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Module 6week 6 of 8

The Healthy Adult

Give the kind, strong part of you a shape and a voice

Created by Dr John Forbes, Clinical Psychologist, and Hannah Nyx, registered arts therapist (AThR)

Start this week Check in for a new sitting
or download the workbook as a PDF

Module 6week 6 of 8

Welcome to The Healthy Adult

Last week, you looked at what the young part of you needs these days, and chose one small step. This week, you'll meet the part of you that takes steps like that: your Healthy Adult. You'll draw it as a figure or a symbol, with a stance, a voice and a job.

You can build your Healthy Adult from anyone or anything, real or imagined, that shows kindness and strength and has always felt safe. You don't need a real person, 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, a pencil, and coloured pencils or crayons, or the pages in your workbook. You can also make your Healthy Adult on screen.

Art skill

None needed. A stick figure, a simple shape or a few words all count.

Your workbook

This week's pages as a PDF, with a checklist of sources of kindness and strength, a page for your Healthy Adult, and a tracker for your numbers. Print the pages you'd like to use, or write on them in a PDF app.

You're welcome to print it for your own personal use.

Bring your 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, for anything that needs to wait

Not quite ready? If Module 5'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. You could work through the course alongside a psychologist, counsellor or arts therapist. Or you could 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.

Before this module

This module asks you to imagine kindness and strength, and to turn them towards yourself. For many people that feels good. It can also feel unfamiliar, or bring up sadness, loneliness, anger or grief. All of these are common.

You don't need a real person to build your Healthy Adult. Imagined people, animals and nature work equally well.

If thinking about kind or strong people tends to bring back painful memories, please do this module alongside a therapist, or come back to it when things feel steadier.

If you've lost someone close in the last few months, or a close relationship has ended, this module may touch that loss. You might wait a while, or work through it with a therapist or counsellor.

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?

0 to 6: carry on, and keep checking in7 or above: skip the art and settle

Tap your number. You can also write it in the tracker in your workbook, or in your journal.

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

Start ?End ?

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 part of you that can lead

About 8 to 10 minutes to read

Hi, it's John. Last week, you chose one small step to meet a need. This week, we turn to the part of you that takes steps like that: your Healthy Adult, the kind, steady side of you.

What your Healthy Adult does

Your Healthy Adult is the part of you that can lead. It notices which mode is active, comforts the Tender Child, limits the Inner Critic and reassures the Protectors. It also meets needs and makes decisions.

Its jobs

Tap a job to shine the light on it.

It isn't all work, either. Your Healthy Adult also rests and plays. Knowing when to stop is part of leading.

In this lesson

You already have one

You might think you don't have a Healthy Adult. If you've ever been kind and steady with someone else, you've used it.

Perhaps you've calmed a friend before a hard appointment, or heard someone out without judging them. Perhaps you've told a colleague it was time to go home. That was your Healthy Adult at work.

The practice is to turn the same kindness and steadiness towards yourself, a little more often.

Try this week

Notice one moment when you're kind and steady with someone else, or with an animal. Jot down what you said or did, then ask, 'Could I say that to myself?'

It doesn't have to be flawless

Your Healthy Adult isn't always calm or always positive. It can be firm. It can be sad with you. It can feel angry on your behalf when you're treated unfairly these days, and still be caring. Its anger protects you, and it never needs to hurt you or anyone else.

It doesn't pretend everything is fine, either. It tells the truth kindly, then helps you work out the next step.

Kind doesn't mean soft. Strong doesn't mean harsh.

Borrowing strength

Your Healthy Adult doesn't have to come from nowhere. Many people build theirs from models of kindness and strength, real or imagined.

Tap a model to borrow its quality.

A model might be a teacher, a neighbour, a coach or a friend. It might be a character from a story, an animal, a tree or the ocean.

You borrow qualities, not the whole person. You might take a coach's steady belief in you, a tree's deep roots and a friend's warmth.

Borrow only from kindness that has always been safe.

Choosing your models

Choose models who have only ever been kind and safe. Leave out anyone who has hurt you, even if they were sometimes kind. Thinking of their kindness can bring back the hurt too.

Someone in your life now might be kind one day and hurtful the next. If you don't feel safe with them, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, or 000 if you're in danger. Then reread 'Is this right for you right now?'

