Gratitude Journal
Find out more about how you can implement Gratitude Journaling into your therapy practice and how it can help to reinstate peace of mind.
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What Is a Gratitude Journal Template?
A Gratitude Journal Template is a personalized psychological tool that can help individuals consciously practice gratitude in their everyday routine. The ideology behind a gratitude journal is to simply highlight the things in an individual’s life that they are grateful for, no matter how big or small they might be.
Utilizing a Gratitude Journal can have various benefits for individuals:
- Having a deeper appreciation for positive experiences
- Enhanced positive coping skills
- Relationship strengthening
- Improved mood
- Better sleep
- Stress reduction
- Increased positivity
Depending on their overall goal, the individual will enter as many things that they are grateful for, even if they have had a bad day. A Gratitude Journal Template can be adapted regarding the frequency of the individual’s willingness to be thankful. Some people may fill the template in every night before bed, a handful of times a week, or even once a week.
Individuals who are struggling with anxiety or depression, as well as those who wish to implement the critical role of gratitude in their lives, can use a Gratitude Journal Template to incorporate this skill into their lives.
The great thing about these tools is that no matter how big or small the highlighted ‘good’ thing in their day is, they practice gratitude by simply acknowledging that it was there. It’s as simple as 5 minutes a day!
Printable Gratitude Journal Template
Download this Gratitude Journal Template, a personalized psychological tool that helps practice gratitude in everyday routine.
How Does It Work?
Carepatron is designed to make your life as a therapist much smoother. That’s why we have created a step-by-step instruction list for how to use the Gratitude Journal Template.
Step One: Obtain the Gratitude Journal Template
Navigate the Carepatron website to find the Gratitude Journal Template PDF. Here, you’ll be able to either download the template for use online or for printing.
Step Two: Complete the Gratitude Journal Template
You can work through this worksheet once you have given your client a copy of the Gratitude Journal Template. During this time, you may need to answer your client's questions and guide them through completion if you are completing it in session. Feel free to use our example below as a guide.
Step Three: Discuss the Completed Template
Whether you have your client complete their Gratitude Journal Template during your session or as a homework task - you should discuss what they have identified. Discussing the answers can result in a better understanding on your behalf and set your client up for future directions and treatment plans.
Step four: Check-in
We recommend checking in on how the Gratitude Journal works for your client. How often is at your discretion, but it is crucial to set check-ins to determine whether the gratitude journal is appropriate or needs alterations.
Gratitude Journal Example (Sample)
We have created a digitally accessible sample of what the Gratitude Journal Template should look like once completed. Please note that answers in this example are purely fictional, and your client may have differing responses. You can use this sample in session to help you and your client comprehend what this template is identifying.
Download this Gratitude Journal Template Example:
When Would You Use This Template?
The Gratitude Journal Template can be implemented wherever you see fit for your client. Mental health practitioners can use the template for a variety of reasons, such as:
Daily Reflection
The Gratitude Journal Template can be used as a daily reflection tool for clients wanting to add more mindfulness into their day. Individuals can highlight specific areas of their lives on which they wish to reflect consciously, and this can help them be present in practice gratitude.
Coping Skill
The Gratitude Journal Template may also be used as a coping skill. Clients with specific triggers can use what they have outlined in their Gratitude Journal to help as a coping strategy during difficult times.
Development of Positive Habits
Continuous use of the Gratitude Journal Template may also work to promote positive and healthy habits in the client’s life. Clients who struggle to look on the bright side of a situation may be more inclined to search for the positives of an upsetting scenario if they continuously use the gratitude journal.
Stress Management
Maintaining a Gratitude Journal can also act as a stress management tool. The journal can help individuals redirect their negative feelings or thoughts onto something they have outlined in their template. This can often shift feelings towards a more overall positive outlook.
What Do The Results Mean?
The Free Gratitude Journal Template results will display areas of the individual’s life on which they wish to place conscious gratitude. Once the Gratitude Journal Template has been completed, the client can then work to implement it into their daily routine. Results from the template are likely to show:
Increased Mindfulness
Keeping a Gratitude Journal may increase mindfulness for the individual. This is because when an individual is consciously practicing gratitude, they are trying to identify aspects of their life for which they are grateful. This heightened awareness of the ‘good things’ can encourage individuals to find these things when situations might be wrong or they feel down in the moment.
Positive Habits
Practicing gratitude with the Gratitude Journal Template can help individuals form positive habits and use their new gratitude skills at other times. Over time, gratitude can become a habit that helps build resilience.
Enhanced Relationships
Noticing the things around them that they are grateful for can also enhance and strengthen relationships with friends and family. Gratitude journals may often include some nice stuff that someone has done for the individual and an excellent quality that made them feel heard during a hard time.
Coping Skills
Research has also suggested that individuals who practice gratitude often report that they more often have positive coping skills such as support-seeking behaviors and active coping (Wood et al., 2010).
Why Use Carepatron as Your Gratitude Journal App?
At Carepatron, we are dedicated to making the lives of healthcare professionals easier. We know how valuable it is to make the most of your time with your clients, especially during therapy work.
Besides being the best telehealth software to use for your mental health practice, there are many reasons why you should choose Carepatron as your Gratitude Journal App. Carepatron offers healthcare professionals, especially therapists, a versatile way to run your clinic.
With Carepatron, you’ll have access to resourceful tools that allow for a seamless workday in the office. Our clinical documentation software allows for an easy way for healthcare professionals to document the therapy sessions and any other important notes.
We’ll take care of the administrative tasks that take up your time with clients. You’ll have access to our patient appointment reminder software and Free Patient Record Software that helps track the progress of all clients. Not only will you get access to work-altering software, but you can also rely on Carepatron to take care of required payments and appointment scheduling.
Using Carepatron as your Gratitude Journal Software will allow you as a therapist to easily navigate the complexities of working in the psychological space and maintain high-quality patient care.
References
Ducasse, D., Dassa, D., Courtet, P., Brand‐Arpon, V., Walter, A., Guillaume, S., Jaussent, I., & Olié, E. (2019). Gratitude diary for the management of suicidal inpatients: A randomized controlled trial. Depression and Anxiety, 36(5), 400–411. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22877
Fekete, E. M., & Deichert, N. T. (2022). A Brief Gratitude Writing Intervention Decreased Stress and Negative Affect During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Happiness Studies, 23(6). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-022-00505-6
Wood, A. M., Froh, J. J., & Geraghty, A. W. A. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(7), 890–905. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.005
Commonly asked questions
Carepatron has got you covered. We have created a Gratitude Journal Template for you to use. Navigate to the Carepatron website to see more of our journal templates.
This Gratitude Journal Template can be used for a variety of reasons. They can be used to implement some self-care and mindfulness into a client’s everyday routine.
Gratitude Journal Templates can be used within therapy sessions with clients or in the client’s own time as a homework task.
