Gifts for therapists
Books, card decks, office basics, quiet fidgets, and playroom tools that therapists and school counselors can actually use.
Some links in this guide are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links to other shops are labeled with the shop's name.
Who this list is for
Everything here is something a therapist, school counselor, or play therapist can put to work: books worth keeping, card decks for the desk, office basics, quiet fidgets, and tools for the playroom. No mugs, no candles.
This list is for friends, family, coworkers, classmates, and supervisors. If you’re a client, ask first: professional ethics codes generally caution therapists about giving or accepting gifts in a therapy relationship. GoodTherapy explains why.
Sizes, ages, and prices are on each listing.
What’s on it
- Books to keep: classics of the field and a book about therapy from the other chair.
- Card decks for the desk: short practices to use between sessions or with clients.
- For the office: white noise for outside the door, a feelings wheel, and an in-session sign.
- Quiet desk fidgets: silent things to hold during a long day.
- For the playroom: puppets, games, and sand-tray miniatures for therapists who work with kids.
Books to keep
4 picks
Books to keep
Irvin D. Yalom
The Gift of Therapy
Paperback, 320 pages. An open letter to newer therapists, drawn from Yalom’s decades in practice.
Books to keep
Bessel van der Kolk
The Body Keeps the Score
Paperback, 464 pages, on how trauma reshapes body and brain, and on paths to recovery.
Books to keep
Lori Gottlieb
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
Hardcover, 432 pages. A therapist’s account of her own time in therapy, told alongside her clients’ stories.
Books to keep
Garry L. Landreth
Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship (4th edition)
For a play therapist: Routledge paperback, 480 pages, on Child-Centered Play Therapy.
Card decks for the desk
3 picks
Card decks for the desk
Melissa Romano
Vagus Nerve Deck
75 exercise cards for calming the nervous system, informed by polyvagal theory.
Card decks for the desk
Matthew McKay & Jeffrey C. Wood
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Card Deck
52 DBT practices, based on The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook.
Card decks for the desk
Seth J. Gillihan
CBT Deck for Kids and Teens
Deck of 58 CBT practices aimed at anxiety and negative thinking.
For the office
3 picks
For the office
Yogasleep
Dohm Classic White Noise Machine
Fan-based white noise with two speed settings; plugs into the wall. Assembled in the USA.
For the office
Giftacity
Feelings Wheel Desk Display
Double-sided wooden feelings wheel on a stand, about 5.9 in square; the back lists things I can and can’t control.
WOODAMORE
In Session Door Sign
Reversible 10-inch wooden door sign; the set also includes welcome and please-knock signs.
Quiet desk fidgets
5 picks
Quiet desk fidgets
Quiet desk fidgets
Crazy Aaron's
Thinking Putty, Super Scarab (4″ tin)
Multi-color sensory putty in a 4″ tin; never dries out. Made in USA.
Quiet desk fidgets
TANGLE
Tangle Jr. Classic
Twist-and-turn fidget with smooth, solid-color sections.
Finger Rock
Magnetic Fidget Rings (set of 3)
Three magnetic rings that spin around each other; pocket-sized.
Niuniu Daddy
Weighted Leopard Plush, 20 in
3.3 lb plush with weighted beads in the belly and limbs; machine washable.
For the playroom
5 picks
For the playroom
hand2mind
Feelings Family Hand Puppets
Five soft hand puppets represent Happy, Angry, Surprised, Sad, and Scared; kids use thumbs and pinkies to move the arms and other fingers to move the heads.
For the playroom
Play Therapy Supply
The Anxiety Thumball
Toss-and-catch ball; whoever catches it answers the anxiety-and-worry prompt under their thumb. For groups or one-on-one.
For the playroom
ThinkPsych
Go Fish: Faces & Feelings Card Game
Kids act out an emotion to ask for a card, so no reading is needed.
For the playroom
Clever Fox Play
Who What Why Conversation Cards for Kids
Illustrated real-life scenes, each paired with who, what, and why questions.
For the playroom
Play Therapy Supply
Sandtray Play Therapy Basic Starter Kit (100+ pieces)
100+ miniatures, including two families, a knight set, two opening houses, a bridge, and a wishing well.