think smart programme for young people
TRANSCRIPT
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Second Edition (2009)
The first addition of this book was authored by Rod Booth at Clarity Insight
Ltd Clarity, 2008
The second edition is a revised and updated version carried out by Penney Uptonand Dominic Upton from the Psychological Sciences Unit at the University of
Worcester, 2009
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or any other information, storage and retrieval system, without the prior
written permission of the authors.
Contact: Val Chapman, University of Worcester
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The Thinksmart Programme for Young People
Content Page
Introduction: The Thinksmart approach 4
Session 1:Getting Started, Getting To Know You & Setting Goals
- Introductions, setting goals & expectations, establishing rapport, Self Assessment 1,
group rules & contract
13
Session 2:Thoughts, Feelings & What You Do- The magic circle of thoughts, feelings & behaviours
28
Session 3:Identifying Thoughts & Types of Thinking- Thinking errors, automatic thoughts & balanced thinking
39
Session 4:Controlling Your Thoughts- Testing your thoughts & positive self-talk
57
Session 5:How Do You Feel?- Identifying what feelings you have
- Feelings & what you think & do
71
Session 6:Controlling Your Feelings- Identifying helpful & unhelpful feelings
- Learning to relax & be in control of how you feel
89
Session 7:Why Do We Do What We Do?- Identifying & understanding your actions and behaviours
- How what we do affects how we feel
100
Session 8:Changing Our Behaviours- Positive activities & behavioural experiments
- Choosing how to feel by picking the right behaviour
114
Session 9:Learning to Solve Problems- Learning to cope and manage problems more effectively
- Learning the value of consequential thinking
133
Session 10:Final Evaluation- Where were you at the beginning?
- Where are you now?
- What are the key differences?
- What can you do next to keep improving?
- Preparing for life & work setting your own goals
- Self Assessment 2
- Evaluation of the Thinksmart programme
146
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Introduction: The
Thinksmart Approach
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Overview of the Thinksmart ProgrammeThe Thinksmart programme is a personal development programme
which is underpinned by sound psychological theory and techniques.
The intended outcomes for the young people who participate in the
programme include: improved emotional well-being, learning to manage
anxiety during exams, and to feel more confident. Thinksmart is
intended to be delivered systematically as a programme supported by
a coach or mentor, referred to as a facilitator. The programme has
been designed for use on a group basis.
Structure of the Programme
The essential focus of the programme is to foster and support the
building of:
Team working and collaboration with others Communication and interpersonal skills Self-Discovery and awareness Cognitive, coping and problem-solving skills Ability to manage and control emotions and behaviours A sense of self-confidence and positive self-esteem
Each of these elements is built into the structure of every session,
with skills and coping strategies developing in a systematic way over
the duration of the 10 week programme.
Thinksmart is facilitated as a structured programme, with a core
component of 10 group coaching sessions. These sessions will be a
mixture of fun, appropriate activities or games and educational
materials.
Group participants are involved in written exercises, discussions, role
play and creative activities. All will be encouraged to be autonomous in
completing the exercises, interact with others, share experiences and
work with each other in a way that helps the development of social
skills and self-confidence.
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The first session sets goals for the programme, and aims to help the
participants get to know each other and develop rapport with the
facilitator, whilst reducing any anxiety or worry.
Each of the subsequent sessions introduces a new topic or idea which
builds upon previous information and learning. The pace is generally
designed to be quite fast, with lots of information and activities
covered in a short space of time. This style is designed to raise both
the momentum and motivation of both group participants and
facilitators.
Each topic has a brief explanatory section that provides a concrete
and understandable summary of the key issues. Illustrations and
practical examples provide a way of relating the materials to issues
and problems with which the young person may be familiar. The
explanatory section can be photocopied and used as a handout, or it
can be used to structure the session. The facilitator can then
emphasise and focus on those issues that are most relevant for the
participants, tailoring the sessions accordingly.
A series of worksheets accompany each section, to help participants
apply the information to their own particular difficulties. The
worksheets provide examples of how the concepts can be conveyed,
and are intended to be used flexibly and adapted by facilitators,
based on their own experience. In keeping with best practice the
group facilitator should aim to work in collaboration with the
participants. A scientific, evidence-based approach to problem solvingis also recommended to maximise effectiveness.
It is also recommended that facilitators keep a record of eachindividuals activities, performance, attitude and required actions
after each session using the Individual Recording Sheet for
Facilitators, which can be found at the back of this workbook. In
addition, a Home Activity Feedback Sheet is provided for each
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session in order to monitor progress and development in home
activities.
RecruitmentRecruitment to the programme will be voluntary, and follows the
definition of the target group below.
It is generally advised to inform all possible participants perhaps at an
assembly, inviting young people to involve themselves in the
programme.
Those interested complete a simple questionnaire giving their name
and reason for wishing to take part. Consultation with staff and
Programme Managers or Outreach Workers would follow, with a group
of approximately 5-6 young people per facilitator chosen.
(NB. Groups of 6-8 tend to be the most effective scale for working
with older children and adolescents)
Definition of Target GroupThe target group will be learners aged 13-14 currently at school, who
may have low self-esteem, and who appear to be disengaged and de-
motivated, yet have the potential to achieve given the appropriate
support mechanisms.
SettingThis will clearly be defined by available facilities. It is recommended
that a consistent, quiet and private setting is identified and remains
the setting for the group throughout the programme, promoting a
sense of security.
Time PlanningIn simple terms, the more time given to each individual session, the
more the participants will benefit. A minimum of one hour per week (or
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the equivalent of one lesson in a school timetable), should be required,
although best practice suggests the optimum session would be 2 hours.
This provides time to reflect on the previous weeks home activity,
complete all the exercises and discuss forthcoming activities.
Support MaterialsEach facilitator is provided with a master copy of all the materials and
exercises for each session. In addition, participants will have their
own personal workbook. Participants can also add their own home
activities or other assignments, creating a personal portfolio of work.
Home Activities and the Involvement of
Parents or Carers
Homework is a common and successful formula to cement progress
and support change. Thus between- session home activities will be
given at the end of each session, being briefly reviewed at the
beginning of the following week. These activities will be backed by the
content of the session.
Unlike school or college work, home activities are voluntary and
participants complete them only if they choose to, promoting
autonomy and self-discipline. It is of course explained that
participants are more likely to get more from the programme if they
complete the extra work.
There is increasing research that suggests involving parents or carers
in such programmes may increase the benefits and manage potential
difficulties. Parents and carers can contribute by supporting and
encouraging the participant, or allowing them to practice new skills or
behaviours at home. They can also be encouraged to reinforce the
young person and work with them in planning for and addressing
problems encountered.
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ConfidentialityIn the introductory session, participants are informed about
confidentiality. If at any point in the programme a young person,
parent or carer raises issues regarding the safety of themselves or
others (abuse, self-harm, substance abuse, etc); facilitators are
advised to record the information given and follow the Duty of Care
procedures agreed for the Thinksmart programme.
It is critically important that all participants feel safe in the group, or
they are unlikely to share personal information.
Confidentiality should be respected at all times throughout theprogramme, with group rules discussed in the introductory session.
Any breaches of confidentiality can be addressed openly at the next
session, often without naming the person involved.