You don't need a real person. Imagined people, animals and nature work equally well.

If someone you choose has died, or you've lost touch, thinking of them can bring sadness. That's common. You can still borrow their quality. If the loss is recent, or the sadness feels heavy, choose a model from a story or nature for now.

Kindness and strength together

Your Healthy Adult needs both warmth and strength. Each one works best with the other.

Both together: steady.

Warmth without limits can drift. You might say yes to everything, or let the Critic run on because you don't want to be harsh.

Limits without warmth can harden. You might push yourself through every tiredness, and call it being strong.

Together, they make something steady. Your Healthy Adult can say 'That's enough' to the Critic and 'I'm here' to the Tender Child, in the same breath.

Think of a lighthouse. Its tower stands firm in any weather, and its light stays warm and steady. It doesn't chase the boats or argue with the storm. It stays where it is and shows the way.

Warm enough to comfort, firm enough to protect.

Both at once

A sentence can hold warmth and a limit together. Try putting one of each side by side.

Warm
Firm

I'm here. That's enough.

For example, 'I can see you're tired, so we're stopping for tonight.' Or, 'That's enough, Critic. We're doing our best.'

Voice, stance and job

This week, you'll give your Healthy Adult three things: a voice, a stance and a job.

Its voice is what it says to you, such as 'I've got you' or 'We'll take this slowly.' Its stance is how it stands or sits: feet planted, arms open or roots deep. Its job is what it does for you, written as a job title and three tasks.

It grows with practice

Your Healthy Adult grows the way any skill does: in small, ordinary moments, many times over. A kind word to yourself, an early night or a firm 'not now' to the Critic all count.

Steady and kind, like a light that stays on.

In Module 7, your Healthy Adult will step into a short comic, answering your Critic and comforting your Tender Child. Next, Hannah will show you how a Healthy Adult drawing comes together.

JohnDr John Forbes, Clinical Psychologist

Seewith Hannah

How a Healthy Adult drawing comes together

About 5 minutes

Hi, it's Hannah. This week you'll draw your Healthy Adult as a figure or a symbol, then give it a stance, a voice, a job and a colour. Here's how it comes together. The numbers match the steps further down this page.

Your turn.

Here, the corner lists a coach, a big tree and the ocean. The Healthy Adult is a tree, and its roots are its stance. It says 'I'm here.' Its job is 'Head of Looking After Me', and its colour is gold.

A few tips from Hannah

  • Keep it simple. A stick figure or a single shape is plenty.
  • Choose models who have only ever been kind and safe. Imagined people, animals and nature work equally well.
  • There's no single way a Healthy Adult looks. Yours can be a person, an animal, a tree or a light.
  • If drawing stirs up a lot, stop and go to Settle.

Three Healthy Adults

These examples were made for this course, to show how different a Healthy Adult can look. John has added a note on what each one shows.

Leila's Healthy Adult

Leila drew a stick figure with wide feet and a big speech bubble: 'I've got you. We'll take this slowly.' A simple figure can carry a strong voice.

Example artwork made for this course. The person described is fictional.

Jack's Healthy Adult

Jack drew a tree with deep roots and wide branches, with a small coral circle for their Tender Child resting in its shade. Symbols work as well as people.

Example artwork made for this course. The person described is fictional.

Mei's Healthy Adult

Mei made a lighthouse from strips of magazine paper. A steady light is a picture of strength and care together.

Example artwork made for this course. The person described is fictional.

What to notice in a Healthy Adult drawing

  • The shape: a person, an animal, or something from nature?
  • The stance: how does it stand or sit?
  • The voice: what does it say?
  • The job: what does it do for you?

There's nothing to work out. Noticing is enough for now.

Your Healthy Adult will look different from all three. Every one does.

Makewith Hannah

Draw your Healthy Adult

About 30 to 40 minutes. You can split it into two sittings: the shape first, then its voice, job and colour.

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.

No art skill is needed. A stick figure, a simple shape or a few words all count. The aim isn't a good picture. It's to give the kind, strong part of you a shape you'll remember.

