Bringing variety into your online sessions helps keep therapy dynamic and personalized. Mixing in activities like collaborative games, mindfulness or grounding techniques, and even simple interactive tools can make sessions more engaging. These approaches give adults new ways to process emotions, stay focused, and connect to the therapeutic work in a format that feels fresh and relevant to their individual goals.
Interactive mindfulness activities that deepen presence
Mindfulness activities can help your clients stay grounded in a distracting environment and support clients who may be struggling to stay regulated in-session. At the same time, these techniques teach clients helpful tools to manage stress, anxiety, and other mental health symptoms in their everyday lives.
1. Five senses check-in: Guide clients to pause and notice five things they can see, four they can touch, three they can hear, two they can smell, and one they can taste. This grounding technique helps them reconnect with the present moment and reduces anxiety during or between sessions.
2. Breath and body awareness: Invite clients to close their eyes, place one hand on their chest and the other on their abdomen, and notice the rhythm of their breath. Encourage slow, intentional breathing while observing sensations like warmth, expansion, or tension — promoting physical awareness and calm.
3. Visualization with shared imagery: Use screen-sharing or verbal prompts to guide clients through a peaceful visualization — such as walking along a beach or sitting beneath a tree. Ask them to describe sensory details in real time, helping them practice mindfulness through imagination and sensory immersion.
Digital whiteboard techniques that enhance collaboration
Digital tools such as virtual whiteboards can support therapeutic connection and collaboration while keeping clients engaged with their treatment goals in online therapy. If you’re not fully confident with digital tools yet, start small and keep it simple. Practice using your whiteboard features before sessions, share your screen slowly, explain each step aloud, and invite clients to collaborate. This transparency can actually strengthen rapport and make the activity feel more accessible for both of you.
4. Mind mapping: Use your virtual whiteboard to create a visual web of thoughts, triggers, and coping strategies around a central theme — such as anxiety, self-esteem, or stress. Invite clients to add their own words or drawings in real time, helping them externalize complex emotions and identify connections between thoughts and behaviors.
5. Emotion charting: Draw a simple emotion wheel or mood scale on the whiteboard and ask clients to identify where they fall at the start and end of each session. Tracking emotions visually promotes self-awareness, opens space for reflection, and helps both therapist and client notice patterns over time.
6. Goal visualization: Collaboratively sketch a “pathway” toward a specific treatment goal, using milestones or stepping stones along the way. Clients can label each step with concrete actions or affirmations — turning abstract goals into a tangible, motivating visual they can return to each session.
The SMART framework can also help clients set goals that feel tangible and achievable. The SMART acronym stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Setting goals that meet those criteria can give teletherapy sessions structure and focus, giving your client clear steps forward and you a logical way to track progress.
Therapeutic games and activities that translate well to virtual settings
Games and activities can be a useful tool for making therapy feel less intimidating or vulnerable. In the setting of a game, clients may feel more comfortable opening up about their thoughts, feelings, or experiences — and you can also work on skills like emotion regulation, communication, and problem-solving in the game.
7. Thought detective: Ask clients to identify an unhelpful thought and “investigate” it using CBT-style questions such as “What’s the evidence for this?” or “Is there another way to view it?” Turning cognitive reframing into a game encourages curiosity and helps clients challenge automatic thoughts creatively.
8. Emotion wheel spin: Share a digital emotion wheel on-screen (or use an online spinner). Have clients “spin” to land on a feeling, then describe a recent situation when they experienced that emotion and how they responded. This helps deepen emotional literacy and awareness while keeping the activity light and interactive.
9. Strengths scavenger hunt: Invite clients to identify personal strengths by recalling moments when they handled challenges effectively. Use prompts like “Find an example from this week that shows your resilience” or “Name a time you used creativity to solve a problem.” This builds self-esteem, promotes reflection, and reinforces positive identity development in an engaging, conversational format.
Using multimedia resources to enhance engagement
Adding audio, video, and other digital resources into telehealth sessions can foster client engagement while making therapeutic concepts more tangible and relatable. These tools help clients process information through multiple senses, which can deepen insight and increase retention. Depending on your client’s treatment goals, multimedia can also spark creativity and connection in new ways.
10. Play calming soundscapes: Play short calming soundscapes or guided meditations to introduce mindfulness or breathing techniques for emotion regulation. Clients can bookmark or replay these clips between sessions for continued practice.
11. Use educational resources: To support cognitive restructuring, share clinically vetted educational videos or animated clips that explain CBT concepts visually, helping clients link thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a concrete way.
12. Explore emotions with video: Use short video role-plays or recorded social scenarios to help clients identify body language, tone, and communication patterns, then discuss alternative responses together. When sharing your screen, be mindful that no PHI is showing. Close out of your EMR, calendar, and patient notes so they can’t be accidentally shown.