Methods Used in ThinksmartThe methods which underpin the Thinksmart approach are based on
sound psychological theory and practice. This evidence based
programme draws on the principles of cognitive behaviour theory(CBT), an approach which aims to give people the skills to think, act
and feel positively. It acknowledges the link between what we think
and feel and how we behave. Thus real life issues such as poor school
performance may be directly linked to unhelpful or irrational beliefs
about the self (e.g. I cant do school work), others (e.g. teachers dont
expect me to do very well) and the world (e.g. university isnt for
people like me).
Thinksmart therefore uses a range of approaches aimed at helpingyoung people change their thinking (cognitive interventions), behaviour
(behavioural intervention) and feelings (affective interventions) to be
more positive and rational. The different types of intervention used
are outlined in more detail below.
However, an important component of the programme involves teaching
participants about the link between Thinking, Feeling and Behaviour in
order to explore and test their cognitions and to learn alternative
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cognitive and behavioural skills. This process involves developing a
clear and shared understanding of the relationship between the
vicious cycle (or Magic Circle in Thinksmart) of thoughts, feelings and
what we do, with the underlying causes and triggers.
To achieve this, it is important to begin by defining the problem. TheAimhigher Project Manager, Helen Dowdeswell, has created a visual
tool called My House (see session 1) which helps make this complex
process to be simply illustrated in a meaningful way for the
participants. Representing the problem through a familiar object such
as a house and its environment enables creative and personalised
activities to be created.
My House can also be used as the format of a final creative and self
evaluative activity that the participants present back to their peers,
friends, teachers and families.
Intervention TermsThere are a number of terms you are likely to encounter as you begin
to learn about the intervention programme and these are briefly
defined for you below:
Cognitive InterventionsThought MonitoringCommon cognitions and patterns of thinking are assessed and
recorded. Hot thoughts (those producing a strong emotional response),
are labelled and explained.
Identification of Unhelpful Cognitions
Thought monitoring provides an opportunity to identify commonnegative or unhelpful cognitions which results in an increased
awareness of the nature and type of cognitive distortions and
unhelpful thinking.
Thought Evaluation and Development of Alternate
Cognitive ProcessesThe identification of unhelpful cognitive processes leads to
systematic testing and evaluation leading to the development of
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alternative skills. This encourages a process of balanced thinking or
cognitive restructuring, such as:
Looking for new information
Thinking from an alternate perspective
Developing consequential thinking
Assessing contradictory information
This evaluation will provide an opportunity to develop alternative, more
balanced and helpful cognitions.
Learning New Cognitive Skills
These skills will include distraction, positive self-talk, self-
instructional training, consequential thinking and problem solving skills,
and is a core focus in both sessions and home activity work.
Affective InterventionsEmotional EducationEmotional education is designed to identify and distinguish core
emotions such as anger, anxiety or unhappiness. Physiological changes
usually associated with emotions, such as a dry mouth or sweaty hands,
are explained.
Emotion MonitoringMonitoring strong emotions can help to identify times, places,
activities or thoughts that are associated with unpleasant feelings.
Rating scales can be used to rate the intensity of emotions to provide
a way to monitor performance and assessing any change.
Emotion ManagementAn awareness of emotional patterns can lead to the development of
preventative strategies such as balanced thinking.
Behavioural Interventions
Target Setting and Activity Scheduling
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Goal setting is a core activity within Thinksmart and overall objectives
are mutually agreed and assessed. The achievement of specified
targets is regularly reviewed and will provide an overview of progress.
Targets may include increasing activities that will produce positive
emotions or rescheduling to prevent or minimise activities associated
with unpleasant emotions.
The transfer of skills from session to real life is encouraged by the
systematic use of assignment tasks and practice.
Behavioural ExperimentsGuided discovery will test and challenge thoughts and assumptions,
providing evidence which can be evaluated and tested. Experiments
can determine whether what happens is similar or different to what
was predicted, aiding insight and awareness.
ExposureA process of graduated exposure designed to master difficulties is
often used. Starting with the least difficult, exposure follows steps
in a hierarchy (either live or in imagination), with easier, win-win
experiments being built on over a gradual progressive programme ofexposure. Continued exposure also helps to prevent habitual and
unhelpful responses re-occurring, aiding relapse prevention, for
example, avoiding certain events to prevent anxiety.
Role Play, Modelling and RehearsalThis provides an opportunity to practice dealing with difficult or
challenging situations, either live or in-session. It enables positive
skills and alternate solutions to be learned and practiced safely. The
process of observing others modelling appropriate behaviours or skillscan result in new behaviours being rehearsed in role play or
imagination before being practised in real life.
Reinforcement and RewardPositive reinforcement of any appropriate behaviour is a cornerstone
of the Thinksmart programme. External reinforcement from others is
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important, particularly for younger people, with authority figures such
as parents, helpers, carers and teachers.
Self-reinforcement is also a key area of learning, with re-balancing of
negative thinking and positive self-talk taught within the programme.
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Session 1:
Getting Started, Getting to
Know You & Setting Goals
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Overview
Activity-based worksheets include; Remembering Names and Getting
to Know the Group. These first steps are key elements in establishing
the framework of positive reinforcement, collaboration and support
within the programme.
Allowing the group to discuss, negotiate and agree their own rules is
self-reinforcing and starts the process of empowerment and
ownership, critical to successful outcomes.
The exercises Who Am I? and Character Sketch initiate the process
of self-reflection, as well as encouraging the group to get to know
each other.
The home activity includes two self report measures, the Personal
Checklist and Rosenbergs Self Esteem Scale (SES). The Personal
Checklist enables a participant to assess and self-monitor shifts and
changes in thinking and feeling towards self and others. It also
enables evaluation of behavioural shifts. The SES consists of 10
statements related to overall feelings of self-worth or self-
acceptance.. Good reliability and validity has been demonstrated
across a large number of different sample groups. These assessmentsare used at the start and end of the programme to assess progress.
Session Aims and Objectives
Enable group members to get to know each other in order to
form a collaborative self-supporting group
Agree some group rules and set boundaries
Set some goals and objectives for the programme
Introduce the Thinksmart learning journal
Have fun!
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Session Plan
Welcome participants and share agenda for session with group
Introduction to the course
Getting to know each other. Includes activities designed to enable
group members to get to know each other e.g.
Remembering names
Being part of a group
Getting to know the group
Group rules: Produce a summary on flipchart/whiteboard for all to
put in their learning journal. This should include a discussion about
confidentiality and boundaries of work
Activity 1: Who Am I? An exercise to enable participants to
begin the process of describing how they see themselves
Activity 2: Character sketch. Some young people may be self-
conscious about acting/role playing so they can draw a picture or
just write their thoughts if they are anxious
Feedback: On completion of these exercises, participants areencouraged to feedback two pieces of information about
themselves to the group (one could be a name!). Participants only
share the information they are comfortable with.
Activity 3: My House. participants should now be ready to start
thinking about their problems and how Thinksmart might help.
Participants should be assured that this is a personal record that
does not have to be shared with the group. However it provides astarting point for the group discussion that follows
Group Discussion: Produce a summary of the main goals of
Thinksmart
Home Activity: Personal checklist and SES. These questionnaires
are designed to enable participants to identify their sense of self-
concept and self-esteem.
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Introduction to the Course
This course has been designed to help you to
help yourself. The activity sheets and discussion
topics will provide you with the opportunity to
explore different aspects of how you think, feel
and behave, then help you make the changes
that you want in your life.
