Free Printable Mental Health Worksheets: 4 of Our Neurodiversity Affirming Therapists’ Favorites
Mental Health Tools for All Ages, selected by an expert Neurodiversity Affirming Therapist in Bethesda, MD
This page is full of tools you can use on your own: free mental health worksheets for kids, teens, adults, parents and families. The key is to try them one at a time. Pick just one, and notice whether it feels helpful. Then try another. To try these skills with more support, request an appointment with a neurodiversity affirming therapist.
Self Care Strategy Menu
Self-care isn’t optional for neurodivergent people—it’s protective maintenance for the nervous system.
Here’s why. ADHD research from Russell Barkley highlights that self-regulation requires real neurological resources, not just willpower. Autistic, ADHD, and other neurodivergent individuals often expend more cognitive and emotional energy navigating sensory input, executive function demands, and social expectations. And when the nervous system feels unsafe or overloaded, regulation and executive functioning drop. Add masking and the energy drain increases further. Without intentional recovery, burnout becomes likely.
A checklist helps because it externalizes executive function. Instead of asking, “What do I need right now?” (which requires working memory and initiation), you can look at a visible list and choose one small action. That reduces overwhelm and decision fatigue.
Art Therapy Tools for Self Regulation
Creating art can help people of all ages to self regulate and process emotions. We all have moments when we don’t have the words to express what we’re feeling. These 3 activities are designed to discharge intense emotion and establish grounding and self regulation
In addition, neuroexceptional minds often think in pictures. Drawing a thought or experience can be just as effective as talking about it.
Finally, creating art (or even coloring) is a mindfulness activity. It engages the mind fully, allowing it to let go of some of the thoughts that create mental clutter.
To start processing emotions and experiences through art on a weekly basis, meet with one of our Art Therapists. For more art based content, visit our practice blog or sign up for our newsletter.
Emotional Awareness Practice for Kids
Emotions drive behavior. If a child can’t name what they’re feeling, that feeling will still show up — just sideways. It might look like defiance, shutdown, avoidance, aggression, or “laziness.” When kids can identify emotions, they gain a pause between feeling and reacting. That pause is power.
For neuroexceptional kids — including those with ADHD, autism, learning differences, or sensory processing differences — this skill is even more critical. Many experience big emotions, fast shifts, or difficulty interpreting internal cues (sometimes called alexithymia). Without language for their inner world, they’re more likely to feel confused, overwhelmed, or misunderstood.
Emotional awareness is linked to better self-regulation, stronger relationships, and improved academic outcomes. When a neurodivergent child can say, “I’m frustrated,” instead of or in addition to melting down, adults can respond accurately. Peers can understand them. The child begins to understand themselves. That builds confidence and reduces shame.
Bottom line: identifying emotions doesn’t just improve behavior. It builds self-trust, resilience, and the ability to advocate for what we need — skills that protect mental health over a lifetime.
Acknowledging What is Going Well
Positivity has gotten a not-so-positive reputation lately. We’re not talking about toxic positivity. Neurodiversity affirming therapists don’t recommend that you stay cheerful and pretend everything is good when it’s not.
We DO suggest that you don’t ignore or forget about the good parts of yourself, your life, or your day. That means staying aware of what you appreciate about yourself, even when things aren’t going well. Think of it as practicing gratitude, self compassion, or even balanced thinking.
Balanced thinking is a practice of acknowledging the good and the bad and doing it together. For example “I didn’t do a great job with that assignment, and I am capable of doing great work.” Or maybe you aren’t feeling very capable. So it sounds more like “I made some mistakes with that project and I know what to do next.”
If you notice yourself struggling to find a few positive thoughts to hang onto, try spending some time this week with a friend who understands you.
Notice the qualities that show up in you when that friend is around. Or ask them what they like about being with you. You might also try using the statement starters from our Hearts for ADHD activity.
Holding Yourself Accountable with ADHD, Autism, or other neurocomplexity
Trying something new is hard. Period. If you’d like to try these tools, start with just one. And start right now. If that sounds overwhelming, set an alarm on your phone to do it later today. But print or download it now. Want to build a daily habit? Make the alarm recurring. Start there, and thank yourself for getting started.
