A gift for my clients · free to download

The Workbook Series

Gentle, practical guides for the difficult parts of being human.

These workbooks grew out of more than twenty years of sitting with people through anxiety, loss, burnout, and the quiet turning points that change a life. I wrote them so the work we do together can carry on between sessions — at your own pace, with room to write, reflect, and return.

They are my gift to you. Choose the one that meets you where you are, and download it freely.

Also available to buy on Etsy & Amazon Kindle — for anyone who'd like to support the work or share it with someone they love.

The collection

Twelve workbooks

Each one stands on its own. There's no right order — follow whichever speaks to something you're carrying right now.

01

Anxiety

When worry has become the background hum of your life. A gentle, practical guide to understanding what your anxiety is trying to tell you — and learning to work with it, rather than against it.

Select to Download

02

The Relationship with Yourself

The most important relationship you'll ever have is the one with yourself. An invitation to turn towards yourself with the same care you've spent a lifetime offering to everyone else.

Select to Download

03

Living with Depression

When the colour has drained out, and effort no longer seems to reach. An honest guide to what depression actually is, what it isn't, and what genuinely helps — no platitudes, just clarity and real hope.

Select to Download

04

Grief That Doesn't Have a Name

For the losses that arrive without a funeral — a relationship, an identity, a possibility, the life you expected. This is for anyone carrying a grief they've never quite been given permission to name.

Select to Download

05

Navigating a Life Transition

For the uncertain middle, when one chapter has ended and the next hasn't quite begun. A companion for anyone standing in the gap between who they were and who they're becoming.

Select to Download

06

The Burnout Workbook

When everything feels like too much, and you're exhausted in a way that sleep no longer fixes. A gentle way back to yourself — understanding how you got here, and what real rest actually asks of you.

Select to Download

07

Relationships That Hurt

For anyone who has felt confused, diminished, or quietly in pain in a relationship. Understanding the patterns that keep us there — and how to find a way towards something healthier.

Select to Download

08

Stuckness

When you don't know what's wrong — only that something is. A guide for feeling lost, purposeless, or unable to move forward, and a gentle way to begin again.

Select to Download

09

The Addiction Workbook

When the thing that once helped has become the thing that hurts. Understanding addiction as a coping strategy that made sense — and finding your way to something that actually heals.

Select to Download

10

When Someone Dies

For grief that has a name but no map. For anyone who has lost someone, and is finding that mourning looks nothing like they expected it to.

Select to Download

11

The Wounded Child

What happened in childhood — the big things and the small ones — and how it's still shaping your life today. For anyone who senses the roots reach further back than they've yet looked.

Select to Download

12

The Anger Workbook

Understanding the anger you carry — and the anger you live with. For the person who gets angry, and for the person who is so often on the receiving end of it.

Select to Download

How to use them

There's no right way and no timeline. Print one and write in it by hand, or fill it in on screen — each has space to reflect throughout. Some people work slowly through a single book; others keep a few nearby and reach for whichever fits the week. Return to them whenever you need. And if something difficult surfaces as you write, please don't carry it alone — that's what our sessions are for.

Book a session

All twelve workbooks

A note from Shelagh

A note before you download

I'm so glad you're here.

Before you open this, I want to say a few things — partly so you know what it is, and partly so you know what it isn't.

This workbook is a gift. There's nothing to pay, nothing to sign up for, and nothing expected of you in return. I made these because, after many years in practice, I've come to believe that a great deal of meaningful work can be done by a person on their own — quietly, at their own pace, in their own time. Having something thoughtful to work through can give you a real sense of agency over what you're facing. And it can mean that therapy, when you want it, goes further, or is needed a little less often.

I'm also aware that good support isn't always easy to afford or to reach. If this helps you move through some of the early ground on your own, then it has done part of what I hoped it would.

A gentle but important word about timing.

If you're in the middle of something acute right now — a crisis, a stretch where you're barely keeping your head above water — this may not be the moment for it, and that is completely all right. This isn't one more thing to get done, or another weight to carry. It will keep. There's no rush, no schedule, and no right speed. Download it now if you like, and come to it when you feel steadier and the timing feels right for you.