Here are some important points to keep in mind as you make a start:
We all have the ability to solve problems and to make effectivechanges in our lives. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of how
to do this.
Change of any sort affects us on all levels. For example, a change inthe way that you think about a certain situation can lead to changes
in how you feel physically and in how you behave in that situation.
When you feel stuck, if you take note of what the whole of you isfeeling, thinking and sensing then you are likely to come up with
some creative solutions to your difficulties.
A programme of this type can help you to feel more in control ofyour life and to enjoy more fulfilling relationships, solve problems
more effectively, and feel better about yourself.
Remember thinking smartly is a great way to start to think andfeel better about yourself!
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Remembering Names
Names are an important part of who we are. You may have chosen to
shorten your name or use a nickname to reflect how you would like tobe known. Remembering other peoples names is an important skill and
there are many techniques that can help you do this.
One is to link the persons name with something else an object,
something they like doing, a colour they like to wear and so on. For
each person in the group, note down something that will help you to
remember his or her name.
Name Memory aid
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Getting to Know the Group
Find as many people as possible in the group who can agree with the
following statements. Write their names in the space provided.
Statement People that agree
I own a mobile phone
I have a pet
I enjoy watching sport
I have seen one of my favourite
films more than three times
I like spicy food
I got the bus here today
I have an unusual hobby
I dont like chocolate
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Being Part of a Group
Throughout life most of us have the chance to be part of many
different groups, including family, school, work, sport and friendship
groups. You may feel more comfortable in some types of groups than
others and you will have developed certain ways of being and thinking
about yourself in relation to different groups. It is important to
recognise that you have some choice about this.
How I normally cope with groups How I would like to be in this group
What I believe I can contribute What would help me to feel most
comfortable in this group
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Group Rules
Respect Each Other
It is important that we each try to respect others in the group and
the group facilitators. This involves supporting and listening to each
other and taking turns to speak.
Timekeeping
It makes it difficult if you are not on time for the group to start.While it is the responsibility of the group facilitators to ensure
groups are organised to start and finish on time, it is your
responsibility not to be late.
Personal Choice
It is your choice to be in the group. By making this choice you can
decide to leave at any time. However, for safety reasons it is
important that you let the group facilitators know of your
whereabouts at all times. If you are disrupting the group, your actions
will suggest that you no longer wish to take part and you will be given
the choice to either stay and stop disturbing the session or leave the
group. If you choose to leave on more than one occasion you may be
asked to leave the group altogether.
CommitmentIt is important that if you are to get something out of this group then
you are prepared to put something in of yourself. We hope to
encourage the entire group to take part in all the activities. However,
we will not make anyone do anything. By making the commitment to
become part of the group you also commit to doing the home activity
work and taking part in all group activities, not just the ones you like.
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Confidentiality
Confidentiality means that what we talk about in the group is special
to us and we wont tell anyone outside the group.
Its OK for you to talk to your own family and friends about what you
do and say in the group if you want to, but remember, what others say
is private.
If you tell the group facilitators anything that makes them think that
you are not safe outside the group or that you are in danger they will
have to talk to someone outside the group who can help protect you.
But they will try to tell you what they are doing and why. The mostimportant thing is that you are safe. Please think about the rules you
would like to have in your group to feel safe.
Our group rules about Confidentiality are:
I agree to keep to the group rules and to stick to the confidentiality
agreement.
Signature:__________________________________________
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Activity 1: Who am I?
Something important about me Physical features
Personality Beliefs
Talents and skills Things I enjoy
Things I dislike Important events
Important people Important places
Difficulties I have overcome Hopes/ambitions
Anything else?
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Activity 2: Character Sketch
Imagine that you are writing a script for a play about your life. How
would you describe yourself in a character sketch? Write as though
you are your own best friend, someone who knows you better than
anyone else and is supporting and understanding of the true you. Start
with your name.
_________________________________ is...
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Roof of Rules(what rules do I believe?)
1.
2.
3.
Chimney of Fears(what do I worry about?)
1.
2.
3.
Window of Truth(my beliefs)
1.
Window of Truth(my beliefs)
3.Window of Truth
(my beliefs)
2.
3
Sensation Smoke(how do I feel?)
2.
1.
Yellow Brick Road(my early experiences)
Doorbell(my trigger)
Activity 3: My House
Behaviour Birds(how do I act?)
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Group goals and objectives.
At the end of the course I would like to:
1.__________________________________________________
2.__________________________________________________
3.___________________________________________________
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Home Activity 1: Personal Checklist
Shade in the boxes to show how much each of these statements is
true for you.
I have a strong sense
of who I am
I am very aware of
how I behave in
different ways
according to the
situation I am in
I have a good
understanding of how
different
relationships work
I am able to be
independent and
self-reliant
I am able to be in a
relationship without
feeling swamped or
overwhelmed by the
other person
I can usually see
things from other
peoples perspectives
I am usually realistic
about how I think
others view me
I am respectful and
tolerant of other
peoples views
I understand myemotions and why I
feel the way I do in
different situations
I feel in control ofhow I express my
emotions
I am able todistinguish my
feelings from those
of others
I am able toacknowledge my own
strengths
I believe that I am a
likeable and
worthwhile person
I recognise areas
that I find difficult
and may want to work
on
I can accept
constructive criticism
from others
I am assertive in the
way that I deal with
unjustified criticism
from others
I can tolerate my
own mistakes
I like and respect
myself
I feel OK about my
physical appearance
I take good care of
myself
I know how to relax
and enjoy myself
I am self-motivated.
I tend not to worry
too much what
others might think of
me
I am able to adjust
my actions, feelings
and thoughts
according to realistic
assessments of my
progress
I believe that I have
mastery over my life
I enjoy new
challenges
I believe that I let
other people see who
I really am through
my words and actions
I am usually able to
listen well to what
others have to say
I enjoy talking to
new people
I consider myself to
be a creative person
I believe that my
options, thoughts and
actions have value
I am confident
enough in my own
abilities to be able to
try different ways of
solving problems
I am generally
optimistic
I tend not to dwell
on past events or
worry about the
future
I regularly set
myself realistic yet
challenging goals
I cope well with
unexpected events
I believe that I am
capable of fulfilling
my potential
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Home Activity 2: Rosenberg Self
Esteem Scale (SES)
Please read the following statements and shade the box that best
describes how much you agree or disagree with each one
Strongly
Agree
Agree Disagree Strongly
Disagree
On the whole, I am satisfied with
myself
3 2 1 0
At times, I think I am no good
at all
0 1 2 3
I feel that I have a number of
good qualities
3 2 1 0
I am able to do things as well as
most other people
3 2 1 0
I feel I do not have much to be
proud of
0 1 2 3
I feel useless at times 0 1 2 3
I feel that I should be valued
and I am equal to others
3 2 1 0
I wish I could have more
respect for myself
0 1 2 3
I often think I am a failure 0 1 2 3
I take a positive attitude
toward myself
Add up the total number of points in the shaded boxes to get your
final score:
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Session 2:
Thoughts, Feelings & What
You Do
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Overview
This session is designed to introduce the link between thinking,
feelings and behaviours.
Different types of thoughts (automatic and core beliefs) areexplained, the role of assumptions is highlighted, and the effects of
positive and negative thoughts on feelings and behaviour are
described.
