Module 2week 2 of 8
Meet Your Modes
A first map of the different sides of you
Created by Dr John Forbes, Clinical Psychologist, and Hannah Nyx, registered arts therapist (AThR)
or download the workbook as a PDFModule 2week 2 of 8
Welcome to Meet Your Modes
Last week, you made your calm place and your container, and learned how to check in and pause. This week, you'll meet the different sides of you, and make a first, rough map of them with shapes and colours.
Everything here stays in the present. This module never asks you to go back into painful memories, and you can skip anything that doesn't suit you.
Time
About 45 to 75 minutes in total. Most people spread it over two or three sittings.
You'll need
Paper, or the map page in your workbook, and coloured pencils or crayons. Coloured paper, magazines, scissors and glue are optional. You can also make your map on screen.
Art skill
None needed. Blobs, scribbles, scraps of paper and words all count.
Your workbook
This week's pages as a PDF, with the tracker for your numbers and a page for your map. You're welcome to print it for your own personal use.
What's inside
Bring your Module 1 toolkit
- Your 0 to 10 scale, and your own words for a 3, a 5 and a 7
- Your pause rules, so you know when to stop and settle
- Your calm place image, or a colour or object you like
- Your container, or a real or imagined box with a lid, for anything that needs to wait
Not quite ready? If Module 1's checklist isn't ticked off yet, spend a little longer there first. This module will wait for you.
Nothing you type, draw or choose on these pages is saved or sent anywhere. It all clears when you leave or refresh the page, so keep anything you'd like in your workbook or journal.
Before you begin
Is this right for you right now?
This course asks you to slow down and get to know some tender sides of yourself. For most people that feels interesting and manageable. For some people, at some times, it can stir up more than is helpful.
Please wait, or use this course only alongside a therapist, if any of these are true for you right now
- You're in crisis, or you're having thoughts of suicide.
- You're currently harming yourself.
- You often lose track of time, or feel unreal or outside your own body.
- You're having flashbacks, where a painful memory feels as if it's happening again.
- You're experiencing psychosis (for example, hearing or seeing things other people don't) or mania (for example, very high energy, racing thoughts and little need for sleep).
- You're living with an eating disorder that is active at the moment.
- Something traumatic happened to you recently, in the last few months.
- You're in a relationship or a living situation where you don't feel safe.
Draw It Out is designed for adults aged 18 and over.
If any of these apply to you, it doesn't mean the ideas here aren't for you. It means the timing or the setting needs care. You could wait until things feel more settled, work through the course alongside a psychologist, counsellor or arts therapist, or talk to your GP about what kind of support might suit you now.
If you're thinking about suicide, or you're not safe, please contact someone now. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 at any time, 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 if you're affected by domestic, family or sexual violence, or 000 if anyone is in danger. There are more options on the Support page.
If you're already seeing a therapist, you're welcome to use Draw It Out alongside your sessions. It's a good idea to let them know, and you can bring your map along if you'd like to talk about it.
Something to keep in mind
Even when the timing is right, some exercises may bring up strong feelings. That's normal, and every module shows you how to pause, settle and get support. You're always in charge of how far you go. Skipping a step, or a whole module, is a good decision when it looks after you.
Check in30 seconds
Check in
Check in at the start of every sitting, not just the first one. Notice how you feel right now, and rate your distress from 0 to 10.
How distressed do you feel right now?
Tap your number. You can also write it in your workbook tracker or your journal.
Thanks for checking in. Carry on, and keep checking in with yourself as you go. If your number climbs to 7 or above, stop and go to Settle.
Skip today's art. Go straight to Settle, then do something ordinary and comforting. Come back to the rest of the module another day.
If this is your first number this week, also reread 'Is this right for you right now?'
Go straight to Settle, whatever your number. Ground yourself first. Press your feet, or your hands, against something solid, and name five things you can see. Keep your eyes open for every exercise today.
Use these anchors, and your own words for them from Module 1
- 0calm and settled
- 3a bit unsettled, but easy to manage
- 5stirred up, but you can think clearly
- 7very upset, hard to think clearly or stay present
- 10the most distressed you can imagine
If you're having thoughts of suicide, or urges to harm yourself or someone else, don't start today. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 now, or 000 if anyone is in danger.
This sitting
These pages don't keep your numbers. Write them in the tracker in your workbook, or in your journal, if you like.
