The Decks
Every deck. Every clinical moment.
The six decks form an interlocking framework, usable independently or together. Each comes with clinical implementation notes and is accessible via the Psychologist Portal before purchase. The system moves from de-escalation through emotional regulation, grounding, language scaffolding, behavioural activation, to advanced identity formation.
PILA Cards
The de-escalation framework every session starts with
PILA gives clinician and child a shared, repeatable language for navigating big emotions. Structured around four steps — Pause, Identify, Listen, Act — it creates the safety and shared vocabulary that every other deck builds upon. The essential first deck for any clinical toolkit.
Used at the start of every session to establish co-regulation. Works in acute distress, general emotional check-ins, and as the ongoing communication framework throughout therapy.
Feelings Intensity Scale
A visual tool for naming emotions with clinical precision
Visual emotional scaling tool that helps children identify, name, and rate the intensity of their emotions. Moves from vague distress to specific emotional identification — the critical step that makes regulation possible. Directly applicable within CBT and trauma-informed sessions.
Used mid-session when emotional identification is needed. Pairs with PILA Cards at the Identify stage. Provides a concrete, visual anchor for children who cannot yet articulate emotional states verbally.
Anchor Cards
Safety-based grounding for moments of acute distress
Trauma-informed grounding tools designed to bring a child back to the present moment safely before any cognitive processing begins. Used when a child is too dysregulated to engage with language-based tools, the Anchor Cards create the safety window that makes everything else possible.
Used when a child presents in acute distress or emotional flooding. Precedes all other decks in crisis moments. Supports the Listen stage of PILA — turning attention inward and establishing present-moment safety.
Modal Verb Posters
Applied linguistics bridging emotional experience and verbal expression
Modal verb scaffolding helps children express possibility, necessity, and intention — bridging emotional experience and verbal articulation. The seven Modal Sentences (I will, I can be, I am going to, We shall, We can, I need to, I should) become the grammatical architecture of identity change.
Introduced once basic emotional regulation is established. Used as classroom or therapy room display material and as interactive reference tools. Forms the linguistic foundation for the advanced Modal Sequences deck.
Power Action Cards
Moving children from emotional identification to purposeful action
Structured prompts that move children from emotional identification to purposeful, positive action. Behavioural activation in card form — aligned with CBT behavioural components. Bridges the gap between feeling and doing, creating the concrete action step that precedes identity formation.
Used in the Act phase of PILA. Pairs with the Feelings Intensity Scale to create a complete emotion-to-action pathway. Particularly effective for children with low motivation, depression presentations, or avoidance patterns.
Modal Sequences
Structured pathways from language to lasting identity
The most advanced deck in the system. Structured therapeutic conversation pathways that combine language scaffolding with emotional regulation — creating durable identity outcomes through repeated practice. Each sequence moves: Modal Sentence → Action Verb → Identity Outcome.
Used by experienced practitioners once earlier decks are established. Each sequence is a complete identity-building intervention. Outcomes are measurable, reportable, and observable within 4–6 weeks of consistent practice.
Important: Power Phrase Universe cards are educational and social-emotional learning (SEL) tools. They are not a substitute for professional psychological assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. If you or someone you support is in crisis, contact a qualified mental health professional or your local emergency services.
ABN 55 260 040 085 · Warabrook NSW 2304, Australia