When you do open it, take what's useful and leave what isn't. You don't have to finish it, and you certainly don't have to do it all at once.

It's yours, to use whenever it serves you.

With warmth,

Shelagh MacFarlane

MSc Counselling Psychology · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Workbook 01

Anxiety

When worry has become the background hum of your life. A gentle, practical guide to understanding what your anxiety is trying to tell you — and learning to work with it, rather than against it.

Download PDF

All twelve workbooks

A note from Shelagh

A note before you download

I'm so glad you're here.

Before you open this, I want to say a few things — partly so you know what it is, and partly so you know what it isn't.

This workbook is a gift. There's nothing to pay, nothing to sign up for, and nothing expected of you in return. I made these because, after many years in practice, I've come to believe that a great deal of meaningful work can be done by a person on their own — quietly, at their own pace, in their own time. Having something thoughtful to work through can give you a real sense of agency over what you're facing. And it can mean that therapy, when you want it, goes further, or is needed a little less often.

I'm also aware that good support isn't always easy to afford or to reach. If this helps you move through some of the early ground on your own, then it has done part of what I hoped it would.

A gentle but important word about timing.

If you're in the middle of something acute right now — a crisis, a stretch where you're barely keeping your head above water — this may not be the moment for it, and that is completely all right. This isn't one more thing to get done, or another weight to carry. It will keep. There's no rush, no schedule, and no right speed. Download it now if you like, and come to it when you feel steadier and the timing feels right for you.

When you do open it, take what's useful and leave what isn't. You don't have to finish it, and you certainly don't have to do it all at once.

It's yours, to use whenever it serves you.

With warmth,

Shelagh MacFarlane

MSc Counselling Psychology · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Workbook 02

The Relationship with Yourself

The most important relationship you'll ever have is the one with yourself. An invitation to turn towards yourself with the same care you've spent a lifetime offering to everyone else.

Download PDF

All twelve workbooks

A note from Shelagh

A note before you download

I'm so glad you're here.

Before you open this, I want to say a few things — partly so you know what it is, and partly so you know what it isn't.

This workbook is a gift. There's nothing to pay, nothing to sign up for, and nothing expected of you in return. I made these because, after many years in practice, I've come to believe that a great deal of meaningful work can be done by a person on their own — quietly, at their own pace, in their own time. Having something thoughtful to work through can give you a real sense of agency over what you're facing. And it can mean that therapy, when you want it, goes further, or is needed a little less often.

I'm also aware that good support isn't always easy to afford or to reach. If this helps you move through some of the early ground on your own, then it has done part of what I hoped it would.

A gentle but important word about timing.

If you're in the middle of something acute right now — a crisis, a stretch where you're barely keeping your head above water — this may not be the moment for it, and that is completely all right. This isn't one more thing to get done, or another weight to carry. It will keep. There's no rush, no schedule, and no right speed. Download it now if you like, and come to it when you feel steadier and the timing feels right for you.

When you do open it, take what's useful and leave what isn't. You don't have to finish it, and you certainly don't have to do it all at once.

It's yours, to use whenever it serves you.

With warmth,

Shelagh MacFarlane

MSc Counselling Psychology · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Workbook 03

Living with Depression

When the colour has drained out, and effort no longer seems to reach. An honest guide to what depression actually is, what it isn't, and what genuinely helps — no platitudes, just clarity and real hope.

Download PDF

All twelve workbooks

A note from Shelagh

A note before you download

I'm so glad you're here.

Before you open this, I want to say a few things — partly so you know what it is, and partly so you know what it isn't.

This workbook is a gift. There's nothing to pay, nothing to sign up for, and nothing expected of you in return. I made these because, after many years in practice, I've come to believe that a great deal of meaningful work can be done by a person on their own — quietly, at their own pace, in their own time. Having something thoughtful to work through can give you a real sense of agency over what you're facing. And it can mean that therapy, when you want it, goes further, or is needed a little less often.

I'm also aware that good support isn't always easy to afford or to reach. If this helps you move through some of the early ground on your own, then it has done part of what I hoped it would.

A gentle but important word about timing.

