How do I want to keep growing after therapy ends?Write
13. What am I most thankful to myself for doing in therapy?Write
14. What still feels hard, and is that okay for now?Write
15. What do I want my therapist to know about how far I have come?Write
16. What does a good week look like for me now compared to before?Write
17. What habit have I kept up that I am proud of?Write
18. If I wrote my progress as a headline, what would it say?Write
19. What part of me feels more at peace than it used to?Write
20. What do I want to celebrate before my next session?Write

Therapy journal template

Use this simple layout for each week. Write it in the diary above or print this page.

For more on mental health writing, see journal prompts for mental health and how to journal for mental health. A mood journal is also useful to bring to sessions.

Tips for a therapy journal

• Tell your therapist you journal. They may suggest prompts or exercises that fit what you are working on.
• You do not have to share everything. Your journal is yours. Share what you want.
• Write soon after sessions. Insights fade fast. Even three lines in the car or on the bus help.
• Keep it private. This diary saves only in your browser on this device. Print or save as PDF if you want to bring a copy.
• Be gentle on tough weeks. Some weeks you will write a lot, other weeks nothing. Both are fine.

You may also like journal prompts for anxiety, healing journal prompts and reflective journal prompts.

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