Learnwith John
The different sides of you
About 10 to 12 minutes to read
Hi, it's John again. Last week was all about steadiness. This week, we start to look at the different sides of you. We'll take it slowly, and we'll stay in the present.
Everyone has modes
Have you ever said, 'I'm in survival mode,' or 'Sorry, I wasn't myself'? Most of us have. Everyday speech already knows something important: people move between different states, sometimes many times a day.
In this course, we call these states modes. A mode is a state you slip into, often without noticing. Each one comes with its own feelings, thoughts, body sensations and urges.
In one mode, you might feel small and want to hide. In another, you might feel calm and clear. Then something happens, and a few minutes later you're in a different mode again.
Having modes is part of being a person. Everyone has them, and everyone moves between them.
In this lesson
Meet the four families
The modes in this course belong to four families. You'll get to know each one over the coming weeks. For now, here's a first hello.
This course draws on schema therapy, which has technical names for each mode. We use friendly names, and the technical ones are here in small print, once, in case you come across them elsewhere.
The Child modes
The young sides of you. They feel things quickly and strongly, and they show what you need.
- The Tender Child can feel sad, scared, lonely or small.
- The Stormy Child feels furious or frustrated when needs keep going unmet.
- The Playful Child feels curious, playful, loved and free.
Technical names: Vulnerable Child, Angry Child, Happy Child
The Inner Critic
The voice inside that is hard on you.
- The Taskmaster sets impossible standards and is never satisfied.
- The Harsh Judge attacks, blames and shames you, and wants you to pay for your mistakes.
Technical names: Demanding Critic, Punitive Critic
The Protectors
The ways you learned to cope when things felt like too much.
- The Pleaser gives in and puts others first to keep the peace.
- The Switch-Off shuts feelings off, keeps busy, zones out or stays away.
- The Fighter fights, takes control or acts bigger than it feels.
Technical names: Compliant Surrender, Detached Protector, Overcompensation
The Healthy Adult
The kind, strong, grown-up side of you.
- It notices what's going on, cares about what you need, sets fair limits and makes decisions.
- It can lead the other modes, gently and firmly.
- It may feel small right now. That's common, and it can grow.
Technical name: Healthy Adult
If your Inner Critic gets very harsh, or you have thoughts of suicide, please reach out now. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14, any time, day or night, or 000 if anyone is in danger.
Modes in a moment
Here's how modes can switch in an ordinary moment. Sione isn't a real person, but their experience is a common one.
In a few minutes, Sione moved through three modes, and later a fourth. That's ordinary. Each one brought its own feeling, thought, body sensation and urge, and that's how you can start to tell them apart.
| Mode | Feeling | Thought | Body | Urge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tender Child | hurt and small | 'They don't want to hear from me.' | a tight chest | to curl up and hide |
| Inner Critic | ashamed | 'You're too much.' | a hot face | to never message again |
| Switch-Off | numb and flat | 'Whatever. It doesn't matter.' | not much at all | to keep scrolling |
| Healthy Adult | steadier | 'I don't know what it means yet.' | slower breathing | to give it time |
Then, with a little space, the Healthy Adult had a turn. It didn't argue with the other modes or tell Sione off. It noticed what happened, stayed kind and kept things in proportion.
You don't need to catch every switch. Noticing one, even afterwards, is a good start.
What every person needs
Underneath all of this sit needs. Schema therapy describes five core emotional needs that every person shares, at every age.
The four families of modes sit around the five needs. Each mode is linked to the needs in its own way.
- Safe and cared for: to feel safe, cared for and accepted, and to know people will stay
- Free and capable: to make your own choices, feel capable and know who you are
- Heard: to say what you feel and need, and be taken seriously
- Room to play: to have fun, be curious and relax without holding back
- Fair limits: to have fair limits, manage your impulses and think of others
When needs go unmet for a long time, people adapt. Many modes are the shape those adaptations take. They made sense when they formed. Some still help, and some cost more than they used to.
In Sione's moment, the Tender Child was signalling a need to feel cared for and accepted. The Switch-Off turned the hurt down for an hour, but it couldn't meet the need. The Healthy Adult began to look after the need, by staying kind and not jumping to conclusions.
A few things worth knowing
Modes aren't a diagnosis
They aren't a label, and they aren't who you are. Everyone moves between modes, every day.
