“This blog contains links to gift ideas for your convenience. Some are affiliate links, meaning if you purchase through that link I may earn credit at that store or a few pennies; however, links are provided solely for your convenience. The intention of this blog is to help inspire your gift giving or find items to add to your own wish list.
Therapists cannot accept gifts from clients, so these ideas are here for those of you who have a sibling, aunt, friend, etc. that is a therapist. I would much rather my clients spent time and money on self-care rather than on a gift for me. Even on my birthday, I only wanted to raise funds for the causes important to me.
Gifts Any Therapist Would Love
Cardigan Upgrade
A list of gift ideas for counselors and therapists would not be complete without recommendations for a cardigan. I found several great handmade options on Etsy.
- Women will love this handmade cocoon style cashmere cardigan – available in a variety of colors.
- For the men on your list, this classic men’s style merino cardigan looks comfy and stylish.
Headset for Telehealth
Whether they want to start their own podcast or just improve their comfort and sound quality for telehealth counseling, this Aftershokz bone conducting headset with noise-canceling boom microphone would be an excellent choice. Given how many therapists I see in trainings using the built in speakers and microphone, I am guessing this is an upgrade they might not purchase for themselves but they will greatly appreciate once they have it.
Therapy Books
While delivery times may take longer than normal this year, books are usually accessible last minute, especially with Amazon Prime shipping. If you don’t already have Prime shipping you can try it for free for 30 days with this link: https://amzn.to/2YPGpeo.
- What Happened To You is the hot new book on trauma written by Dr. Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey. It’s the new must-read for therapists. If they liked The Body Keeps the Score then this is sure to be a hit.
- No Bad Parts is also a newish book by Richard Schwartz, developer of the popular Internal Family Systems model of therapy.
- Securely Attached by Mike & Kristin Berry is a book I love to recommend. While it is written for parents, they do such a great job explaining the impact of trauma on kids that I think it is a must read, especially to help therapists who need to share this information with parents.
- The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy – If a therapist didn’t read this in graduate school (or maybe even if they did) this handbook to the brain, development, and therapy is an excellent read.
- Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is another popular book written by a therapist about herself, her work, and her therapist.
- I also have to recommend Adoption Therapy and It’s Not About You because it is important to me that all therapists continue to learn more about adoption. Even those of us who specialize can never stop learning.
Just for Fun Affordable Gifts
- “Koala-fied Therapist” mug from Etsy
- Therapist coloring book
- “Therapist Mode Off” t-shirt from Etsy
Gifts for Couples Counselors
- Getting The Love You Want by Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt
- The Practice of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy by Sue Johnson
- The Marriage Clinic by John Gottman
- You Are the One You’ve Been Waiting For by Richard Schwartz
- In addition to those foundational books, if you want to splurge finding awesome chairs that can swivel so couples can face each other is always a challenge. Every relationship therapist needs a set. These velvet chairs look amazing and come in a variety of colors.
Gifts for Brainspotting Therapists
- The Wow gift for a Brainspotting therapist would be a 3B Scientific brain model.
- Extra pointers can make a great stocking stuffer. It is good to have one in your bag, a couple on your desk, and sometimes clients just like to choose which color is used.
- I consider the finger puppet on my pointer a must-have. It adds additional detail which can be helpful for online Brainspotting, but it is another great way to give clients a choice. I would like to get one of these wool finger puppets to join my giraffe. I also think these felt finger puppets would be popular with many therapists.
- Brainspotting with Children and Adolescents is a newer book that I highly recommend. Even for therapists that don’t work with kids, it provides a really great review of the foundation of Brainspotting.
- The CrocoDuck was designed for Brainspotting with Children and some of the proceeds are donated to fund Brainspotting for those who could not afford it.
Sandtray Miniatures
Sandtray therapy can be for kids or adults, but it requires a lot of different miniatures to give clients a variety of choices. A sandtray therapist will always appreciate additional miniatures as they build their collections. If you know someone just getting started, here is a great starter kit.
Don’t forget to check out these other ideas:
- Sensory Gift Ideas for Kids of All Ages and Sizes for all 8 Senses
- Holiday Gift Ideas for Foster & Adoptive Parents
- Therapeutic & Sensory Stocking Stuffers
- Gift Ideas for Single Adoptive & Foster Moms that Speak to her Heart
For more book ideas, check out my lists on Amazon
While it can sometimes be hard to pick out books for others, a subscription to Kindle Unlimited provides access to over 1 million ebooks and thousands of audiobooks.