Go gently

  • Choose models who have only ever been kind and safe. Leave out anyone who has hurt you, even if they were sometimes kind. If that's someone in your life now and you don't feel safe, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, or 000 if you're in danger.
  • You don't need a real person. Imagined people, animals and nature work equally well.
  • Let your Healthy Adult speak to you as you are these days. Its words are for now, not about the past.
  • If kindness towards yourself feels strange or undeserved, that's common. Go gently, and keep going if you can.
  • If drawing brings up a lot of sadness or loneliness, stop and settle. If you have thoughts of suicide, or urges to harm yourself or someone else, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 now, or 000 if anyone is in danger.

Choose your version

Full version (30 to 40 minutes)

Follow the six steps below, on paper, on the page in your workbook, or on screen.

Low-energy version (about 10 minutes)

Draw one strong shape, such as a tree trunk or a big circle, in a colour you like. Then write one sentence it says. That's a complete version.

No-materials version

Hold or look at an object that feels steady, such as a stone or a mug. Sit or stand in a steady stance for 30 seconds, and say one kind sentence quietly, such as 'I'm here.'

Gather first

My sources of kindness and strength

Tick any that fit, and add your own. Then circle the qualities you'd like to borrow. Two or three sources are plenty for the corner of your drawing.

People I know or have known

People from stories and further afield

Animals

Nature and steady things

My own

Qualities to borrow

Choose models who have only ever been kind and safe. If no one you know fits, that's common. Stories, animals and nature work equally well. If this brings up a lot of sadness, go to Settle.

What you'll need

  • paper, or the page for your Healthy Adult in your workbook
  • a pencil
  • coloured pencils or crayons

Optional extras

Old magazines, scissors and a glue stick, for a collage version. Use non-toxic materials, and take care with scissors. If a material feels unpleasant to touch or smell, leave it out.

Part one: your Healthy Adult's shape

About 15 minutes

  1. 1
    List your sources

    Check in first. Then, in a corner of your page, list or collage two or three sources of kindness and strength, real or imagined. A name or a quality is enough. There's no need to picture a particular time with them. The checklist above can help.

  2. 2
    Draw a figure or a symbol

    Draw your Healthy Adult as a figure or a symbol: a stick figure, a tree, a lighthouse, a bear or a mountain. If you drew one in Module 3, you can start from that, or go with your first idea. There are more ideas to borrow in the on-screen version below.

  3. 3
    Give it a stance

    How does it stand or sit? Feet planted, arms open, roots deep? Add whatever shows that it's steady.

If your Critic joins in

Your Critic might say this is silly, or that you don't deserve kindness. That's common. Notice it, name it, and carry on if you can. If it turns harsh, stop and go to Settle. If it says you're a burden, or that others would be better off without you, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 now, or 000 if anyone is in danger.

Stopping here for today? Put your drawing somewhere you can find it again, or close the workbook. Then finish with Settle and the check-out.

Part two: voice, job and colour

About 15 minutes. Starting a new sitting? Check in first.

  1. 4
    Add a speech bubble

    Add a speech bubble with something your Healthy Adult says to your Tender Child these days. Keep it short and kind, such as 'I've got you.' Would you say it to a friend you care about? If it sounds like 'Try harder' or 'Toughen up', that's probably your Critic.

  2. 5
    Give it a job

    Write a job title and three tasks underneath. For example, 'Head of Looking After Me: hears me out, sets limits, makes time to play.'

  3. 6
    Choose its colour

    Choose one colour to be your Healthy Adult's colour from now on. Any colour works. Add it to your drawing as a glow, an outline or a patch.

Head of Looking After Me

hears me out, sets limits, makes time to play

says: 'I'm here.'

colour: gold

an example job card

Stuck? Borrow an idea, or make your Healthy Adult here, on screen

Each step below has ideas to borrow. Draw them your own way, and change anything until it feels like yours. You can also draw with a finger, a pen or a mouse.

Start with two or three sources in the corner, then choose a shape. Or draw your own with the pens.

Pens

List two or three sources of kindness and strength, real or imagined. A name or a quality is enough.

Your Healthy Adult stays on this page. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere, so save it as a picture if you'd like to keep it.

When you've finished

Look at your Healthy Adult for a moment. Notice what your body does. It might soften, straighten, tighten or stay the same. All of these are common. If it tightens a lot, or your distress reaches 7, go to Settle.