The worksheet Magic Circle is designed to introduce the participant
to the concept of thought monitoring, and learning the key skill of
making the link between thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
The home activity My Thought Diary builds on the concepts leant
during the session by providing a structure for recording emotionally
charged, or hot thoughts, and learning to link these to emotional
reactions.
Session Aims and Objectives
Understand the links between thoughts, feelings and actions
Learn about The Magic Circle as a way to remember these links
Begin the process of understanding how to monitor your
thoughts
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Session Plan
Welcome: set agenda for the session.
Feedback: from the previous week/homework activity.
Encourage sharing of good ideas and success
Introduce topic Thoughts, Feelings and What You Do:
Discuss the basic concept of The Magic Circle using handouts
supplied in order to raise self-awareness
Activity 1: The Magic Circle. Creativity in the use of these
tools is key. Facilitators can demonstrate an example first and
the group can discuss their own examples. Alternatively
participants can fill in the sheets individually and present to the
group.
Facilitators should ensure that they involve all participants in
discussions by asking if others would have similar or different
feelings and actions
Home Activity
My Thought Diary: Facilitators introduce the idea of practising
catching thoughts and how it can help to explain changes in feelings.
Catching and monitoring specific thoughts helps young people develop
awareness and begin to validate their feelings.
Participants will be encouraged to share their thoughts with the group
at the start of Session 3 but would not be pressurised into doing so.
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Home Activity Feedback
What did you learn or notice from your homework this week?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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Thoughts, Feelings and What You Do
Hassles and problems are part of everyday life. Parents, friends, boyor girlfriends, school, work in fact almost everything create
problems at some time or another. Luckily, we are quite good at coping
with many of these problems and they are quickly and successfully
sorted out.
Other problems seem more difficult.
This may be because:
They happen fairly often
They have been around for some time
They feel totally overwhelming
They seem to affect everything you do
Sometimes these problems take over and life becomes one big unhappy
worry.
The Magic CircleThinksmart aims to help you discover helpful ways of dealing with your
problems. It is based on something called cognitive behaviour theory
(CBT). Cognitive refers to what you think; behaviour is about what you
do. According to this theory what you think about things affects how
you feel and what you do:
What you do
What you think
How you feel
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We will find out more about this link, but here are some examples to
help you understand how it works:
Thinking that you are not very good at talking to people maymake you feel very worried or anxious when you are out with
your friends. You may go quiet and not talk very much.
Thinking that no one likes you may make you feel sad. You may
stay at home on your own.
Thinking that you never get things right may make you feel
angry. You may give up trying because you think itll be wrong.
Thinksmart will help you realise that sometimes you may not see thewhole picture, and maybe only look at one side of the story usually
the bit that hasnt quite gone right.
Often, you may not even realise what you are doing. It has become
part of everyday life and it can be very difficult to see any way out, or
to think about how things could be different.
What You ThinkOur minds are always busy. As soon as one thought passes through,
another arrives to take its place. We are constantly thinking about all
sorts of things. Many of our thoughts are describing things that are
going on around us. Others will be about ourselves.
These might be about the way we see ourselves:
Im fat
I have lots of friendsIve got a bad temper
These might be about how we judge what we do:
Im hopeless at organising myself
Im good at sports
Im pretty good at making friends
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They might describe our view of the future:
No one will ever want to go out with me
Ill never get to university
Ill be a millionaire by the time Im thirty
How You FeelAs we have begun to see, the way in which we think affects how we
feel. Our thoughts will result in many different feelings.
Positive or nice thoughts often produce pleasant feelings.
The thought Im really looking forward to that party maymake you feel happy.
The thought Although we lost I played really well may make
you feel pleased.
The thought I look quite nice in these clothes may make you
feel relaxed.
At other times we may have more negative thoughts, and these often
produce unpleasant feelings:
The thought I bet no one will turn up to my party may make
you feel anxious.
The thought We lost again we will never win may make you
feel angry or sad.
The thought I dont like these clothes may make you feelworried and unhappy.
Many of these feelings will not be strong and will not last for very
long. You may not even notice them.
At other times, these unpleasant feelings take over. They become
very strong and seem to last.
The unpleasant feelings people notice most often are those of stress,
unhappiness and anger.
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What You Do
If these feelings last or become very strong, they start to have an
effect on what you do. We like to feel good, so we usually try to do
more of those things that make us feel good and less of those things
that make us feel unpleasant.
If you feel anxious when talking to other people, you may avoid
going out or turn down invitations to meet up and do things with
your friends. When you stay on your own you may feel more
relaxed.
If you feel sad or unhappy at school, you may stop going. You
may feel happier when you stay at home.
If you feel angry when people criticise your work, you may give
up trying so hard.
There are lots of ways in which your thoughts and feelings can affect
what you do. You may notice that you:
give up and stop doing things
avoid situations that might be difficult
become reluctant to try new things
It would seem that these changes prove that our thoughts were right
all along!
Difficulty in concentrating would prove the thought that I will
never pass these exams
Staying at home would prove the thought that No one likes me
I havent got any friends
Finding it difficult to sleep or putting on weight would prove the
thoughts that I look a wreck and No one would want to go out
with me
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Can we look at this again?
You may be caught in a trap.
You may only be looking for evidence to support your
negative thoughts.
You may have found it difficult to concentrate today you didnt
sleep very well last night. Usually you sleep better, and when you
have had a good nights sleep you are able to concentrate.
You may have stayed at home last night, but you have arranged to
go out with your friends tomorrow.
You may have gained 2 kg but does that really make such a big
difference to how you look? Your favourite clothes still fit well.
Thoughts may magically come true because you are only looking for
evidence that supports them. Is it possible that you are only seeing
one side of the story?
Sometimes by becoming more aware of our thoughts and feelings, we
can start to see how the things we do are affected by our thoughts
and feelings. This is the first step to changing our behaviour.
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Activity 1: The Magic Circle
Think of a situation where you felt happy.
Think of a situation where you felt sad or angry.
What were you thinking?
How did you feel?What did you do?
What were you thinking?
How did you feel?What did you do?
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Home Activity: My Thought Diary
Throughout the week note down in your thought diary
three experiences you have hadTry to give examples of both a good and bad experience
Think about what happened in these situations and what you
thought and felt at the time
You dont need to write lots, just jot down a few notes!
Day & Time Situation
Where were you?
Who were youwith?
What happened?
Thoughts
What were you
thinking?
Feelings
How were you
feeling?
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Session 3:
Identifying Thoughts
& Types of Thinking
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Overview
Automatic thoughts are discussed and explained, as is the Cognitive
Triad featuring thoughts about self, others and the future. The
reasons why automatic thoughts seem so real are explained, as are the
effects of positive and negative automatic thoughts on feelings andbehaviour.
Cognitive distortions are introduced as thinking errors, which bias the
way in which situations and events are interpreted and assessed. For
example, cognitive errors result in positive events being overlooked.
Negative aspects are highlighted using six key themes of thinking,
where the main errors are highlighted to confirm awareness.
The Negative Trap exercise reinforces the concept of thought
monitoring whilst cementing the thinking feeling behaviour link.
What Are They Thinking? encourages the young person to both
identify and rate the extent to which they believe negative thoughts.
The home activity What Thinking Errors Do You Make? builds upon
this new knowledge and understanding. It is a self completed
questionnaire that encourages participants to reflect upon the
thinking errors they make.
