Self-Advocacy: Speaking Up for What I Need

Looking for a simple, practical way to help kids identify their needs and speak up for themselves in a calm, respectful way?

This therapist-created Self-Advocacy Grab-and-Go Tool helps children recognize when something doesn’t feel right, identify what they need, and practice communicating those needs to others.

Using the easy-to-remember Notice It → Name It → Now Do It! framework, children learn to:

• Notice It: Recognize what’s happening and how they’re feeling.
• Name It: Identify what they need and what might help.
• Now Do It: Decide what they can say or do to advocate for themselves.

The accompanying practice worksheet helps children apply these steps to real-life situations at school, at home, or with friends.

Use this resource to:

• Help kids recognize and communicate their needs
• Build self-advocacy and communication skills
• Encourage emotional awareness and problem-solving
• Practice asking for help and expressing needs respectfully
• Apply self-advocacy skills to everyday situations

What’s included:

• Self-Advocacy reference and explanation sheet
• Practicing Self-Advocacy worksheet
• Instruction sheet for clinicians

Perfect for:

• Individual counseling and therapy sessions
• School counseling
• Small-group activities
• Social-emotional learning (SEL)
• Practicing communication and self-advocacy skills

This no-prep, print-and-go resource provides a simple way to teach, practice, and reinforce self-advocacy skills with children.