Sana Powell, MA, LPC

10/06/2023

From Seattle, WA to Washington, DC, Pocket Therapy is in specialty bookstores across the country — and I’m so grateful and humbled. Pocket Therapy is a representation of my combined love for writing, mental health, and empowering others to be the best versions of themselves.

If you haven’t already ordered a copy, you can do so online where books are sold, including Amazon! And if you already own a copy, please leave me an honest online review. 💛

Pocket Therapy: 70 Cards to Find Balance, Set Boundaries, and Feel Your Best:

Pocket Therapy: 70 Cards to Find Balance, Set Boundaries, and Feel Your Best

08/08/2023

It’s here! My baby, that is: “Pocket Therapy: 70 Cards to Find Balance, Set Boundaries, and Feel Your Best.” It’s a take-anywhere guide to practicing self-care and prioritizing your mental health — and it's officially released today! It's available online wherever books are sold, such as on Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Link in bio! ✨

It includes 70 cards with thoughtful therapy practices that are widely applicable and easy to incorporate into everyday life. My writing was inspired by my work with people in individual and group therapy, my education and training, as well as my personal life experiences. This deck has five categories: relationships, mindset, emotions, self-love, and mindfulness. Each card covers a specific topic, like setting healthy boundaries, rediscovering things that bring you joy, and becoming more in tune with your body. Each card also ends with a clear takeaway, being either a journal prompt, exercise, or affirmation to help you apply the practice in your life.

This tool for personal growth isn’t a replacement for therapy, but is meant to be used alone or alongside a therapy practice and is perfect for anyone who wants to cultivate more balance, love, and peace in their life. In addition to using it alone, you can use Pocket Therapy with other people, and even in a group setting, to deepen your relationships and increase self-awareness. Also, these cards were written to be used over and over again. As you and your circumstances change, each card will take on a new meaning every time you pull it. Pocket Therapy was written to grow with you.

The past two years writing with Chronicle Books have been a journey. I've poured my heart and soul into Pocket Therapy, distilling the most helpful therapy and self-care practices that I know. Regardless of whether therapy or other therapeutic practices are accessible to you, I hope Pocket Therapy supports you in your personal growth and self-awareness. It’s essential to prioritize your health so you can be the best version of yourself — for both yourself and others. 🩵

08/07/2023

🪴 Self-compassion is something I’ve been focusing on lately.

It can be easy to offer others grace, compassion, and understanding while we deny ourselves these things.

Something that helps me be more kind to myself is encouraging and affirming myself, especially on days I feel sad or overwhelmed.

These are some affirmations that have brought me peace. I hope they inspire you to find self-affirmations that support you in being more compassionate towards yourself.

I love the imagery of plants when discussing self-compassion because it’s something we can grow and nurture over time.

I’ve found that I’m happiest when I’m kind to myself and when I treat myself like a friend. Can you relate? ☺️

08/03/2023

Negative self-talk is something we all experience from time to time 💭

In this excerpt from Pocket Therapy, I share a coping skill that helps me cope with self-critical thoughts in a healthy way.

Do you relate to any of the example self-critical thoughts or affirmations?

Let me know what affirmations have helped you cope with negative self-talk. 🥰

Link in Bio to pre-order your copy of Pocket Therapy for more tips on finding balance, setting boundaries, and feeling your best. ☀️

07/28/2023

What self-beliefs are holding you back and need to be upgraded?

Every so often we all must examine what we believe about ourselves and consider if those beliefs are still representative of who we are, or if we’ve outgrown them.

It’s a natural part of evolving as a person!

07/27/2023

Introducing: Pocket Therapy! Available for pre-order 🥰🥳🤩

I’ve been working on a project with Chronicle Books over the past two years that I’m so excited to finally share about! I’ve authored a card deck called Pocket Therapy, a take-anywhere guide to practicing self-care and prioritizing your mental health. It’s currently available for pre-order wherever books are sold and will be released on August 8th of this year!

As a licensed professional counselor I’m incredibly passionate about making mental health content more accessible and less intimidating, and this card deck does exactly that. It includes 70 cards with thoughtful therapy practices that are widely applicable and easy to incorporate into everyday life. My writing was inspired by my work with people in individual and group therapy, my education and training, as well as my personal life experiences.

This deck has five categories: relationships, mindset, emotions, self-love, and mindfulness. Each card covers a specific topic, like setting healthy boundaries, rediscovering things that bring you joy, and becoming more in tune with your body. Each card also ends with a clear takeaway, being either a journal prompt, exercise, or affirmation to help you apply the practice in your life.

This tool for personal growth isn’t a replacement for therapy, but is meant to be used alone or alongside a therapy practice and is perfect for anyone who wants to cultivate more balance, love, and peace in their life. In addition to using it alone, you can use Pocket Therapy with other people, and even in a group setting, to deepen your relationships and increase self-awareness. It can also be used by mental healthcare professionals with clients in individual/group sessions!