Session Aims and Objectives
Understanding what an automatic thought is
Learn about common types of thinking errors
Understand what a negative trap is and how it applies to you
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Session Plan
Welcome: set agenda for the session.
Feedback: from the previous week/homework
activity.Encourage sharing of good ideas and success
Introduce topic Thoughts and Types of Thinking : Discuss
different types of thinking using the introductory section on
automatic thoughts and the cognitive triad of view of self,
others and the future.
Introduce thinking errors:Using the Thinking Errors handouts
the idea of common types of unhelpful thinking is introduced.
Activity 1: The Negative Trap cycle Facilitators can
demonstrate an example first and work through the Sam
example. The group should then fill in their own examples.
They may then present these to the group if they wish.
Activity 2: What Are They Thinking? worksheets. Encourage
participant to fill in the thought bubbles either by drawing apicture or writing a sentence. The scenarios should represent a
variety of emotions
Home Activity
Self assessment questionnaire: What thinking errors do you make?
Encourage the participant to look at their own thinking errors as theirhomework. This will be useful to help them see what type of thinking
errors they usually make
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Home Activity Feedback
What did you learn or notice from your homework this week?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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Thoughts and Types of Thinking
Automatic Thoughts
Thoughts that quickly pop into your head throughout the day arecalled automatic thoughts. They provide you with a running
commentary about what happens and what you do. We have these
thoughts all the time, and they are important because they affect
what we do and how we feel.
Being asked to complete your coursework may trigger
automatic thoughts like: I dont know what to do, This isnt
good enough or Im not sure that they want more than this.
Failing your driving test may result in automatic thoughts like:
I really screwed this up, Ill never be able to drive or I
knew I wouldnt be able to do it.
A relationship ending may result in automatic thoughts like: I
knew this wouldnt last, it never does, He/she was just making
fun of me or Ill never get another boyfriend/girlfriend.
Me, What I Do and My Future
The automatic thoughts we are most interested in are those that are
about you. They might be about any of the following:
How you see yourself:
- Im clever- Im not very good at getting on with people
- Im good-looking
The way you judge yourself:
- Everything I do goes wrong
- Im hopeless at sport
- I did really well in my maths test
The way you see the future:
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- One day Ill settle down
- Im never going to be happy
- There are plenty of things I can do when I leave school
These are the building blocks that form the overall picture of how you
see yourself. These thoughts shape what you think about yourself,how you judge what you do, and what you expect will happen in the
future.
These thoughts can be positive:
I played well in that game
I had a really nice time with my friends tonightMike seems to like me
These positive thoughts might encourage you to:Continue training and playing sport
Make another arrangement to go out with your friends
Invite Mike round and spend more time with him
Automatic thoughts can also be negative:
Thats the worst Ive ever played
None of my friends are talking to me tonight
Im not sure, but I dont think Mike likes me
Negative automatic thoughts might make you stop or avoid doing
things. You might start to:
Miss training sessions
Become less interested in going out and seeing friends
Avoid going to places if you know that Mike might be there
We have a mixture of negative and positive automatic thoughts. Most
people are able to see both sides and end up making balanced decisions
and judgements.
Others find it harder to think about things positively. They seem to
look through negative glasses and will only see and hear the things
that are not right.
Their thoughts tend to be very negative
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They find it hard to think, hear or see anything good about
themselves
They do not recognise any positive skills
They have a gloomy view about their future and do not believe
that they could be successful
For some people, this way of thinking takes over. Their automatic
thoughts become mainly negative.
Thinking Errors
We have begun to see that some of our hot automatic thoughts are
not helpful. They may make us feel unpleasant or prevent us from
doing things. The problem with negative automatic thoughts is that
they continue to go round and round in our heads and we seldom stop
to challenge or question them. In fact, we do the opposite the more
we hear them, the more we believe them, and the more we look for
evidence or select things to prove them.
These are thinking errors. There are six common types of thinking
errors that we make.
1. The Downers
With these types of errors we focus only on the negative things that
happen. We only see the things that go wrong or that arent right.
Anything positive is overlooked, disbelieved or thought to be
unimportant. There are two common types of downers:
Negative glassesNegative glasses only let you see one part of what happens the
negative part!
If you have a good time, or if nice things happen, the negative glasses
will still find the things that went wrong or werent quite good enough.
It is these negative things that you notice and remember most.
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You may have had a really good day out with your friends, but at
lunchtime your favourite cafe was full. When you are asked whether
you had a good time, you reply No, we couldnt get into the cafe.
Positive doesnt countWith this thinking error, anything positive is dismissed as unimportant
or else discredited.
The person who hears that a boy or girl wants to go out with them may
think: They probably cant find anyone else to go out with.
Doing well in a maths test may be discounted as you think: But it was
easy we learned all that last year.
2. Blowing things up
The second type of thinking errors are those when negative things are
blown up and become bigger than they really are. This happens in
three main ways:
All-or-nothing thinking
Everything is seen in all-or-nothing terms. It is either boiling hot or
freezing cold, and there doesnt seem to be anything in between.
You may have a disagreement with your best friend and think to
yourself: Thats it youre not my friend any more.
If you fall short of perfect, then you see yourself as a total failure.
Getting 72% in a maths test may cause someone to think I never getanything right Im going to give up maths.
Magnifying the negative
With this thinking error, the importance of things that happen is
exaggerated. Negative events are magnified and blown up out of all
proportion.
I forgot his name and everyone was looking at me and laughing at me
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I dropped my book and the whole class was watching me
Snowballing
With this thinking error, a single event or upset snowballs and quickly
grows into a never-ending pattern of defeat. The first grey cloud inthe sky becomes evidence of an approaching thunderstorm.
Not being picked for the sports team could result in thoughts such as
Im no good at sports, I cant understand maths, I just cant do
anything.
3. Predicting failure
Another type of thinking error is about what we expect will happen.
These types of errors often predict failure and make us expect the
worse. This can happen in two main ways:
The mind-reader
With this thinking error, the person thinks that they know what
everyone else is thinking.
I know she doesnt like me.
I bet everyone is laughing at me.
The fortune-teller
With this thinking error, the person thinks that they know what will
happen.
If we go out, Ill end up sitting on my own.
I know Im not going to be able to do this work.
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4. Feeling thoughts
With this thinking error our emotions become very strong and cloud
the way in which we actually think and see things. What we think
depends on how we feel, not on what actually happens.
Emotional reasoning
Because you feel bad, sad and down, then you assume that everything
else is, too. Your emotions take over and colour the way in which you
think.
Dustbin labels
You attach a label to yourself and think of everything you do in theseterms.
Im just a loser
Its me, Im just hopeless
Im rubbish
5. Setting yourself up to fail
This error is about the standards and expectations that we set
ourselves. Often our targets are too high, and we never seem to
achieve them. We set ourselves up to fail. We become very aware of
our failings and the things we have not done. These thoughts often
start with words such as:
I shouldI must
I shouldnt
I cant
They result in us setting impossible standards, which we cant achieve.
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6. Blame me!
At other times we feel responsible for the negative things that
happen, even though we have no control over them. Everything that
goes wrong is down to us!
As soon as I got on the bus, it broke down.
If your friend doesnt see you and walks past without talking to you,
you may think I must have said something to upset him.
Remember!