If you're in the middle of something acute right now — a crisis, a stretch where you're barely keeping your head above water — this may not be the moment for it, and that is completely all right. This isn't one more thing to get done, or another weight to carry. It will keep. There's no rush, no schedule, and no right speed. Download it now if you like, and come to it when you feel steadier and the timing feels right for you.

When you do open it, take what's useful and leave what isn't. You don't have to finish it, and you certainly don't have to do it all at once.

It's yours, to use whenever it serves you.

With warmth,

Shelagh MacFarlane

MSc Counselling Psychology · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Workbook 04

Grief That Doesn't Have a Name

For the losses that arrive without a funeral — a relationship, an identity, a possibility, the life you expected. This is for anyone carrying a grief they've never quite been given permission to name.

Download PDF

All twelve workbooks

A note from Shelagh

A note before you download

I'm so glad you're here.

Before you open this, I want to say a few things — partly so you know what it is, and partly so you know what it isn't.

This workbook is a gift. There's nothing to pay, nothing to sign up for, and nothing expected of you in return. I made these because, after many years in practice, I've come to believe that a great deal of meaningful work can be done by a person on their own — quietly, at their own pace, in their own time. Having something thoughtful to work through can give you a real sense of agency over what you're facing. And it can mean that therapy, when you want it, goes further, or is needed a little less often.

I'm also aware that good support isn't always easy to afford or to reach. If this helps you move through some of the early ground on your own, then it has done part of what I hoped it would.

A gentle but important word about timing.

If you're in the middle of something acute right now — a crisis, a stretch where you're barely keeping your head above water — this may not be the moment for it, and that is completely all right. This isn't one more thing to get done, or another weight to carry. It will keep. There's no rush, no schedule, and no right speed. Download it now if you like, and come to it when you feel steadier and the timing feels right for you.

When you do open it, take what's useful and leave what isn't. You don't have to finish it, and you certainly don't have to do it all at once.

It's yours, to use whenever it serves you.

With warmth,

Shelagh MacFarlane

MSc Counselling Psychology · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Workbook 05

Navigating a Life Transition

For the uncertain middle, when one chapter has ended and the next hasn't quite begun. A companion for anyone standing in the gap between who they were and who they're becoming.

Download PDF

All twelve workbooks

A note from Shelagh

A note before you download

I'm so glad you're here.

Before you open this, I want to say a few things — partly so you know what it is, and partly so you know what it isn't.

This workbook is a gift. There's nothing to pay, nothing to sign up for, and nothing expected of you in return. I made these because, after many years in practice, I've come to believe that a great deal of meaningful work can be done by a person on their own — quietly, at their own pace, in their own time. Having something thoughtful to work through can give you a real sense of agency over what you're facing. And it can mean that therapy, when you want it, goes further, or is needed a little less often.

I'm also aware that good support isn't always easy to afford or to reach. If this helps you move through some of the early ground on your own, then it has done part of what I hoped it would.

A gentle but important word about timing.

If you're in the middle of something acute right now — a crisis, a stretch where you're barely keeping your head above water — this may not be the moment for it, and that is completely all right. This isn't one more thing to get done, or another weight to carry. It will keep. There's no rush, no schedule, and no right speed. Download it now if you like, and come to it when you feel steadier and the timing feels right for you.

When you do open it, take what's useful and leave what isn't. You don't have to finish it, and you certainly don't have to do it all at once.

It's yours, to use whenever it serves you.

With warmth,

Shelagh MacFarlane

MSc Counselling Psychology · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Workbook 06

The Burnout Workbook

When everything feels like too much, and you're exhausted in a way that sleep no longer fixes. A gentle way back to yourself — understanding how you got here, and what real rest actually asks of you.

Download PDF

All twelve workbooks

A note from Shelagh

A note before you download

I'm so glad you're here.

Before you open this, I want to say a few things — partly so you know what it is, and partly so you know what it isn't.

This workbook is a gift. There's nothing to pay, nothing to sign up for, and nothing expected of you in return. I made these because, after many years in practice, I've come to believe that a great deal of meaningful work can be done by a person on their own — quietly, at their own pace, in their own time. Having something thoughtful to work through can give you a real sense of agency over what you're facing. And it can mean that therapy, when you want it, goes further, or is needed a little less often.

