Cards for Calm, a therapy tool Using Cbt to Combat anxiety and Negative Thinking

Used by therapists, counsellors, addiction centers, schools, educators, and social workers, Cards for Calm provides prompts to help people begin to reframe their approaches to problems.

Small enough to fit in your pocket, this standard poker size (2.5” x 3.5”) deck is made from sustainable forest paper using starched-based laminating and vegetable-based inks. American Made, Cards for Calm is designed in California and printed in Kentucky.

Cards for Calm helps people find better ways to deal with negativity and anxiety.

The cards use techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help users identify inaccurate or negative thinking and respond to challenging situations in more effective ways.

They encourage people to develop pre-prepared, positive responses to stressful situations. To be ready to meet anxiety with calmness and strength.

Cards for Calm teaches positive thinking using mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy, visualization and creative thinking. It helps people think differently about the sources of their anxiety and stress.

The deck includes over 20 pairs of Question and Answer cards. Each Question card outlines a common problem that can cause anxiety. The Answer card looks deeper into the issue, then guides the user through visualizations they can create to change their emotional response to the situation.

Cards for Calm can be used by individuals to analyze and change their behavior, as well as by counsellors and therapists to help clients reframe their approach to situations that cause them problems.

The cards can be used as prompts during one-on-one or group sessions.

The Question cards present common problem people get ‘stuck’ on, with some cards focusing on similar issues but approaching them in different ways.

When a Question card resonates with the client, read side 1 of the Answer card and discuss their experience of this issue.

Consider the impact it has on their life and how it affects their happiness. Ask them to consider how they typically respond to such a situation. What is the main emotion they feel? How are they left feeling afterward?

Side 2 of the Answer card suggests visualizations they can use to think about and approach the problem differently. Read through these together and discuss how there are approaches to the problem that differ from the response they’ve had in the past.

Ask them to imagine their future self as they face this problem again. Ask them to choose one of the suggested visualizations, or to create their own. Ask them to picture their future self responding to the problem in this way.

Pick a Question card from the deck and think about the problem it presents. Have you faced this problem in the past? Do you have this problem now?

You can explore the problem with the Answer card. Remember times you’ve faced this situation in the past. What emotion did you feel when facing it? How did you react? What emotion did you feel after?

Try the suggested visualizations and see if they help you think differently. Try adapting them to your situation, or creating visualizations of your own. Don’t limit yourself to realistic responses, let your visualized response be as incredible as you can imagine.

When you next face this problem in your life, take a moment to picture your visualized response so you can respond in a more positive way.