Self-Compassion Worksheet
If you are helping a client who has low self-esteem, then issue this Self-Compassion Worksheet to help remind them of their sef-worth.
Fact Checked by Nate Lacson.
What are Self-Compassion Worksheets?
Almost everyone goes through a period where they are hard on themselves, when they think that they are worthless, that what they are doing has no meaning, and feel unloved or uncared for. Some people are able to snap out of this kind of state while some dwell on it a little longer.
If you are dealing with clients with low self-esteem, then it might be good to use self-compassion worksheets to help with their treatment. This tool comes in different forms but they ultimately serve the same purpose, which is to help give clients confidence, self-love, and self-worth, especially during trying times.
These worksheets normally provide exercises for the patient that will help them examine themselves and the negative thoughts they have, helping them find ways to cultivate a better sense of self-love and compassion.
Here at Carepatron, we have free PDF — the one that we are going to discuss for this mini-guide is the Letter to Yourself!
Printable Self-Compassion Worksheet
Download this Self-Compassion Worksheet to help your clients overcome their low self-esteem
How to use this Self-Compassion Worksheet
One of the Self-Compassion Worksheets that we have here comes in epistolary form, and we call it “Letter to Yourself!”
This particular worksheet is easy to complete because the client simply needs to write a letter to themselves. Of course, when we say easy, we are referring to what they have to do being straightforward and clear, but there might be a difficulty when it comes to writing it because they are going to write something that will hopefully make them be kinder to themselves. But given that they are in a state where they have low self-esteem, expressing this kindness is not something they will be able to do easily.
To help the client frame their thoughts, we have some guide questions and prompts that will hopefully give them the nudge they need to write:
- The first thing you need to do is reflect on why you think negatively about yourself. What was your upbringing like? What would you consider to be significant experiences that contributed to this negative view of yourself? Be as descriptive as possible.
- Now, as you write, remember that everyone has flaws and things about themselves that they detest, so you are not alone. You will be fine.
- After identifying the things that have caused/contributed to how you view yourself, it’s time for you to think about the most important people in your life, dead or alive. What do you think they would say to you if they see you sitting there feeling sorry for yourself? What do they normally do to uplift you? Be as descriptive as you possibly can be.
- What do you like about yourself? What are your goals? And given what you like about yourself and what your goals are, what do you think you need to be able to work through your negative view of yourself? When you jot down what you think you need, don’t say that you don’t deserve it. Try to be kind to yourself and write as if you do deserve the good things in life. Again, be as descriptive as you possibly can.
- After writing this Letter to Yourself, keep it around. In the event something makes you feel bad and you start thinking about yourself in a negative light, read this Letter to Yourself again to remind yourself about being kind to yourself and that you are great.
Self-Compassion Worksheet Example
Now that you are aware of what Self-Compassion Worksheets are and how to use our Letter to Yourself Self-Compassion Worksheet, it’s best that you see what a sample looks like.
If you like what you see and you think this version of a Self-Compassion Worksheet will serve you and your clients well, feel free to download a free printable Self-Compassion Worksheet PDF for your practice! You can choose to print several copies to hand to your client, or you can go paperless and simply send them a copy of the PDF. The cool thing about this version is that the PDF is editable, so your clients can write on it. Don’t forget to remind them to save the changes so that their efforts don’t go to waste!
Download this Self-Compassion Worksheet Example (Sample) here:
When is it best to issue this Self-Compassion Worksheet?
On the part of the healthcare professional, the best time to use this is when you have gotten to know your client enough through your sessions, to the point that you can tell that they have low self-esteem and that they haven’t been kind to themselves, both on a physical and emotional level. If they are showing signs that they have been thinking of themselves in a negative light, it’s best to issue this and find ways to set them in a direction where they are able to attain what they want while being kind to themself.
On the part of the client, there are different times that are perfect to engage with this worksheet:
- Whenever they are going through something challenging. It’s possible for this Self-Compassion Worksheet to help when it comes to reminding them about the things they love and are working toward. This may help boost confidence and even resilience which will help them power through trials and tribulations. This also applies when they experience a setback. This can help them deal with failure, disappointment, anxiety, and stress in constructive, healthy ways.
- Whenever they have low self-esteem and self-worth. This Letter to Yourself Self-Compassion Worksheet should help the client look at themselves in a positive (and realistic) light by having them think about the people that support them, what the patient likes about themself, and what their goals are.
Who can use Self-Compassion Worksheets and for whom is it?
The worksheet is primarily for clients in therapy/counseling. They will be the ones engaging with the worksheets the most and the instructions are designed to specifically help them work through the resource.
As for healthcare professionals, the following can use this Self-Compassion Worksheet:
- (Mental Health) Therapists
- Counselors
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
So long as they specialize in dealing with and treating clients who have mental health-related problems, they can definitely use this for their work. They can use this or other Self-Compassion Worksheets for their therapy discussions with their clients, whether during individual appointments or through group therapy where people can share their thoughts about themselves.
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Why use Carepatron for mental health-related software?
If you are a therapist, counselor, or psychologist looking for clinical tools to add to your work, then you will enjoy browsing around Carepatron because our platform is essentially a treasure trove of worksheets, assessments, and a whole lot more, especially when it comes to mental health!
Using this Letter to Yourself Self-Compassion Worksheet means that you are dealing with clients who are unkind towards themselves. It is very likely that they have low self-esteem and self-worth, plus, they are likely to be highly critical of themselves. Besides this worksheet, we have self-esteem assessments and other related tools that might help you get more well-rounded pictures of your clients, which means you will be able to cover more ground when you start treating them!
Carepatron is more than just a treasure trove of clinical software. Our platform also has a super cool and super secure storage system that allows you to store clinical documents (like accomplished copies of the Letter to Yourself Self-Compassion Worksheet) in a HIPAA-compliant manner. Storing your files with us means you are making digital backups of your important records.
Using our storage system also makes your files easily accessible to you whenever you need them, wherever you are, on whatever capable device you might have with you (including smart phones) so long as you have internet access. This is great, especially if you are conducting some of your therapy/counseling sessions outside your clinic.
Convenience. Accessibility. Security. You get all three with Carepatron.
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Commonly asked questions
Yes, but the effectiveness of these worksheets will also depend on whether the client is willing to engage with the prompts as well as if they are motivated and ready to change how they think about themselves.
Normally, in concept and when it comes to the instructions, Self-Compassion Worksheets are easy to accomplish. The difficulty lies within the patient. In relation to feeling motivated and ready to change, clients may find it hard to think about themselves given they are seeing you for essentially having low to no self-esteem and self-worth. They might find it difficult to reflect on themselves. In order to help make this easy for them, you need to make sure that they can trust you and that they are in a space where they won’t be judged.
Yes, but do note that this is not a substitute for actual therapy and counseling. If you are using this for yourself, then by all means, use it. However, if you are suffering from a lack of self-compassion, self-esteem, and self-worth, we highly recommend that you see a professional. This is so that an actual care plan can be created to help you work through your mental health-related problems.
