Description 

Many counselors working with first- or second-generation immigrant clients know that trauma often shows up nonverbally or in the body, especially when shame and survival have shaped a client’s coping style. Research on CPTSD emphasizes the need to build emotional regulation and self-concept before processing trauma memories (Karatzias, McGlanaghy, & Cloitre, 2023). 

This card deck offers a gentle, trauma-informed way for clients to notice internal experiences, identify CPTSD patterns, and practice self-understanding. Counselors can use the cards at the start of a session, during overwhelm, or as weekly prompts. Emotion Radar Cards help clients observe sensations instead of feeling trapped in them, while Memory Rewriting Cards support reframing old narratives with more compassion. 

Used at the client’s pace, the deck provides a low-pressure, accessible tool that encourages curiosity rather than confrontation, helping clients reconnect with themselves and build emotional resilience.

Emotion Radar Cards

Memory Rewriting Cards

References:

Karatzias, T., McGlanaghy, E., & Cloitre, M. (2023). Enhancing emotion and interpersonal regulation skills training (ESTAIR): A new modular treatment for ICD-11 complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). Brain Sciences, 13(6), 853. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13060853