Otherwise, go on to Reflect, or take a break. If you're stopping for today, finish with Settle and the check-out.

If it doesn't go to plan

If nothing kind comes to mind, borrow a phrase from the on-screen version, or write 'I'm here.'

If your Healthy Adult looks small or weak, give it a wider stance or a stronger colour.

If your Critic takes over the speech bubble, cross its words out and write a limit instead, such as 'That's enough.' If it turns harsh, go to Settle. If it says you're a burden, or that others would be better off without you, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 now, or 000 if anyone is in danger.

If kindness towards yourself feels strange, that's common, and it usually eases with practice. If it brings up a lot of sadness, tears or memories, you don't need to look back. Put the drawing away, picture it going into your container, and go to Settle.

Other ways to make it

  • Use a drawing app on a phone or tablet.
  • Make a collage from magazine pictures of strong, steady things.
  • Describe your Healthy Adult in a few words instead of drawing it.
  • If your hands get tired or sore, ask someone you trust to draw while you describe it.

Reflectwith John

Your Healthy Adult's voice

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.

Starting a new sitting? Check in first.

  1. 1

    Where in your life do you already use your Healthy Adult?

    Circle as many as fit.

  2. 2

    What does your Healthy Adult sound like?

    Circle as many as fit.

  3. 3

    For example, it might say 'That's enough', stand beside you, or turn the Critic's volume down.

    Ideas to borrow:

If your Harsh Judge says you don't deserve kindness, your Healthy Adult can set a limit, such as 'That's enough.' If it gets louder, stop and go to Settle. If it says you're a burden, or that others would be better off without you, please reach out now. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14, any time, day or night, or 000 if anyone is in danger.

  1. 4

    For example, a Taskmaster that says there's no time, a Pleaser that puts everyone else first, big feelings, or simply being tired.

  2. 5

    Which quality of kindness or strength would you like to grow?

    You could choose one of the qualities you circled in the checklist.

  3. 6

    Something small is plenty, such as an early night, a kind word or a firm 'not now'.

    Small things to borrow:

Nothing you write here is saved or sent anywhere. Copy anything you'd like to keep into your workbook or journal.

Something to keep

Colour the frame in your Healthy Adult's colour, or any colour you like, and write its phrase inside. In Module 8, you'll copy it onto a wallet-sized card, with the other small symbols you've collected.

Make it on paper, or here. You can draw on the card with a finger, a pen or a mouse.

The frame's colour
My Healthy Adult

Settle3 to 5 minutes

Steady Stance

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.

If standing doesn't suit you today, do this sitting or lying down, or simply say your Healthy Adult's phrase. If you feel foggy or far away, sit or stand if you can, and keep your eyes open.

  1. 1

    Stand or sit tall, with your feet planted on the floor. If you're lying down, let the floor or the bed hold you.

  2. 2

    Let your back be long but not stiff. Rest your hands on your thighs or your belly, or wherever feels comfortable.

  3. 3

    Feel the support beneath you: the floor, the chair or the bed.

  4. 4

    Silently say your Healthy Adult's phrase three times. If you don't have one yet, try 'I'm here.' If kind words feel hard to say today, or your Critic answers back, skip the phrase. Name three things you can see instead.

  5. 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.

The guide takes about a minute. Stand, sit or lie down, whichever suits you today.

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?

6 or below, and no higher than at the start: that's it for todayHigher, or 7 or above: settle once more

Tap your number when you've finished the practice.

This sitting

Start ?End ?

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 drawing along and talk about it in a session.

Ready for Module 7?

Tick these off when you can.

If most of your check-ins this week were 7 or above, pause Draw It Out for now and talk to your GP or a therapist. You can come back to it later.

If anything else is missing, stay with Module 6 a little longer. Module 7 will wait for you.

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.

Draw It Out is educational self-help. It is not therapy and does not replace professional care. If you need support now, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 000 in an emergency.

The eight modules

  1. 1Safety First
  2. 2Meet Your Modes
  3. 3The Inner Critic
  4. 4The Protectors
  5. 5The Child's Needs
  6. 6The Healthy Adultyou are here
  7. 7Conversations
  8. 8Keeping It Going

See you in Module 7.

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.