It is important to remember that everyone makes these errors at
some stage. The problem starts when they happen regularly and
when they prevent you from making real choices about the things
you can or want to do in your life.
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Activity 1: The Negative Trap
Confirm your
failure
Negative
thoughts
Create doubts/
worries
Produce
unpleasant
feelings
Make you feel sad,
depressed, anxious and
uptight
Feels
disinterested &
unmotivated
Affect what
you do
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Sams Negative Trap
My exam went
really badly
Im going to fail
my exam
Im never going to
get into Uni and my
family will think Im a
failure
I dont like myself
for letting my
family down
I feel upset and tearful
thinking about it
I cant be
bothered to revise
if Im going to fail
anyway
Im not in the
mood to go to
school or do any
work
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My Negative Trap
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Activity 2: What Are They Thinking?
Look at the pictures of young people in different scenarios.Imagine you are in their position.What would their automatic thoughts be?
Having fun with
friendsFailing an essay
Seeing a younger child being bullied
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What Are They Thinking?
Doing your favourite
hobby
Being given a present
Being left out by friends
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Home Activity:What Thinking Errors Do You Make?
The downers1. How often do you find yourself looking for the bad things that
happen?
Never Sometimes Often All of the time
2. How often do you find yourself looking for the things that gowrong or which arent quite good enough?
Never Sometimes Often All of the time
3. How often do you ignore or overlook the positive or good thingsthat happen?
Never Sometimes Often All of the time
4. How often do you play down the positive or good things thathappen?
Never Sometimes Often All of the time
Blowing things up1. How often do you find yourself all-or-nothing thinking?
Never Sometimes Often All of the time
2. How often do you magnify or blow up the things that go wrong?Never Sometimes Often All of the time
3.How often do single negative events seem to snowball intosomething bigger?
Never Sometimes Often All of the time
Predicting failure
1. How often do you think you know what other people are thinkingabout you?
Never Sometimes Often All of the time
2. How often do you expect things to go wrong?Never Sometimes Often All of the time
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Feeling thoughts
1. How often do you think that you are a stupid or bad person?Never Sometimes Often All of the time
2. How often do you think that you are a loser who can never doanything right?
Never Sometimes Often All of the time
Setting yourself up to fail
1. How often do you think that things are not good enough unless theyare perfect?
Never Sometimes Often All of the time
2. How often do you find yourself thinking that you should do this orthat?
Never Sometimes Often All of the time
3. How often do you find yourself saying I must?Never Sometimes Often All of the time
Blame me!
1. How often do you blame yourself for the things that happen or gowrong?
Never Sometimes Often All of the time
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Session 4:
Controlling Your Thoughts
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Overview
Participants are introduced to the idea of checking and testing
negative thoughts. This is designed to ensure that they have looked
for all the relevant evidence that thoughts are not distorted, and arebalanced and reasonable to the situation.
This process leads to cognitive restructuring, where on the basis of
the evidence; a young person identifies an alternative, more helpful
and balanced thought.
Positive Self-Talk and the Thought Thermometer are exercises
designed to check, test and evaluate negative thinking. Scaling is
reinforced within the thermometer and can be used to demonstrate
change and progress towards balanced thinking.
Jamies Day is an interactive group exercise which enables
participants to review their learning regarding cognitive evaluation and
restructuring. It is designed to be a group assessment of the progress
being made by participants.
Home activity Deal With It! is an exercise designed to reinforce
balanced thinking.
Session Aims and Objectives
Learn how to identify and challenge negative thoughts
What we should say when we talk to ourselves (positive selftalk)
Learn how our thoughts can affect our mood
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Session Plan
Welcome: set agenda for the session.
Feedback: from the previous week/homework activity. Discuss
examples of thinking errors and their consequences
Introduce concept of balanced thinking and controlling your
thoughts: Work through the handout using the questions that
you might ask yourself to test your balanced thinking
Positive Self-Talk - Abbies Story. This case study should
be introduced and used as the basis for a brief group
discussion to illustrate the principle of positive self talk.
Activity 1: Jamies Day. Review the case study together;
brainstorm what went well and what didnt, using the whiteboard
to capture the information. It may be useful for facilitators to
use spider diagrams (or other visual illustrations) to summarise
the good and bad points. Would Jamie describe his day as being
half empty or half full?
Activity 2: Thought Thermometer Optionally the thought
thermometer can now be used to demonstrate change and
progress towards balanced thinking
Home Activity
Deal With It: Worksheet to help participants appraise and evaluate
negative thinking. Encourage participant to complete handouts with:
One negative thing they might think about often
What they do to help themselves
Other things they could do
How other people can help them
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Home Activity Feedback
What did you learn or notice from your homework this week?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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Balanced Thinking
Often we become stuck in a negative trap and find ourselves making
the same thinking errors time and time again. The more we make these
errors, the more we believe our negative thoughts and the harder it
becomes to challenge them and see things in a different way.
In order to break out of this cycle, we have to learn to identify and
challenge our negative thoughts. By doing this we shall be able to gain
a more balanced view of what is going on.
Until you get used to doing it, balanced thinking can be hard.
The following questions might be helpful:
Q. What evidence is there to support this thought?
Q. What evidence is there to question this thought?
Q. What would my best friend/teacher/parent say if they heard me
thinking in this way?
Q. What would I say to my best friend if he or she had this thought?
Q.Am I making any thinking errors?
Think back to the previous session on negative thinking and ask
yourself:
Q. Am I having a downer on myself and forgetting my strengths?
Q. Am I blowing things up?
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Q. Am I predicting failure (mind-reader or fortune-teller)?
Q. Are these feeling thoughts (emotional reasoning and dustbin
labels)?
Q. Am I setting myself up to fail?
Q. Am I blaming myself for the things that have gone wrong?
Our thoughts have to be realistic. Otherwise we would be fooling
ourselves into thinking that everything is problem free and this just
isnt the case.
Remember!
Balanced thinking is not about rationalising your thoughts.
Balanced thinking is not about seeing everything positively.
Balanced thinking is about looking for new information that you
might otherwise overlook.
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Controlling Your Thoughts
We spend a great deal of time listening to our thoughts. Some of
these thoughts are negative and are about ourselves, what we do and
what we expect to happen in the future. As we have already found out,
we accept many of these thoughts as true without really questioning
them, particularly the negative ones.
We then become trapped
The negative thoughts become louder
It becomes harder to turn down the volume and hear other thoughts
The more we listen, the more unpleasant feelings we experience, and
the less we end up doing
We have started to identify some of our negative thoughts and to
learn about the types of thinking errors that we make. Looking for
new evidence to test these thoughts is important, and it will help us to
check that our thinking is balanced.
You can use the Thought Thermometer to test the strength of your
thoughts. How strongly do you believe them? Where would you rate
them on the thermometer?
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Positive Self-Talk
We are not always very good at praising ourselves for being
successful. Positive self-talk is a way of helping us to take more notice
of our achievements.
Instead of thinking Ive only answered on question Ill never
be able to finish all ten, use positive self-talk such as Thats
the first question finished now for the next one.
Instead of thinking No one talks to me when we go out, use
positive self-talk such as That was the first time Rory has ever
said anything to me.
Positive self-talk helps you to recognise that although things may not
be perfect, they may be better than you think!
Because everyone is different, people often
have quite different thoughts about things.