The aim isn't to get rid of them
It's to notice your modes, and to let the Healthy Adult lead more often. The one exception is the Harsh Judge, the harshest side of the Inner Critic. You don't need to make peace with it. Module 3 shows you how to limit it.
Why draw them?
A mode on paper sits a little apart from you. You can see its size, its colour and where it sits next to the others. A shape can say things that are hard to put into words.
You don't need to look back
You don't need to know where a mode came from to work with it today, and this course won't ask you to look back. If a memory starts to come up, stop and settle. Your container is there for anything that needs to wait.
Keep it rough
Your first map is a first draft. It doesn't need every mode, and it can change. You'll draw it again in Module 8, and it will probably look different by then.
Go at your own pace
If this week brings up more than you expected, slow down. Take a break, use your pause rules and come back when you're ready.
Next, Hannah shows you how a mode map comes together, and then you'll make your own.
JohnDr John Forbes, Clinical Psychologist
Seewith Hannah
How a mode map comes together
Hi, it's Hannah. This week you'll make a mode map: a rough picture of your modes, made with shapes and colours. Here's how one comes together. The numbers match the six steps further down this page.
In this example, a coral blob stands for the Child modes and a violet star for the Inner Critic. A teal wall stands for the Protectors, and a small, faint sun for the Healthy Adult. The arrows show one pattern: hurt, then the voice, then the wall.
Our colours are only for this example. Choose any colours you like for your own map.
A few tips before you start
- Any shape will do. If a colour feels right, use it.
- Change your mind as often as you like. Move things, cover them over or start again.
- Leave some space. Empty paper is part of the map too.
- Tearing gives softer edges than cutting, and it's quicker.
Three first maps
These examples were made for this course, to show how different first maps can be. John has added a note on what each one shows.
Ruth's map
For Ruth, the big grey cloud is their Inner Critic, and the small yellow circle, half hidden behind a brick wall, is their Tender Child. The brick wall is one of their Protectors, and their Healthy Adult is the faint green dot near the edge. A small Healthy Adult at the start is common. Growing it, a little at a time, is what this course is for.
Example artwork made for this course. The person described is fictional.
Jack's map
Jack tore shapes from old magazines and joined them with arrows. For Jack, hurt sets off the Critic, and the Critic sets off zoning out. Arrows like these show which modes tend to follow each other.
Example artwork made for this course. The person described is fictional.
Leila's map
Leila used four scribbles, one for each family, with no shapes at all. Some are pressed hard and some are soft. How hard you press, and how fast or slow you move, can carry meaning too.
Example artwork made for this course. The person described is fictional.
What to notice in a map
When you look at any map, including your own, you might notice:
- Size: what takes up the most room?
- Distance: what's near the middle, and what's out at the edge?
- Colour and pressure: what's bold, and what's faint?
- Arrows: what tends to follow what?
There's nothing to work out. Noticing is enough for now.
Your map will look different from all three. Every map does.
Makewith Hannah
Make your first mode map
About 25 to 35 minutes
Before you start. Stop and settle if your distress reaches 7 or above, if a painful memory starts to come back, or if you feel foggy or far away. Put your art away and go to the Settle page. You can come back to it another day, or not at all.
If you have thoughts of suicide, or urges to harm yourself or someone else, stop and call Lifeline on 13 11 14 now, or 000 if anyone is in danger.
Starting a new sitting? Check in first. If you need to stop, go to Settle.
This is a first draft, not a finished picture. Keep it rough. It doesn't need every mode, and there's no right way to do it. No art skill is needed. Blobs, scribbles, scraps of torn paper and words all count.
Go gently
- If giving a mode a shape starts to bring up memories, stop and settle.
- If your Inner Critic feels very harsh, give it a small, simple shape, or leave it off for now. Module 3 looks at it with more care.
- If one of your ways of coping involves hurting yourself or someone else, heavy drinking or drug use, or eating or gambling in ways that worry you, you don't need to put it on your map. Please talk to your GP or a therapist about it.
Choose your version
Full version (25 to 35 minutes)
Follow the six steps below, with shapes and colours on paper, on the map page in your workbook, or on screen.
Low-energy version (about 10 minutes)
Draw three coloured dots of different sizes, one each for the Child modes, the Inner Critic and the Protectors. Add a circle, any size, for your Healthy Adult. That's a complete map.
