Find Your Joy Here - (Instant Help Guided Journal for Teens) by Lisa M Schab (Paperback)

About the Book

For teens struggling with depression or low mood, journaling can provide a therapeutic and creative outlet for personal expression. Written by teen mental health expert Lisa Schab--author of the self-help hit, Put Your Worries Here--this guided journal offers fun, hands-on tools grounded in evidence-based psychology to help teens release feelings of sadness onto the page, focus on moments of happiness, and seek out glimmers of joy in their lives. It's therapy that doesn't look like therapy!

Book Synopsis

What brings you joy? In this unique guided journal for teens, teen mental health expert Lisa Schab provides a safe, creative space to help you release sadness and depression, explore what makes you happy, and find glimmers of joy in your life.

Do you ever feel sad, depressed, or even hopeless? Does this feeling of sadness interfere with school, friends, and reaching your goals? If so, you aren't alone. Between academic pressures, social expectations, changing hormones, and planning for the future, many teens struggle with sadness, depression, and overwhelm. The good news is there are steps you can take to feel better--and this journal is a perfect first step.

Written by a teen mental health expert and grounded in evidence-based psychology, this fun and engaging guided journal offers hands-on and creative tools, activities, and writing practices to help you release feelings of sadness on the page, focus on moments of happiness, and look for those little glimmers that bring purpose, gratitude, and contentment to your life.

This journal is a space for you--to let go of difficult feelings, make your own rules, and discover what joy really means. Your only real guideline is to write for yourself. Why not give it a try?

A special note for clinicians and other professionals: Journaling exercises are a proven-effective adjunct to talk therapy--helping teens bypass defenses, explore feelings in a non-threatening manner, and develop trust in their own coping skills. This journal marks a new addition to the Instant Help Guided Journals for Teens series, which offers evidence-based therapeutic tools in a format teens love.

Review Quotes

"Find Your Joy Here by Lisa Schab is like a treasure map for navigating both joy and sadness! As a creative arts therapist who loves to think outside the box, I'm always excited to discover new ways to help kids and teens explore their emotions and develop coping skills--ways that feel more like an adventure than a task. This book invites readers to engage with their feelings, find creative ways to embrace both the highs and the lows, and build emotional resilience. If you want to support a teen in discovering the full range of their emotions--joy and sadness alike--this book is an absolute gem!"
--Kate Shannon, LCAT, LCPC, licensed adolescent therapist, and host of the Creative Therapy Umbrella podcast

--Kate Shannon, LCAT, LCPC

"Find Your Joy Here by Lisa Schab is a compassionate, creative journal that helps teens move through sadness and discover moments of happiness. With engaging, easy-to-follow exercises, it encourages self-expression and reflection, whether used alone or in groups. This welcoming tool invites teens to feel their emotions honestly while gently guiding them toward joy and hope. A powerful, practical tool for supporting teen mental health and emotional well-being."
--Jori Bowen, MEd, MA, educator and principal at Lakes Community High School in Lake Villa, IL

--Jori Bowen, MEd, MA

"Find Your Joy Here is an emotionally intelligent invitation to healing. Lisa Schab guides teens with warmth, clarity, and creativity, offering not just a break from sadness, but a real way through it. This isn't just a journal; it's a brain-wise, heart-forward tool for resilience."
--Melanie McNally, PsyD, clinical psychologist, White House panelist for teen mental health, and author of The Emotionally Intelligent Teen

--Melanie McNally, PsyD

"Find Your Joy Here is another wonderful example of Lisa Schab's ability to speak in a relatable way to teens and preteens. Often, in the therapeutic process, we focus on relaxation and coping skills, but we forget about joy and having fun! This workbook helps readers to focus on the 'glimmers, ' and things that bring them joy and silliness in their lives."
--Geraldine O'Sullivan, LCSW, PPSC, San Diego County High School Social Worker of the Year in 2022, and author of The Middle School Survival Guide for Girls

--Geraldine O'Sullivan, LCSW, PPSC

"Finding the intricate balance of celebrating the good in life while recognizing sadness that we experience as humans, Lisa Schab creates a perfect space for adolescents to reflect on their complex lives in her guided journal, Find Your Joy Here. She validates kids' emotions by assuring them that what they are feeling is 'normal'--something all adolescents strive to achieve, yet rarely feel. She uses language that kids can easily understand and relate to!"
--Katherine McNeill, MEd, eighth-grade English language arts teacher, and certified reading specialist with eleven years of experience in literacy instruction

--Katherine McNeill, MEd

"In Lisa Schab's Find Your Joy Here, teens can start a journey to discover and express positive emotions. The journal offers activities that help them navigate and balance both sadness and happiness. I appreciate how the author encourages identifying sources of joy; in today's world, where feelings shift quickly, it's a necessary reminder. As a parent and community leader, I'm thrilled my children and the teens I work with have this resource."
--Kendria Vickers, MSA, executive board member of the youth empowerment organization, Prettiest Pearls; and chief financial officer of the STEM education company, Super Noah Super Math

--Kendria Vickers, MSA

"Lisa Schab's Find Your Joy Here is a delightful, engaging guided journal for teens managing their emotions, and a clever disguise for delivering evidence-based clinical practices and skill building. The prompts run the gamut from silly to introspective, yet Schab manages to keep them light, providing encouragement for even the least artistic among us to participate. A wonderful resource to help teens feel more in control and empowered in their lives!"
--Susan Weinstein, JD, executive director of Families for Depression Awareness

--Susan Weinstein, JD

"Lisa Schab's latest book is a thoughtful and skillfully crafted journal that gives teens a safe space to explore their emotions, emote, and build lifelong coping skills. As a colleague and longtime referring pediatrician, I've seen how her resources support adolescents in moments of sadness while empowering them to manage their mental health with greater confidence and self-awareness."
--Michael Bauer, MD, FAAP, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

--Michael Bauer, MD, FAAP

"The title of Lisa's thoughtfully crafted journal is apropos to the experience of interacting with it. Find Your Joy Here is a gentle invitation to acknowledge difficult emotions while also using imagination to explore and experience joy in real time. The engaging and often sensory nature of the writing prompts is irresistible: you don't just read them; you feel them. Each pen stroke generates new insights and fresh perspectives. Pure magic."
--Terri Webb, LCSW, CPEC, independent school counselor, executive coach, and psychotherapist in private practice

--Terri Webb, LCSW, CPEC

"This book is an amazing resource to help teens change the channel on negative thought spirals. Easygoing and engaging, readers are invited to play with thoughts, memories, and ideas about joy in a way that feels light, easy, and fun. There is something for everyone in these prompts and activities! A fabulous tool for creating and capturing fun and joy."
--Cheryl M. Bradshaw, RP, BEd, MA, Registered Psychotherapist, TEDx speaker on the topic of consent, and author of How to Like Yourself, The Resilience Workbook for Teens, and Real Talk About Sex and Consent

--Cheryl M. Bradshaw, RP, BEd, MA

About the Author

Lisa M. Schab, LCSW, is a practicing psychotherapist in the greater Chicago, IL, area; and author of twenty-four self-help books, including The Anxiety Workbook for Teens, The Self-Esteem Workbook for Teens, and the teen guided journals, Put Your Worries Here, Put Your Feelings Here, and Find Your Self-Love Here.

Schab has been interviewed as an expert on Milwaukee television stations WTMJ-TV and WISN-TV, and by The New York Times, Scholastic Choices magazine, Teen Vogue, Psych Central, and Kate Shannon's Creative Therapy Umbrella podcast. Schab has authored regular mental health columns for Chicago Parent Magazine and The Sun newspapers. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).