Some people always seem to see the good or
positive things in everything and everybody,
while others only seem to see the bad or
negative things in life. This can be described
as seeing the glass as half full or half empty.
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Abbies story
Abbie becomes very anxious and fearful whenever she goes out of her
house. She has lots of negative thoughts about what will happen, and
these make her feel very anxious.
Abbie decided to try coping and positive self-talk when she next went
out. Instead of listening to her negative doubts and worries, she
decided to think differently.
Before she went out she used her coping self-talk. Abbie said to
herself, Im going to do this today, it will be alright. I have been out
before and everything was OK. Im feeling relaxed, Im in charge and I
want to go out.
As Abbie walked down the road, she used her positive self-talk, with
comments such as, Thats good, Im halfway there, I knew I could
do it and Its going OK and I know Im going to do it. Abbie kept
repeating these thoughts to herself until she returned home.
After Abbie arrived home she remembered to congratulate herself
and thought, Well done, that wasnt so bad after all. She then
treated herself to a long, relaxing bubble bath.
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Activity 1: Jamies Day
Read through the story of Jamies day together.
Discuss the good and bad points of his day.
Using a whiteboard, take it in turns to brainstorm the positive andnegative things that happened to him during the day.
Did the positive parts of the day make up for the bad points?
At the end of his day do you think Jamie would describe the glass as
being half full or half empty?
Jamie woke up and looked at his clock. He had overslept; it was 8.30am!
Hurriedly, he leapt out of bed and threw on his school uniform. He was really
hungry but didnt have time to eat breakfast. He grabbed his school bag and
lunch and ran out of the door.
Jamie was running so fast along the pavement to school that he tripped over
a large crack and went sprawling. He felt a sharp pain and peered down at his
bleeding knees. Limping, he tried to hurry the rest of the way, but his knees
were hurting so much that they slowed him down. The head teacher was
walking across the empty school yard when Jamie arrived at school, and she
shouted at him to hurry up as he was very late. Jamie felt scared, as he
hated getting told off by the head teacher, and wondered if he would get
into trouble.
Mrs Rogers, Jamies form tutor, looked up sternly as he burst into the
classroom, but as she noticed his bleeding knees, she looked on more kindly.
She gently sent him off to the school nurse to look at his knees.
When he got back to the classroom, he got out his books for Maths and
rummaged in his bag for his pencil case, but realised he had forgotten it. He
didnt want to get in any more trouble today. He whispered over to Sarah,and asked if he could borrow a pen for the day. No, she replied, You
should have brought your own! Amy leaned over towards him, passed him a
pen and smiled. Thank you, he mouthed back at her, feeling relieved.
Right, get your homework out, his teacher told the class. Jamie looked up
in confusion. What homework? He couldnt remember any homework being
set! Everyone else was pulling their homework out of their bags so Jamie
pretended he was too and sat low in his chair, hoping that his teacher
wouldnt notice he didnt have his with him. Luckily, the teacher quickly
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moved on and Jamie felt relieved. Hed just have to catch up on the
homework tonight.
Jamie sat down with his two best friends at lunch time and began chatting
away. He was starving after missing breakfast and opened his lunch box
eagerly, expecting his favourite snacks to be inside. Instead his lunch box
was full of carrot sticks, salad and some really smelly egg sandwiches. A
group of girls walked behind where Jamie was sat. Urrrggghhh, whats that
stink? one of the girls said, I feel sick! The other girls started sniggering.
Jamie went bright red and quickly shut the lunch box lid. He couldnt believe
his mum could embarrass him like that! Especially as one of the girls in the
group, Tina, he had really liked for ages. Now she would just think he was an
idiot.
Lunchtime meant football practice, which was Jamies favourite part of the
day. He was an avid Leeds United fan and loved watching, reading about or
watching football. He pulled on his boots and wandered over to the pitch.
Umm, dont think you should really be playing Jamie, the captain said as he
noticed Jamie limping slightly. Pleaselet me play Steve, Jamie said, Ill be
fine. No, you should sit out today mate, Steve said, I need our best team
out there. Jamie slumped off and sat in the bench. He was gutted , as hed
been looking forward to the practice all morning. Stupid knees, he thoughtand sat looking glum. Halfway through practice Steve wandered over to the
bench. Go and give it a shot then Jamie, the teams not as good without you!
and smiled. Jamie jumped up and jogged onto the pitch. He wasnt going to
let some scratched knees ruin his game! He went on to score the winning goal
and the team congratulated him. He felt really good and quite proud of
himself.
The afternoons lessons dragged a bit and Jamie was glad when it was time to
go home. He shouted goodbye to his friends and ran out of school.
He jogged all the way home, but slowed down as he reached his street. There
was a big group of older boys huddled together at the corner of the street.
He crossed the street quickly to try and avoid them and kept his head down
so they didnt spot him.
These boys were well known at school for causing trouble and bullying
younger pupils. But it was too late. The oldest boy had spotted Jamie and
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shouted over to him, Oi you, what you looking at? Nothing, sorry, Jamie
muttered and carrying on towards home. Dont you walk away from me,
yelled the boy, Get over here! Jamie really didnt want to but knew that
this boy, Gary, had a reputation around school and he had heard stories of
him beating a lot of people up. He reluctantly crossed the road and wandered
towards the group of boys. They were all stood smoking and laughing, and
staring at Jamie who felt about two feet tall. Come here runt, Gary
laughed. Jamie approached him and Gary started sniggering. Where are you
off to? Just home, Jamie muttered. Come hang out with us, Gary said,
You dont want to be going home when you could be having fun with us! Im
ok thanks, Jamie said, My mums expecting me. Your mummys expecting
you?! Mummys boy! laughed Gary and the others joined in. Have one of
these, he said, and threw a cigarette at Jamie. No thanks, Jamie said,
trying to sound confident, although inside he was really scared. Just smokeit, Gary snarled. I dont want to, Jamie said and tried to back away. Gary
lunged towards him and Jamie thought he was about to hit him. Leave him
alone Gaz, piped up one the other boys. Yeah, dont bother, another
muttered. Gary looked around him at his gang of mates and turned and
walked away. The others followed, and Jamie felt so relieved. One of the
boys looked back and winked at him and he smiled back, then wandered home.
Jamie got into his house and found it was empty. His parents must have stillbeen at work. He went upstairs and collapsed down on his bed. What a
rubbish day, he thought, thinking back to being late, cutting his knees,
forgetting his homework and pencil case, being embarrassed at lunch, not
being allowed to play football and then the incident with Gary.
He lay back and thought about not bothering going into school tomorrow.
Itll save me some hassle, he thought, I dont want to face them all again
tomorrow. He turned on his Playstation and began playing to take his mind
off it all. Ten minutes later his phone began vibrating, and he picked it up to
read the text. It was Tina! He didnt even know how she had his number! She
was apologising for laughing at him at lunchtime, and asked if he wanted to
do something at the weekend. His heart leapt with excitement. He had liked
Tina for ages but had always been too scared to ask her out. He lay back on
his bed and began texting her back. Maybe he would go to school tomorrow
after all!
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Activity 2: The Thought Thermometer
Think of a thought you have quite often
How strongly do you believe this thought?
Where would you place this thought on this Thought
Thermometer?
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
I strongly believe it
I believe it fairly
strongly
I believe it a little
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Home Activity: Deal With It!Think of a negative thought that you have quite often.
