Personal Needs Inventory — Name What You Need

What it does

It helps you name what you need, and where to start.

Most mothers spend a long time knowing something is wrong before they can name what it is. The feelings are real, but the words are hard to find. And without words, it is difficult to ask for help, to have the right conversation, or to even know which problem to address first.

The Personal Needs Inventory asks you to honestly rate how often your needs are being met across eight areas of your life. The pattern that emerges gives you a picture specific enough to do something with.

How it works

Three steps. One clear picture.

Step 01

Rate your needs honestly

56 questions across 8 areas of your life. No right answers. Just honest ones.

Step 02

See your pattern emerge

Your results show exactly where your needs are going unmet, and how your areas connect to each other.

Step 03

Know where to start

Your profile names what is driving your experience and points you toward what actually helps.

8 Areas of your life

Every part of you gets seen.

Most wellness tools only look at one piece of you. The PNI looks at all eight, because that is how you actually experience your life.

Physical

Your body keeps a running tab. Sleep debt, skipped meals, the constant hum of touch from a small person who needs you. Physical needs are often the first thing mothers deprioritize and the last thing anyone asks about.

Emotional

You are so practiced at holding other people's feelings that you may not notice how rarely someone holds yours. Emotional need is not weakness. It is what happens when you give more than you receive, consistently, with no one asking how you are doing underneath the surface.

Mental

The invisible list in your head does not pause. Appointments, logistics, worries, decisions — all of it lives in your mind, running in the background while you are trying to be present. Mental need is about having actual space to think, not just another moment of managed chaos.

Social

Talking about your kids with other parents is not the same as being known. Social need is about connection that sees you as a full person — the version of you that existed before this role and still exists inside it.

Relational

When a partnership works, it functions as a source of support — not just another relationship to manage. Relational need looks at whether the person closest to you is actually lightening the load, or whether the distance between you has become another thing you carry.

Identity

Becoming a mother does not erase who you were. But it can bury her. Identity need is about having a self that is not entirely defined by what you do for others — interests, values, a sense of direction that belongs to you.

Autonomy

Autonomy is not about free time. It is about whether you have real agency over your own life. When every hour is spoken for and every decision is made around someone else's needs, the loss of autonomy is cumulative and rarely named.

Recognition

The work of motherhood is largely invisible, and most of the people around you have stopped questioning that. Recognition need is about having what you do seen and acknowledged — not as exceptional, but as real work that deserves to be named.

What mothers say

Finally, words for what I have been feeling.

I have been struggling for months and could not figure out what was wrong. This showed me it was not one thing. It was everything in the Autonomy and Recognition areas. Now I know what to actually talk about.

Mother of two, 14 months postpartum

I sent my results to my therapist before our session. She said it was the most useful intake she had ever received. We covered more ground in 50 minutes than we had in three months.

First-time mom, 8 months postpartum

My partner and I both took it and compared our results. It turned a fight we had been having for a year into an actual conversation. We finally understood what the other person actually needed.

Mom of three, preschool stage

Questions

Everything you need to know.

What is the Personal Needs Inventory? +

It is a 56-question tool that helps you understand where your needs are being met and where they are not, across eight areas of your life. You get a visual breakdown of your results plus a profile that names what you are experiencing.

Is it really free? +

Yes, completely. The Personal Needs Inventory will always be free. You do not need a subscription to take it, see your results, or come back to it later.

Do I need to create an account? +

You can start without one. At the end, you will be invited to create a free account so your results are saved. If you skip it, your results will not be stored.

What do my results tell me? +

Your results include a bar chart showing your need levels across all eight domains, plus a named profile that reflects your overall pattern. Each domain also comes with a short explanation of what it means and what tends to help.

Can my partner take it too? +

Yes. Partners can take the PNI independently, and comparing results can open up conversations that are otherwise hard to start. A partner comparison feature is coming soon.

Is this a clinical assessment? +

No. The Personal Needs Inventory is a psychoeducational self-assessment, not a clinical diagnostic tool. It does not screen for mental health conditions. If you are concerned about your mental health, please speak with a qualified professional.

How long does it take? +

Most people finish in 15 to 20 minutes. The questions are straightforward rating scales, not open-ended responses, so the pace is quick. You can pause and come back if you need to. Your progress is saved once you have an account.

Finally a place to name what you need.

56

8

15–20 min

Always free

—

It helps you name what you need, and where to start.

Three steps. One clear picture.

Rate your needs honestly

See your pattern emerge

Know where to start

Every part of you gets seen.

Physical

Emotional

Mental

Social

Relational

Identity

Autonomy

Recognition

Finally, words for what I have been feeling.

Name what you need.

Everything you need to know.

Do you miss feeling like YOU?

Let’s chat about how our mom therapists can help.

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Finally a place to name what you need.

56

8

15–20 min

Always free

—

It helps you name what you need, and where to start.

Three steps. One clear picture.

Rate your needs honestly

See your pattern emerge

Know where to start

Every part of you gets seen.

Physical

Emotional

Mental

Social

Relational

Identity

Autonomy

Recognition

Finally, words for what I have been feeling.

Name what you need.

Everything you need to know.

Do you miss feeling like YOU?

Let’s chat about how our mom therapists can help.

THERAPY SUPPORT

SERVICES

LEARNING CENTER

REQUEST FORMS

ABOUT