100 Therapy Questions: Prompts for Reflection, Growth, and Healing

Therapy is a space for discovery. Sometimes words come easily, and other times it can feel hard to know where to start. To support you, we’ve gathered 100 therapy questions designed to spark reflection, guide journaling, or help you prepare for a session.

These prompts are not meant to replace therapy, but they can help you deepen your process. Use them gently: take breaks, ground yourself, and notice what feelings arise. If any question feels overwhelming, pause and return to it when you feel ready—or bring it into session with your therapist.

Questions About the Present

Therapist tip: Focusing on the here-and-now can help you ground yourself and notice what needs attention today.

1. What brings you to therapy right now?

2. How have you been sleeping this week?

3. What takes up most of your energy each day?

4. When do you feel calm in your routine?

5. What are the top three stressors you notice today?

6. How do you usually respond when you feel overwhelmed?

7. Who do you turn to for support?

8. What did you enjoy doing today?

9. What has felt most difficult this week?

10. What would make tomorrow feel a little lighter?

Questions About Emotions

Therapist tip: Naming emotions reduces their intensity and builds emotional regulation skills.

1. What emotion shows up most often for you?

2. Where do you feel this emotion in your body?

3. When did you last cry, and what brought it on?

4. What emotion feels most difficult to express?

5. What do you usually do to calm yourself?

6. Which feelings feel safe to share—and which do you hide?

7. How do you notice shame affecting your behavior?

8. What reliably brings you joy?

9. How do you speak to yourself when things go wrong?

10. What’s one small way you can soothe yourself today?

Questions About the Past & History

Therapist tip: Exploring the past helps uncover patterns that still shape today’s choices.

1. What life events shaped who you are today?

2. Who made you feel safe as a child?

3. What messages did you absorb about yourself growing up?

4. Which childhood memory feels most vivid?

5. How did your family handle emotions or conflict?

6. When were you most proud as a child?

7. What did you learn about love from your caregivers?

8. When did you first feel truly alone?

9. What family role did you often take on?

10. How would your younger self describe your life now?

Questions About Thoughts & Beliefs

Therapist tip: Our beliefs can empower us—or hold us back. Exploring them helps with cognitive flexibility.

1. What unhelpful thoughts appear under stress?

2. Which belief about yourself would you like to change?

3. How do you personally define success?

4. What assumptions do you make about others?

5. What story do you tell yourself about failure?

6. How often do you expect perfection from yourself?

7. Which thoughts keep you stuck?

8. How would you respond if a friend had that same thought?

9. What evidence challenges your most persistent negative belief?

10. What message would you give your younger self?

Questions About Relationships

Therapist tip: Relationships mirror how we connect, set boundaries, and handle vulnerability.

1. What do you want most from your closest relationships?

2. Where do you feel safe to be fully yourself?

3. How do you show love—and how do you want to receive it?

4. What boundary do you need to set right now?

5. Who drains your energy, and who replenishes it?

6. When has a relationship shifted unexpectedly?

7. How do you tend to handle conflict?

8. What patterns repeat across your relationships?

9. How would you like your relationships to grow in the next year?

10. Who do you fear losing most, and why?

Questions About Behavior & Coping

Therapist tip: Recognizing coping strategies—healthy or not—helps us replace what no longer serves us.

1. What habits help you feel grounded?

2. What do you do to avoid feeling pain?

3. How do you use food, work, or substances to cope?

4. Which coping strategies feel out of control?

5. When you’re triggered, what’s your first impulse?

6. Which behaviors provide short-term relief but long-term problems?

7. What self-care ritual feels realistic for you to keep?

8. How do you celebrate small wins?

9. Where does your mind go when life feels hard?

10. What’s one behavior you want to shift this week?

Questions About Values & Meaning

Therapist tip: Reconnecting with values provides clarity and motivation for growth.

1. What matters most to you right now?

2. What does a meaningful life look like for you?

3. Which values do you live by daily?

4. Where do your actions feel misaligned with your values?

5. What legacy do you want to leave?

6. How does your life today reflect your values?

7. What would you do if you had more courage?

8. What brings you a sense of awe or wonder?

9. Which relationships reflect your deepest values?

10. How can you take one values-aligned step this month?

Questions About Trauma, Safety & Attachment

Therapist tip: Move slowly with these questions. If strong emotions arise, pause, ground yourself, and bring them to therapy.

1. When do you feel unsafe, physically or emotionally?

2. How does your body respond when you feel threatened?

3. Which parts of your past trauma feel unresolved?

4. Which relationships trigger old wounds?

5. What did you do to survive difficult times as a child?

6. How do you comfort yourself after being triggered?

7. When do you notice yourself “checking out”?

8. What would help you feel safer in relationships?

9. How do you define trust, and who earns it?

10. What boundary would help you feel secure right now?

Questions About Work, Productivity & Life Structure

Therapist tip: Work often influences identity and self-worth. Exploring this area can reduce stress and burnout.

1. What part of your work feels most meaningful?

2. Which habits get in the way of productivity?

3. How do you manage pressure and deadlines?

4. What is your ideal work–life balance?

5. How does work connect to your identity?

6. What do you avoid by working more?

7. How do you recharge after a demanding week?

8. Which tasks create dread and why?

9. Who supports you at work, and who doesn’t?

10. If you could change one thing about your work, what would it be?

Questions About Future & Goals

Therapist tip: Future-oriented questions encourage hope and create realistic steps for change.

1. What goals do you want to reach in the next 6 months?

2. What’s one habit you could start tomorrow?

3. How do you imagine your life in five years?

4. What supports would help you meet your goals?

5. How do you recover after setbacks?

6. What does success look like for you personally?

7. What fears arise when you plan for the future?

8. Who can support accountability for your goals?

9. What will you do if plan A doesn’t work?

10. What do you hope to say to yourself on your next birthday?

How to Use These Therapy Questions?

• Start small: Choose 1–2 questions a week to reflect on or bring to your session.

• Write them down: Journaling can help slow down your thoughts and create clarity.

• Pause when needed: If any question feels overwhelming, take a break and use a grounding technique.

• Bring them into therapy: Share what came up with your therapist—they can help unpack it in a safe space.

Ready to Explore These Questions in Therapy?

At Calm Again Counseling, we believe healing happens when you feel safe enough to explore the hard questions. These prompts are a starting point—but real change often happens in the presence of a trusted therapist.

If you’re ready, we’d love to support you.

Contact us today for a free 15-minute consultation.