Free mental health resources from Ashé Counseling & Coaching in ChicagoTools for the work between sessions
Self-assessments, worksheets, books, and listening our clinical team returns to again and again. For current clients, future clients, and anyone who wants to understand themselves a little more deeply.
If you need help right now
Ashé is not a crisis center
We are an outpatient practice. We don't offer 24-hour emergency services, walk-in care, or active suicide intervention. If you are in immediate danger of harming yourself or someone else, use the lines here or go to your nearest emergency room.
Current clients: follow the after-hours instructions in your intake paperwork, and use these lines for anything that can't wait.
Self-assessments
Short, private check-ins that help you notice patterns in how you think, feel, and relate to others. They aren't a diagnosis, but they're a good place to start a conversation, with a therapist or with yourself.
Anxiety
How worry, restlessness, and physical tension may be showing up in your day-to-day life.
Take the assessmentDepression
Your mood, energy, and sense of motivation over the past several weeks.
Take the assessmentSelf-esteem
The inner voice you carry about who you are and what you're worth.
Take the assessmentAssertiveness
How comfortably you ask for what you need, set limits, and speak up in relationships.
Take the assessmentBPD traits
Patterns of emotional intensity, relationship turbulence, and a shifting sense of self.
Take the assessmentNarcissism
Patterns around empathy, self-image, and how you connect in close relationships.
Take the assessmentInteractive worksheets
Therapeutic exercises you can fill out on your phone or laptop. When you're done, print it, save it as a PDF, bring it to session, or simply close the tab.
Thought Record
A CBT exercise for slowing down a hard moment, examining the automatic thought underneath it, and finding a more balanced view.
Open worksheet About 5 minutes5-4-3-2-1 Grounding
A sensory exercise that brings you back to the present. Helpful for anxiety, panic, dissociation, or a racing mind.
Open worksheet About 15 minutesBoundary Script Builder
Write a kind, clear script for a conversation you've been avoiding. Your draft assembles itself as you go.
Open worksheet About 15 minutesWhat Matters Most
A values exercise inspired by ACT. Name your core values, see where life feels aligned, and choose one small move forward.
Open worksheet About 10 minutesSelf-Compassion Break
A three-part pause inspired by Dr. Kristin Neff: notice what hurts, remember you're not alone, and offer yourself the kindness you'd give a friend.
Open worksheet About 10 minutesWindow of Tolerance Check-In
Find where you are right now, notice what your body is telling you, and pick tools to bring your energy down or back up.
Open worksheetYour answers stay on your device. Nothing you type is saved or sent to Ashé.
Recommended reading
A working library chosen by our clinical team. Not a substitute for therapy, but good company alongside it.
The Body Keeps the Score
The landmark work on how trauma lives in the body, and the many ways the body heals.
Set Boundaries, Find Peace
A practical, compassionate guide to naming your limits and keeping them without guilt.
Atomic Habits
Small, sustainable habits as the real engine of change. A favorite for building new routines.
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents
For anyone making sense of childhood emotional neglect and learning to re-parent themselves.
Attached
A clear introduction to attachment styles and how they shape adult love.
The Big Leap
On the ways we pull back just as life starts going well, and how to stop.
Daring Greatly
On the courage it takes to be seen, and why vulnerability is the path to belonging.
The Mountain Is You
Why we get in our own way, and how to turn the obstacle into the path forward.
The Four Agreements
A short, often-revisited guide to letting go of self-limiting beliefs.
Podcasts & apps
For the in-between moments: the commute, the walk, the night you can't sleep, the hard morning. Many of these are ones our team uses too.
Podcasts
Honest conversations about mental health, relationships, and being human.
Mental health and personal growth conversations centering Black women's experiences.
Real, anonymous couples sessions. A close look at how relationships actually work.
Courage, vulnerability, shame, and worthiness, grounded in research.
Practical talks on mindfulness, anxiety, and the everyday mechanics of being a person.
Behavioral science stories that help explain why we do what we do.
Trauma-informed conversations with clinicians about how therapy really works.
Apps
Tools we often suggest for daily practice, mood tracking, and small pauses.
A huge free meditation library with teachers from many traditions.
An emotion check-in app that helps you name feelings more precisely over time.
Sleep stories, guided meditations, breathing exercises, and music for rest.
Structured mindfulness courses for beginners. Some employers cover it, so check your benefits.
A gentle self-care app where you raise a little bird by taking care of yourself.
Track mood, sleep, symptoms, and triggers to spot patterns you can share with your clinician.
Common questions
Quick answers about using these resources and getting started with Ashé.
Are these self-assessments a diagnosis?
No. They are educational check-ins that help you notice patterns in your mood, thinking, and relationships. Only a licensed clinician can diagnose a mental health condition. Many people bring their results to a first session as a starting point.
Is anything I type into the worksheets saved or sent to Ashé?
No. The interactive worksheets run entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is stored or sent to Ashé. You can print or save your worksheet as a PDF before closing the page.
What should I do if I'm in crisis?
Ashé is an outpatient practice, not a crisis center. Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, text HOME to 741741, call 911, or go to your nearest emergency room if you are in immediate danger.
Where does Ashé see clients?
Ashé Counseling & Coaching sees clients in person at offices in River North and Logan Square in Chicago, and virtually anywhere in Illinois and Texas.
How do I start therapy with Ashé?
You can book online through our scheduling page or call 1-866-434-1735. Our team will help match you with a therapist based on your needs, location, and insurance.
If something here stirred something up, let's talk it through.
Ashé works with clients across Illinois and Texas, in person at our River North and Logan Square offices in Chicago, and virtually.