I'm also aware that good support isn't always easy to afford or to reach. If this helps you move through some of the early ground on your own, then it has done part of what I hoped it would.

A gentle but important word about timing.

If you're in the middle of something acute right now — a crisis, a stretch where you're barely keeping your head above water — this may not be the moment for it, and that is completely all right. This isn't one more thing to get done, or another weight to carry. It will keep. There's no rush, no schedule, and no right speed. Download it now if you like, and come to it when you feel steadier and the timing feels right for you.

When you do open it, take what's useful and leave what isn't. You don't have to finish it, and you certainly don't have to do it all at once.

It's yours, to use whenever it serves you.

With warmth,

Shelagh MacFarlane

MSc Counselling Psychology · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Workbook 07

Relationships That Hurt

For anyone who has felt confused, diminished, or quietly in pain in a relationship. Understanding the patterns that keep us there — and how to find a way towards something healthier.

Download PDF

All twelve workbooks

A note from Shelagh

A note before you download

I'm so glad you're here.

Before you open this, I want to say a few things — partly so you know what it is, and partly so you know what it isn't.

This workbook is a gift. There's nothing to pay, nothing to sign up for, and nothing expected of you in return. I made these because, after many years in practice, I've come to believe that a great deal of meaningful work can be done by a person on their own — quietly, at their own pace, in their own time. Having something thoughtful to work through can give you a real sense of agency over what you're facing. And it can mean that therapy, when you want it, goes further, or is needed a little less often.

I'm also aware that good support isn't always easy to afford or to reach. If this helps you move through some of the early ground on your own, then it has done part of what I hoped it would.

A gentle but important word about timing.

If you're in the middle of something acute right now — a crisis, a stretch where you're barely keeping your head above water — this may not be the moment for it, and that is completely all right. This isn't one more thing to get done, or another weight to carry. It will keep. There's no rush, no schedule, and no right speed. Download it now if you like, and come to it when you feel steadier and the timing feels right for you.

When you do open it, take what's useful and leave what isn't. You don't have to finish it, and you certainly don't have to do it all at once.

It's yours, to use whenever it serves you.

With warmth,

Shelagh MacFarlane

MSc Counselling Psychology · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Workbook 08

Stuckness

When you don't know what's wrong — only that something is. A guide for feeling lost, purposeless, or unable to move forward, and a gentle way to begin again.

Download PDF

All twelve workbooks

A note from Shelagh

A note before you download

I'm so glad you're here.

Before you open this, I want to say a few things — partly so you know what it is, and partly so you know what it isn't.

This workbook is a gift. There's nothing to pay, nothing to sign up for, and nothing expected of you in return. I made these because, after many years in practice, I've come to believe that a great deal of meaningful work can be done by a person on their own — quietly, at their own pace, in their own time. Having something thoughtful to work through can give you a real sense of agency over what you're facing. And it can mean that therapy, when you want it, goes further, or is needed a little less often.

I'm also aware that good support isn't always easy to afford or to reach. If this helps you move through some of the early ground on your own, then it has done part of what I hoped it would.

A gentle but important word about timing.

If you're in the middle of something acute right now — a crisis, a stretch where you're barely keeping your head above water — this may not be the moment for it, and that is completely all right. This isn't one more thing to get done, or another weight to carry. It will keep. There's no rush, no schedule, and no right speed. Download it now if you like, and come to it when you feel steadier and the timing feels right for you.

When you do open it, take what's useful and leave what isn't. You don't have to finish it, and you certainly don't have to do it all at once.

It's yours, to use whenever it serves you.

With warmth,

Shelagh MacFarlane

MSc Counselling Psychology · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Workbook 09

The Addiction Workbook

When the thing that once helped has become the thing that hurts. Understanding addiction as a coping strategy that made sense — and finding your way to something that actually heals.

Download PDF

All twelve workbooks

A note from Shelagh

A note before you download

I'm so glad you're here.

Before you open this, I want to say a few things — partly so you know what it is, and partly so you know what it isn't.

