How I Use My mental health therapy tracker in notion

NotionSelf Care

Feb 28

better mental health systems & self care for adhd creatives

today we’re taking a look at my mental health! 😄 i’m gonna show you one of the resources that i use for my mental health and personal growth journey - my therapy log dashboard in notion.

in this video, i go over:

why this dashboard
simplicity
where the dash lives
naming the dash
emoji for categorization
accessible resources & links
templates shop & custom notion dashboards
parking lot
homework
positive beliefs & emdr
appointment notes database
favorites bar

why this dashboard

my mental health is one of the most important aspects of my life and i have been focusing heavily on it since 2017 - but especially since 2020. and one of my biggest resources for this has been through mental health therapy. i found a really great therapist, which was a long road and not an easy journey to find. but it’s made all the difference for me having someone i feel comfortable being around and interacting with in this capacity.

i knew i needed a supplementary resource to go along with my therapy sessions, and after not having the best of luck keeping up with a physical written notebook, that’s when i created this digital log within Notion. it makes so much sense for my brain, it’s super easy to search through past entries, to be able to mention and reference my appointment notes in other places in my Notion workspace, and for me to actually take action and make lasting change in my life.

simplicity is key

it’s pretty simple - no fluffs or frills. it’s pretty straight to the point. which is helpful for me and my brain in this capacity. it’s a very specific, niche, if you will, dashboard for me. i really only go here for a singular purpose - to keep track of what i am working on in my mental health therapy. if you’ve seen some of my other dashboards, like my daily dashboard, you’ve seen all the visuals and digital spells i like to decorate my space with - but i see this therapy dashboard very differently in my brain. and i need it to be simple and straightforward.

where this dashboard lives inside my notion workspace

it lives within my journal database - which is where i keep all sorts of things, from course notes, to personal 1-1 session notes, to journal entries. and when i created my therapy log back in 2021, this felt like a great place to keep all my notes and insights and things to work on from my therapy appointments.

these properties at the top of the page have more to do with organizing things inside my journal - and less to do with the actual dashboard.

naming the dashboard

i named it “chelsey therapy log” when i created it, because that’s my therapist’s name. and if i were creating it now i probably would just call it therapy dash. i have seen other therapists during this time and this is more of a “brigitte’s therapy log”. and i know i could rename it anytime. but my brain is used to seeing it like this and i don’t wanna change it.

emojis for categorization

i use the tulip emoji for anything in my notion workspace that has to do with therapy - so that’s why i chose this cover image to match. using a specific emoji helps my brain to be able to recognize therapy-related things inside my workspace at a quick glance. if you wanna see more on how i use emojis in notion to help keep my adhd brain organized & focused - you can check out my video for a deeper dive on that.

accessible resources & links

i like to set myself up for success within the container i’m in - so when i’m here in my therapy container, i want to make sure that anything regarding therapy or mental health is at my fingertips. so i don’t have to go searching other places and getting lost or distracted. having everything i need right here helps me to stay on task and focused.

i’ve got a little toggle here that includes a filtered view of my second brain database - it’s filtered to show me anything related to mental health. i put this here for easy access so i can either add things to it or refer to any of the resources while i’m inside my therapy container. i have a full video going over how i use my second brain in notion - which is just a cute fancy name for my resource library - that you can check out here to see how i use that.

i’ve got a couple other links here to additional dashboards in my workspace that are relevant to things we sometimes discuss in therapy - like my goals, so it’s nice to have links to them for easy access as well.

templates shop & custom notion dashboards

a lot of these dashboards i’m mentioning are available as templates in my shop - so go check that out if you’re interested in utilizing them in your own notion workspace.

i also make custom dashboards so if you have other ideas or want a custom version of a template, i’d be delighted to build it for you - just reach out on my website & let’s chat about making your notion dreams a reality! 🪄💭

templates shop

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parking lot aka mini inbox

my parking lot is one of my favorite sections on the dashboard. it’s essentially like a mini inbox specifically for things i want to talk with my therapist about. so this is for anything that comes up during the week in between appointments. i put it here, usually in a toggle. with the date i record it, a short description, and then more details inside the toggle. this way i don’t forget any of it, and it makes it easier for my brain to recall specific details when i’m in my appointment. this is especially helpful because i deal with a lot of anxiety and expressing myself verbally. so by having the notes in front of me - it enables me to just read the notes and not have to try to remember details or figure out how to articulate what i want to say.

then, once we talk about it, i can easily drag the toggle down inside the actual appointment notes. which saves me from having to re-type!

homework

the next section is my homework section. so if there’s a particular action step or something for me to work on in between sessions - i will list it here along with the link to the appointment notes. a lot of what i work on is ongoing work, so it doesn’t get checked off quickly- so having the link to the appointment is handy so i can go back in and review all the details. with this homework section, i also will add a page inside my inbox so i can actually remember to take action. you can see more on how i use my inbox on my daily dashboard in this video here.

positive beliefs and EMDR

the next session is a little work in progress that i started when i did hypnotherapy this past fall. i thought it would be a good idea to round up all the positive beliefs i have worked with and have them all in one place. so this is something i’m still chipping away at and can add to over time. this is also a big part of EMDR therapy which is what i’ve been doing over the past 4.5 years to reprocess traumas. it’s been completely life changing for me and i highly recommend checking out. you can learn more at emdr.com and find a certified EMDR therapist at emdria.org.

therapy appointment notes database

and then where the magic happens! my therapy notes database! i’ve got a page template set up so it makes it easy for me to open a new page at my visit. it fills in the tulip emoji and name, and i have this view filtered to show my visits within the past year - so it will automatically fill in today’s date for me. then i like to copy paste the date into the title and i’m all set to add in my appointment notes. i like to have this “takeaways” text property so i can see at a glance what we talked about and worked on inside the session. and i have all the columns skinny like this to be optimized for viewing on my phone since that’s what i have with me at my in-person appointments.

i don’t take notes/make a new page every session. it just kinda depends on what we’re talking about or working on. sometimes for an EMDR target, i’ll use the same page for multiple sessions so all the notes are in one place.

favorites bar

i have this page in my favorites bar for easy access since it’s one of my most used pages.

and that’s how i use my therapy dashboard in notion! i’d love to hear how you keep up with your mental health and personal growth journey - lmk in the comments on the video.

again - i’ve got a bunch of great templates available in my shop. and it would be my delight to build you a custom dashboard - just reach out & let’s chat about making your notion dreams come true! 🪄💭