How to Use Affirmations in Therapy with Clients and in School Counseling with Students:

About Affirmations: Unleash this powerful tool with clients and students. This is also a great technique to practice on yourself. For more information on the Affirmation Chart Print Out below see the bottom links.

Learn how to tap into the "Affirmation Power" for yourself and your clients!

I use affirmations with clients, students,  family members, and even with myself. Affirmations are a very powerful tool that create a mental picture of a desired situation.

Affirmations work with the unconscious and subconscious mind. When one focuses on an affirmation, or several affirmations, positive results will usually follow.

Many people have negative scripts and tapes that have been playing in their brains since childhood.

These negative messages can come from parents, teachers, friends, etc. They were told to our conscious part of our brain and transferred to the lower parts of our brain (sub and unconscious brain).

Quite often these tapes or scripts are so deeply embedded in the reptile part of the brain they are not even noticed.

When we allow these tapes to play we create negative thoughts and negative actions will often happen.

The unconscious and subconscious mind believes whatever our conscious thinking part(executive functioning) of the brain tells us.

If our thinking part of our brain tells we can’t do it, the lower parts of the brain will accept it, believe it, and make it happen.

When we use affirmations we are training the unconscious and subconscious mind to send positive messages to the conscious mind. The unconscious and subconscious parts of the brain are more powerful than the conscious part of the brain.

Think of your brain as a high powered computer. Then pretend you are going to write a novel about the story of your life (Your biography).

You will add sentences and thoughts to this high powered computer (your brain). The computer will then create the story of your life from the beginning to the end.

Now, if you only put negative thoughts, feelings, and sentences in this computer what tone do you think the novel will be? If you guessed the tone will be negative you are right!

Materials for Affirmation Activity:

- Index sized cards for writing down affirmations.

- Markers

Directions for Affirmation Activity:

1. Make short sentenced cards for your affirmations based on your current need or situation. Use the present tense only.

2. Take the cards with you and read them out loud several times a day. Sometimes, I will take a single affirmation card and post it on my desk or a mirror in the bathroom.

This assures that I will read it several times per day. I also make affirmation cards for my clients to take with them.

Sometimes, I even wrap up the cards with a pretty ribbon or put in an affirmation jar (see link below).

3. By saying affirmations over and over again we train the unconscious and subconscious mind and attract the things we want to our lives. 

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See More Affirmation Activities & Affirmation Techniques

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Anger Management Affirmation Chart

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Affirmation Card Statements

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See More Creative Counseling Ideas Here

Disclaimer: This website and its content is intended for trained licensed mental health professionals and school certified mental health professionals to use for their clients / students at their own discretion.

*If you ignore the disclaimer above are using these techniques on yourself and you feel any discomfort or upset it is highly suggested that you seek out a licensed  mental health professional immediately.

"Beyond Art Therapy" is the concept from Dr. Stangline that combines all creative fields in therapy. It is not the traditional "art therapy" but goes beyond to include sand tray therapy, play therapy, mindfulness, meditation, color therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and a vast majority of other therapies.

For any other type of mental health emergency call your local 911 / Police Number immediately.

Dr. Stangline does not offer advice / suggestions to anyone who is not a professional mental health provider, or a student who is studying this field and has questions about mental health programs of study.