No-materials version
Put four everyday objects on a table, such as a mug, a spoon, a key and a stone, one for each family. Move them until the sizes and distances feel right, and notice what you chose.
What you'll need
- a sheet of plain paper, or the map page in your workbook
- coloured pencils or crayons
- optional: coloured paper or old magazine pages, scissors and a glue stick
Materials
Use non-toxic materials, and take care with scissors. Tearing works as well as cutting, and you can skip the glue. If a picture in a magazine stirs something up, turn it face down and choose another.
The six steps
- 1
Set out your materials
Clear a little space and lay out your paper and colours. Keep the four families from Learn nearby, or copy their names onto a scrap of paper.
- 2
Choose shapes and colours
For the Child modes, the Inner Critic and the Protectors, choose a shape and a colour that feel right to you. There's no right answer. A Critic might be spiky, heavy or loud. A Protector might be a wall, a shell or a smile. You can give a whole family one shape, or give a single mode, like the Pleaser, its own. If a family doesn't seem to show up for you, leave it out. Stuck? There are shapes to borrow below.
- 3
Place the mode that feels most familiar
Start with the mode you know best. Draw it, or stick it down. Bigger means it takes up more of your life these days. Closer to the middle means it shows up quickly.
- 4
Add the others
Place your other shapes around the first one. Make each one as big or small as it feels, and as close or far away. Shapes can overlap, hide behind each other or sit far apart. Notice what you choose, without needing to explain it.
- 5
Add your Healthy Adult
Now draw your Healthy Adult, however small, faint or far away it feels right now. A dot is enough. Many people start with a tiny one.
- 6
Show how they connect
Add lines or arrows to show which modes tend to follow each other, like a Critic that sets off a Switch-Off. Then label each shape with a word or a name, or leave them unlabelled. There's no need to write down what any mode says to you.
Stuck? Borrow a shape
If nothing comes, borrow one of these. Change its colour, its size or the way you draw it, until it feels like yours. On paper, copy any of them. On screen, tap one to put it on your map.
The Child modes
The Inner Critic
The Protectors
The Healthy Adult
Tap a shape to put it on your map. Drag it to move it, and tap it to change its colour, size or pressure.
Start again? This clears your map.
My key
Shapes you add appear here. Give each one a word or a name, or leave it blank.
Your map stays on this page. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere, so save it as a picture if you'd like to keep it.
Other ways to make it
- Use a drawing app on a phone or tablet.
- Write the family names on scraps of paper and move them around.
- Describe your map out loud, or write a few words about it.
- If your hands get tired or sore, ask someone you trust to make the marks while you tell them where things go.
When you've finished
Sit back and look at your map for a moment. Then put it somewhere you can find it again, like your journal or a folder. You'll come back to it in Module 8.
If looking at it stirs things up, turn it over, or close your workbook, and go to Settle.
Reflectwith John
Look at your map
About 10 to 15 minutes
Answer as many or as few prompts as you like, and skip any you'd rather leave. Words, colours and marks all count. If a prompt stirs up more than you expected, leave it and go to Settle.
- 1
- 2
- 3
When that mode shows up, which of the five needs might be calling for attention? Circle any that fit.
- 4
- 5
For example: an early night, a walk, a cup of tea outside, a message to a friend or saying no to one thing.
Nothing you write here is saved or sent anywhere. Copy anything you'd like to keep into your journal.
Something to keep
Draw one small symbol for each family, one in each stamp. In Module 8, you'll copy them onto a wallet-sized card, along with your calm place from Module 1.
Draw on paper, or here with a finger, a pen or a mouse.
Settle3 to 5 minutes
Trace Your Hand
Every module ends here, with a short practice to help you land. If your check-in was 7 or above and you've come straight here, you made a good decision.
- 1
Sit somewhere comfortable. Spread one hand on your leg, a table or the desk in front of you.
- 2
With a finger of your other hand, slowly trace up and down each finger, from your thumb to your little finger, and back again.
- 3
If it suits you, breathe in as you trace up and out as you trace down. Or breathe as you normally do, and notice the tracing.
- 4
Notice how it feels: the warmth, the texture, the slow movement. Go round two or three times, at your own pace.
- 5
Finish by looking at your calm place image for a few moments. If it isn't nearby, look at a colour or an object you like.
If tracing your own hand doesn't suit you, trace the hand on the screen with a fingertip instead. Or, without using your hands, slowly follow the moving dot with your eyes, breathing as you normally do.
