Free download
Some of the hardest moments in this work are the ones where a young person wants to open up but can't find the words. They're new to therapy, everything feels like a spotlight, and "so how are you feeling?" gets you a shrug.
This Is My Island is the activity I built for exactly those moments.
Instead of answering questions, the young person builds their own island out of cutout pieces - and the building does the talking. The whole island is their world, and each part opens up a different conversation: what keeps them steady, who's safe and close, what's worrying them, who they can reach, how they're feeling, and where they're heading. They place the pieces wherever feels right, and where things land tells you what words often can't. Someone who'd never say "I don't feel close to my dad right now" will quietly place him out in the water — and there's your way in.
It's warm, it's interactive, and it builds the relationship while it's happening. It works beautifully with teens, and just as well with adults who tend to intellectualise or talk around things.
What's inside:
A printable A3 island board (laminate to reuse)
A full cutout library - people, comforts, worries, weather, bridges and more
Blank pieces for anything that's missing
Six zone prompt cards, each with a question to ask and what it tends to open up
A facilitator guide covering how to run it, how to read the board, and how to gently follow a young person who stalls
A few notes: This is a relational, get-to-know-you tool — not an assessment. It's designed to sit alongside your usual practice, not replace clinical judgement. Print it, laminate it, and it's yours to reuse again and again.
I made this because it's genuinely one of my favourite things to bring into a session - and I'd love for it to be useful in yours. If you use it, I'd love to hear how it goes.
Created by Eb — Counselling with EB
Free download
Some of the hardest moments in this work are the ones where a young person wants to open up but can't find the words. They're new to therapy, everything feels like a spotlight, and "so how are you feeling?" gets you a shrug.
This Is My Island is the activity I built for exactly those moments.
Instead of answering questions, the young person builds their own island out of cutout pieces - and the building does the talking. The whole island is their world, and each part opens up a different conversation: what keeps them steady, who's safe and close, what's worrying them, who they can reach, how they're feeling, and where they're heading. They place the pieces wherever feels right, and where things land tells you what words often can't. Someone who'd never say "I don't feel close to my dad right now" will quietly place him out in the water — and there's your way in.
It's warm, it's interactive, and it builds the relationship while it's happening. It works beautifully with teens, and just as well with adults who tend to intellectualise or talk around things.
What's inside:
A printable A3 island board (laminate to reuse)
A full cutout library - people, comforts, worries, weather, bridges and more
Blank pieces for anything that's missing
Six zone prompt cards, each with a question to ask and what it tends to open up
A facilitator guide covering how to run it, how to read the board, and how to gently follow a young person who stalls
A few notes: This is a relational, get-to-know-you tool — not an assessment. It's designed to sit alongside your usual practice, not replace clinical judgement. Print it, laminate it, and it's yours to reuse again and again.
I made this because it's genuinely one of my favourite things to bring into a session - and I'd love for it to be useful in yours. If you use it, I'd love to hear how it goes.
Created by Eb — Counselling with EB
