Counselor Toolkit
CEU Matrix’s
Counselor Toolkit
Educational worksheets, checklists, templates and more.
Designed for substance abuse counselors, social workers and behavioral health professionals.
Resources
Resources grounded in evidence-based frameworks. New resources added weekly.
5-4-3-2-1 Grounding
A sensory grounding warm-up that guides members through noticing five things seen, four heard, three felt, two smelled, and one tasted.
ABC Worksheet
A warm-up worksheet guiding clients through antecedents, behaviors, and consequences related to substance use or co-occurring concerns.
Affect Mirror Exercise
A paired group warm-up where one partner names their current emotion and the other reflects it back using their own words.
Confidence Ruler Opener
A motivational-interviewing warm-up using a numbered scale to explore how confident members feel about making a desired change.
Coping Skills Inventory
A warm-up inventory where clients review and rate coping skills they currently use or want to develop.
Decisional Balance
A warm-up worksheet where clients list pros and cons of changing or continuing a substance use behavior.
Feelings Labeling Warm-Up
A group warm-up that builds shared emotional vocabulary by having members name and discuss current feelings aloud.
Gratitude Go-Round
A structured group warm-up in which each member takes a turn naming three things they feel grateful for that day.
Group Agreement Refresher
A warm-up activity in which the group re-reads its shared agreement together at the start of a session.
HALT Quick Check
A 60-second warm-up prompt asking members to check whether hunger, anger, loneliness, or tiredness is affecting them right now.
Here-and-Now Check-In
A structured group warm-up that briefly focuses members on their present thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations.
Importance Ruler Opener
A motivational-interviewing warm-up using a numbered scale to open group conversation about how important change feels today.
Letter to Future Self
A warm-up writing exercise in which clients compose a short letter to their future self about recovery goals.
My Relapse Prevention Plan
A plan you make before you need it, so your next move is already decided
My Why
A brief warm-up prompt asking members to state, in one sentence, the personal value anchoring their recovery work that session.
One Day, One Commitment
A warm-up activity where clients name one specific commitment they will keep for the current day in recovery.
Partner Introductions
A group warm-up in which partners briefly interview each other and then introduce one another to the full group.
Progressive Self-Disclosure
A warm-up activity offering three disclosure depth levels so members can share as much or as little as they choose.
Recovery Capital Assessment
Recovery is built on more than willpower. It rests on real, nameable resources: physical and emotional health, the people around you, a stable place to live and work, and a sense of purpose and belonging. When any of those run low, staying in recovery gets harder, and it is not always obvious which one is the gap. This self-assessment, based on the Recovery Capital framework (Granfield & Cloud; White & Cloud), helps a client take honest stock across four domains: • Personal and human capital: health, emotional regulation, and self-efficacy • Social capital: supportive relationships and recovery community • Physical and environmental capital: housing, income, transportation, and safe surroundings • Cultural and community capital: purpose, belonging, and values Each domain is scored on its own, so strengths and gaps stand out at a glance, and the closing summary turns that picture into one concrete step to build on this week.
Recovery Capital Map
A warm-up mapping activity that helps clients identify personal, social, and community resources supporting their recovery.
Recovery Capital Scale
A brief warm-up scale clients use to rate the strength of personal and social resources available in their recovery.
Self-Paced Introductions
A member-led warm-up format for opening group that allows participants to introduce themselves at their own pace.
Sleep Hygiene Checklist
Evidence-based sleep habits checklist for better rest during recovery.
Stage-of-Change Check-In
A brief group check-in where members identify which stage of the change continuum, such as precontemplation or action, they occupy today.
Thought of the Day
A CBT-based warm-up prompt where each member identifies one recurring thought to bring into the session for discussion.
Three Breaths
A 60-second group warm-up that guides members through three slow, deliberate breaths before beginning session work.
Today's Trigger Tally
A warm-up tool that guides members to quickly scan and tally external, internal, and unexpected triggers noticed that day.
Unexpected Gratitude
A warm-up prompt asking clients to identify gratitude in unexpected or difficult parts of their daily lives.
Universality Prompt
A group warm-up prompt that invites members to share a personal struggle and discover others in the group share it.
Values Anchor
A brief warm-up activity where clients identify personal values to use as anchors during recovery.
Weather Report
A group check-in warm-up that uses inner-weather metaphors, such as cloudy or calm, to help members describe their current emotional state.
What Brought You Here
A warm-up activity where members write one sentence identifying their real motivation for attending the session today.
Disclaimer: The Counselor Toolkit resources are general educational resources intended solely for licensed or credentialed mental health and substance abuse professionals. They are not a substitute for individualized clinical assessment, diagnosis, or treatment planning. No clinical, therapeutic, or professional-client relationship is created between CEU Matrix and any user or end client through the download or use of these materials. All materials are provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including fitness for a particular clinical purpose. CEU Matrix expressly disclaims all liability for any outcomes, damages, or claims arising from the use, adaptation, distribution, or misuse of these materials. Use is entirely at your own risk, and the user assumes full responsibility for the outcomes that arise from the use of these materials.