This workbook is a gift. There's nothing to pay, nothing to sign up for, and nothing expected of you in return. I made these because, after many years in practice, I've come to believe that a great deal of meaningful work can be done by a person on their own — quietly, at their own pace, in their own time. Having something thoughtful to work through can give you a real sense of agency over what you're facing. And it can mean that therapy, when you want it, goes further, or is needed a little less often.

I'm also aware that good support isn't always easy to afford or to reach. If this helps you move through some of the early ground on your own, then it has done part of what I hoped it would.

A gentle but important word about timing.

If you're in the middle of something acute right now — a crisis, a stretch where you're barely keeping your head above water — this may not be the moment for it, and that is completely all right. This isn't one more thing to get done, or another weight to carry. It will keep. There's no rush, no schedule, and no right speed. Download it now if you like, and come to it when you feel steadier and the timing feels right for you.

When you do open it, take what's useful and leave what isn't. You don't have to finish it, and you certainly don't have to do it all at once.

It's yours, to use whenever it serves you.

With warmth,

Shelagh MacFarlane

MSc Counselling Psychology · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Workbook 10

When Someone Dies

For grief that has a name but no map. For anyone who has lost someone, and is finding that mourning looks nothing like they expected it to.

Download PDF

All twelve workbooks

A note from Shelagh

A note before you download

I'm so glad you're here.

Before you open this, I want to say a few things — partly so you know what it is, and partly so you know what it isn't.

This workbook is a gift. There's nothing to pay, nothing to sign up for, and nothing expected of you in return. I made these because, after many years in practice, I've come to believe that a great deal of meaningful work can be done by a person on their own — quietly, at their own pace, in their own time. Having something thoughtful to work through can give you a real sense of agency over what you're facing. And it can mean that therapy, when you want it, goes further, or is needed a little less often.

I'm also aware that good support isn't always easy to afford or to reach. If this helps you move through some of the early ground on your own, then it has done part of what I hoped it would.

A gentle but important word about timing.

If you're in the middle of something acute right now — a crisis, a stretch where you're barely keeping your head above water — this may not be the moment for it, and that is completely all right. This isn't one more thing to get done, or another weight to carry. It will keep. There's no rush, no schedule, and no right speed. Download it now if you like, and come to it when you feel steadier and the timing feels right for you.

When you do open it, take what's useful and leave what isn't. You don't have to finish it, and you certainly don't have to do it all at once.

It's yours, to use whenever it serves you.

With warmth,

Shelagh MacFarlane

MSc Counselling Psychology · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Workbook 11

The Wounded Child

What happened in childhood — the big things and the small ones — and how it's still shaping your life today. For anyone who senses the roots reach further back than they've yet looked.

Download PDF

All twelve workbooks

A note from Shelagh

A note before you download

I'm so glad you're here.

Before you open this, I want to say a few things — partly so you know what it is, and partly so you know what it isn't.

This workbook is a gift. There's nothing to pay, nothing to sign up for, and nothing expected of you in return. I made these because, after many years in practice, I've come to believe that a great deal of meaningful work can be done by a person on their own — quietly, at their own pace, in their own time. Having something thoughtful to work through can give you a real sense of agency over what you're facing. And it can mean that therapy, when you want it, goes further, or is needed a little less often.

I'm also aware that good support isn't always easy to afford or to reach. If this helps you move through some of the early ground on your own, then it has done part of what I hoped it would.

A gentle but important word about timing.

If you're in the middle of something acute right now — a crisis, a stretch where you're barely keeping your head above water — this may not be the moment for it, and that is completely all right. This isn't one more thing to get done, or another weight to carry. It will keep. There's no rush, no schedule, and no right speed. Download it now if you like, and come to it when you feel steadier and the timing feels right for you.

When you do open it, take what's useful and leave what isn't. You don't have to finish it, and you certainly don't have to do it all at once.

It's yours, to use whenever it serves you.

With warmth,

Shelagh MacFarlane

MSc Counselling Psychology · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Workbook 12

The Anger Workbook

Understanding the anger you carry — and the anger you live with. For the person who gets angry, and for the person who is so often on the receiving end of it.

Download PDF