The guide moves slowly, about four seconds up each finger and five seconds down.
Check out
Rate your distress again from 0 to 10, and compare it with your number from the start.
How distressed do you feel now?
Tap your number when you've finished the practice.
That's it for today. Take a moment before you move on to the rest of your day.
You're higher than when you started. Do the Settle practice once more before you go on with your day.
You're still at 7 or above. Do the Settle practice once more. If it's still high after that, stop for today and use the support options on the Support page. If it stays high for more than a day or two, talk to your GP or a therapist.
This sitting
If you've been at 7 or above at most check-ins over a week or two, pause Draw It Out for now and talk to your GP or a therapist. You can come back to it later.
Write your numbers in the tracker in your workbook, or in your journal, if you like.
Keep closeany time
If things get hard
If you have thoughts of suicide, or urges to harm yourself or someone else, stop now and get help. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 at any time, or 000 if anyone is in danger.
Pause rules
Stop and settle if, at any point:
- your distress reaches 7 or above
- a memory of something painful or frightening starts to come back
- you feel foggy, far away, numb or as if things aren't real
- you feel a strong pull towards an old coping habit that harms you or someone else, such as drinking, using drugs or lashing out
What to do instead:
- put the art away: turn it over, fold it, or picture it going into your container
- do the Settle practice, then look at your calm place image
- do something ordinary: make a warm drink, step outside, or call or message someone
- leave the rest of the module for another day, or skip it altogether
When to get help:
- your distress is still 7 or above after settling twice, or stays high for more than a day or two
- you've been at 7 or above at most check-ins over a week or two
- painful memories keep coming back
Your GP is a good first step for ongoing support. Crisis and support lines are below.
When something comes up
If a memory starts to come back
Stop. If your eyes are closed, open them. Look around the room and name what you can see. Put the art away, picture it going into your container, and do the Settle practice. If memories keep coming back, talk to your GP or a therapist.
If your calm place stops feeling calm
This is common and not a failure. Switch to a colour, an object, an animal or a plant, or rest your eyes on something in the room.
If you feel foggy, far away or unreal
Ground yourself first. Press your feet, or your hands, against something solid. Name five things you can see, hold something with an interesting texture, and say today's date and where you are. Keep your eyes open for every exercise if this happens. If it happens often, pause Draw It Out and talk to your GP or a therapist.
If you have thoughts of suicide or strong urges
If you have thoughts of suicide, or urges to harm yourself or someone else, stop and call Lifeline on 13 11 14 now, or 000 if anyone is in danger. If a pull towards an old coping habit that harms you gets strong, stop and use the support options straight away.
Support
If you need to talk to someone, or you're worried about how you're going, please reach out.
- Lifeline13 11 14any time, day or night
- 13YARN13 92 76crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, any time, day or night
- Suicide Call Back Service1300 659 467any time, day or night
- 1800RESPECT1800 737 732for anyone affected by domestic, family or sexual violence, any time, day or night
- Emergency000if anyone is in danger
- Outside Australiafindahelpline.comto find a line in your country
Your GP is a good first step for ongoing support. If you're already seeing a therapist or counsellor, you're welcome to bring your map along and talk it over with them.
Ready for Module 3?
Tick these off when you can.
If anything's missing, stay with Module 2 a little longer. Module 3 will wait for you.
That's everything for this week. Module 3, The Inner Critic, opens next week.
About Draw It Out
Draw It Out is an art-based, evidence-informed self-help course in eight modules, created by a clinical psychologist and a registered arts therapist.
Dr John Forbes, Clinical Psychologist (PhD), is a Fellow of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists and is Ahpra-registered. He works in Perth, Western Australia, and has more than 25 years of practice in schema therapy and CBT.
Hannah Nyx, AThR, is a registered arts therapist (ANZACATA) at Creative Minds Art Therapy. Hannah designed every art process in the course.
The eight modules
- 1Safety First
- 2Meet Your Modesyou are here
- 3The Inner Critic
- 4The Protectors
- 5The Child's Needs
- 6The Healthy Adult
- 7Conversations
- 8Keeping It Going
See you in Module 3.
The people described in this module are fictional composites, and the example artworks were made for this course. Support details were checked in October 2026.
Draw It Out is educational self-help, not therapy. Need support now? Call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 000 in an emergency.