It’s essential to prioritize your health so you can be the best version of yourself — for both yourself and others. I hope that Pocket Therapy supports you in your personal growth goals as you continue striving to be the best version of yourself. 🌞

Pocket Therapy: 70 Cards to Find Balance, Set Boundaries, and Feel Your Best

05/27/2022

🧠 Some tips to help destigmatize these conversations

A huge part of becoming more aware of mental health in ourselves and others is normalizing it — because mental health is something that’s relevant for all of us!

We can help foster an open and accepting mindset in children from a young age by introducing mental health topics in digestible and relatable ways.

Whether it’s your own child or a child in your community, you have the capacity to create a warm and welcoming space for them to truly express themselves as they learn to nurture their mental health.

In the process, you may find yourself becoming more comfortable with acknowledging your own mental health!

💭 Can you see yourself using any of these conversation tips with a child in your life? Share your thoughts in the comments below. 💫

05/22/2022

⁣🔋 Practice self-care now instead of waiting until burnout. ⠀⠀
⠀⠀
This is something I’m constantly working on! Identifying the subtle ways my brain and body tell me that I’m not taking care of myself is a daily practice.⠀⠀
⠀⠀
It can be easy to overlook signs from our brains and bodies that we need to take a break and double down on self-care. If you lead a busy life, it can feel like there are always other things that are important than taking a break. ⠀⠀
⠀⠀
In reality, if we don’t take care of ourselves when we need it, this neglect will catch up to us and cause more damage in the future. ⠀⠀
⠀⠀
When I slack off on taking care of myself, I try to be compassionate with myself and take small steps to getting back on track. These “steps” might be as simple as drinking some water, getting off of my phone, or prioritizing my to-do list.⠀⠀
⠀
For tips on finding a therapist, and crisis resources, visit my “Start Here” and “Therapy Tips” highlight.⠀
⠀⠀⠀
💭 What are your telltale signs that you’re feeling burned out? Drop your thoughts in the comments below. 💫

05/14/2022

🧠 Where are you in your journey?

Emotional healing entails working through, and making peace with, painful past experiences and strong emotions. It's a unique process that looks different for each person.

Honor where you are in the process, and remember that healing has no “right” or “wrong” timeline.

💭 Where are you in your healing process? Share your thoughts in the comments below. 💫

05/09/2022

⁣🧠 Tips to disrupt the cycle of self-sabotage

Self-sabotage describes doing things that go against your goals and efforts to succeed.⠀
⠀
Examples of self-sabotaging behaviors include procrastinating, contacting people from your past who are meant to stay in your past, or using alcohol or drugs to self-medicate and numb your emotions. ⠀

This post highlights some tips to break the cycle of self-sabotage and explore why we might do it in the first place.

It’s important that we talk about why we might self-sabotage so that we can better understand the barriers, sometimes within ourselves, that can hold us back from achieving our goals. ⠀
Unlearning beliefs about ourselves that lead to self-sabotage can take time! Be patient with yourself if you find it difficult to make these changes.⠀
⠀
💭 Do you tend to self-sabotage? Can you see yourself using any of these tips to help break the cycle? Share your thoughts in the comments below. 💫

05/08/2022

🌷Mother’s Day might look different for you, and that’s okay. ⠀
⠀
For some, Mother’s Day is a joyful holiday that celebrates a loving relationship with a mother, grandmother, or mother figure. However, for others the holiday might bring up a painful mix of emotions for a variety of reasons. ⠀
⠀
This post highlights only a handful of the many experiences that can complicate our relationships with our mothers. Whatever your relationship with your mother may be, I hope you feel seen and allow yourself to feel whatever emotions naturally come up for you. Also sending love to those who have lost their mothers and are coping with resurfacing feelings of grief this weekend. Please remember that you are not alone in your sadness. ⠀
⠀
💭 What feelings does Mother’s Day weekend bring up for you? There’s no wrong answer! ♥️ Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. 💫

05/07/2022

⁣☀ Self-sabotage describes doing things that go against your goals and efforts to succeed.⠀
⠀
Examples of self-sabotaging behaviors include procrastinating, contacting people from your past who are meant to stay in your past, or using alcohol or drugs to self-medicate and numb your emotions. ⠀
⠀
There is no shame in acknowledging how you might self-sabotage. I imagine that all of us, in our own ways, have experienced self-sabotage in some way. ⠀
⠀
There are numerous reasons that can underlie why we self-sabotage, and this post only highlights a few. ⠀
⠀
It’s important that we talk about why we might self-sabotage so that we can better understand the barriers, sometimes within ourselves, that can hold us back from achieving our goals. ⠀
⠀
Unlearning beliefs about ourselves that lead to self-sabotage can take time! Be patient with yourself if you find it difficult to make these changes.⠀
⠀
💭 What are some things that you’re unlearning at this point in your life? Share your thoughts in the comments below. 💫