By Lisa Schab, LCSW
New Harbinger Publications, 2020, ISBN: 978-1-68403-423-9, 205 pages, $16.95
As adolescents make their way through middle and high school, it can be a challenging journey as they navigate a variety of emotions, peer pressures and fluctuating hormones. Put this together with child welfare or juvenile justice experiences and it can be the perfect time for struggles mentally and emotionally. The new journal, “Put Your Feelings Here” by therapist Lisa M. Schab is designed to help users process various aspects of their thoughts, feelings and emotions.
“Put Your Feelings Here” uses a nice approach to communicating with adolescents who may be reluctant to talk to people about their struggles, especially therapists or other prying adults. The introduction includes a mix of humor and information that helps the reader feel more comfortable diving into the pages ahead. In the beginning, it provides a ranking of emotional intensity log that enables users to track their emotional responses to the 100 journaling prompts in the book. Prompts vary from more intense topics like “Top 5 extreme thoughts that trigger your emotional overwhelm” to more whimsical like “What’s your dream vacation?” All are meant to get readers thinking and processing through a variety of mediums, including writing, drawing, coloring, etc.
For youth who are reluctant to talk, “Put Your Feelings Here” is a great way to prompt conversations with you or a therapist. Or, the book is also a non-invasive, constructive way to let a youth journal out some of their thoughts and emotions on their own. It could be a great tool to use with the teen in your home and a reminder that all the answers don’t have to come from us — sometimes providing the tools directly to the youth is the best answer.
— Reviewed by Kim Phagan-Hansel
Be the first to comment