Consider ideas or people that could help you to cope with this
negative thought.
My negative thought:
These are 3 things that help me to cope with my negative thought:
These are 3 new ideas of how I can help myself cope with this
negative thought in the future:
This is how other people could help me:
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Session 5:
How Do You Feel?
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Overview
Participants are introduced to affective education, which .aims to
increase awareness and understanding of different feelings. It helpsyoung people identify common unpleasant emotions such as anger,
depression and stress. In doing so, the relationship between feelings,
thoughts and behaviour is highlighted by reviewing the Magic Circle
from Session 2.
A key learning point is to educate participants about the connection
between feelings and situations or events that produce the most
unpleasant or difficult emotions. A number of different feelings can
be introduced through What Feelings Do I Have? and participants can
learn to identify their most common difficult feelings.
Sticky Situations is an exercise where participants can consider
what they would be feeling in different situations and links can be
made to changes in thinking and behaviours that follow. Recognising
the cues and signs of different emotional states through such
exercises is a key part of affective education in Thinksmart.
The word search activity Find the Feeling is a fun way to rei nforce
the importance of being able to identify and label different emotions.
How Do You Feel? is a home activity exercise designed to reinforce
the accurate identification and labelling of emotions.
Aims and Objectives
Understand how what you think affects how you feel and what
you do (the magic circle)
Understand how you can identify your feelings and become more
self aware
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Session Plan
Welcome: set agenda for the session.
Feedback: from the previous week/homework activity.
Encourage sharing of good ideas and success
Return to the Magic Circle from session 2. Check whether
the participants believe their strongest feelings are linked to
thoughts. Encourage participants to become more aware of how
they feel.
Activity 1: Sticky situations Encourage participants to
complete worksheets regarding thinking, feeling and doing.
Discuss the outcomes.
Activity 2: Find the feeling. Word search.
Home Activity: How Do You Feel? This worksheet enables
participants to identify feelings that are linked to places andsituations raising self awareness. Complete using coloured
pens/pencils.
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Home Activity Feedback
What did you learn or notice from your homework this week?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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The Magic Circle
Think back to the Magic Circle from Session 2. It will help you with
your learning in this session.
How You Feel
Each day you will probably notice yourself having a range of different
feelings.
For example, you could:
Wake up feeling anxious about going to school
Feel happy on the school bus talking with friends
Feel angry when your friend forgets to bring the CD you wanted
to borrow
Feel stressed about completing your history homework
Feel relaxed when watching TV at the end of the day
You will find that:
Some of these feelings will last only a short time
Others will go on and onSome will be so weak that you may not even notice them
Others will be very strong and seem to take over
Our first job is to find out more about the types of feelings that you
have. This is not always easy because:
We are not always very good at identifying our feelings
We often wrap all our feelings up together under one label
What ou do
What ou think
How ou feel
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Here are some questions it would be helpful to answer about your
feelings:
Q. What feelings do you have?
Q. What feelings are the strongest?Q. Where you are most likely to have these feelings?
Q. What thoughts go with these feelings?
What Feelings Do I Have?
Learning to identify your feelings is important, as it may help you to
learn how to control them. For example, breathing exercises may help
with feelings of anxiety or worry, but not with feelings of sadness.
Three of the strongest and most common unpleasant feelings are
stress, unhappiness and anger.
# Stress
When people feel stressed or wound up they notice a number of
different symptoms.
The signs of stress vary from one person to another but may include:
feeling sick
butterflies in the stomach
shortness of breath
sweating
legs feeling heavy or like jelly
going red in the facefeeling light-headed
fainting
aching muscles
your mind going blank
difficulty in making decisions
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# Unhappiness
Everyone feels unhappy at some time or another, but for some people
this feeling takes over their life and they end up feeling very
depressed.
They might find themselves:
regularly tearful
crying for no clear reason or over small things
waking up early in the morning
having difficulty falling asleep at night
feeling constantly tired and lacking in energy
comfort eating or losing their appetite
having difficulty in concentratinglosing interest in things that they used to enjoy
going out less often
Because these feelings produce some very strong physical reactions,
people sometimes end up thinking that they are ill or unwell. These
symptoms then become the reason why they stop or avoid doing things.
Im not sleeping and cant concentrate, so I have given up my weekend
job.
These physical reactions are very real, but you may not be unwell. It
may be part of a trap where your negative thoughts create these
symptoms. If you are unsure or want some reassurance, then check
this by talking with your doctor.
# Anger
Anger is a very common feeling and can be expressed in many
different ways:
shouting, yelling and screaming
swearing and threatening
throwing things
breaking things
slamming doors
hitting, kicking, fighting
wanting to harm oneself
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Feelings and What You Do
Feelings dont just suddenly happen. There is usually something that
triggers them. If you remember the Magic Circle, then you will
remember that how you feel will be affected by what you do and whatyou think.
You will have different feelings in different places:
At school you may feel anxious
At home you may feel relaxed
In town you may feel worried
You will notice different feelings when you engage in different
activities:
When watching TV you may feel calm
When talking with people you may feel anxious
When doing maths you may feel happy
When playing sport you may feel tense
You will also notice that you feel different with different people:
With your dad you may feel angry
With your best friend you may feel relaxed and confident
With your teacher you may feel happy
With your sister you may feel stressed
Feelings and What You Think
The way in which we think causes feelings:If you think that you have no friends, you may feel sad
If you think that you are disliked, you may feel worried
If you think that you did well with your homework, you
may feel pleased
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Putting it all together
If you put all this together, you will probably start to notice a pattern.
What you do How you feel What you think
Stay at home alone Sad Ive got no friends
Go out with Jim Happy We always have a
laugh together
Go to school Stressed Ijust cant keep up
with my work
Go clothes shopping Angry I can never find
anything that looks
good on me
Have a bath Relaxed, calm Its nice lying here
What you do
What ou think
How ou feel
Remember!
How we feel depends on what we do and what we think.
Try to identify the different feelings that you have.
Check whether your strongest feelings are linked to
particular thoughts or what you do.
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Putting Yourself Down
Low self-esteem (or self-opinion) can sometimes lead to all sorts of
problems with people around you. It can make you feel angry or upset
and also cause you to compare yourself negatively with others. You
might think other people wont like you.
One of the healthiest ways to be around others is to feel equal or the
same as others by being your real self not someone you think they
might like.
Learning to accept yourself can be hard, but one good way to learn is
to work on ways that you put yourself down, so that you are more realaround people.
Feeling Better About Yourself
We all rate ourselves all the time. We are good or bad, a success or a
failure, a winner or a loser. Just because we do this all the time
doesnt make it helpful though.
We need to try to stop giving ourselves overall general ratings all the
time. Things like Im no good at any subject at school, are labels we
give ourselves that suggest we are no good.
When we label ourselves in this way, we can begin to think quite
negatively (Im no good) and feel down. We might not bother to try
then, and say to ourselves, Whats the point, Im no good at it
anyway! Then we just feel worse.
Here are some examples of labels:
#Im weak #Im no good #Im crazy
#Im useless #Im bad #Im stupid
#Im pathetic #Im a failure #Im disgusting
#Im a loser #I dont matter #Im worthless
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Here are some ideas of how to deal with your labels:
Try not to use them! Every time you refuse to use them (inside your
head or out loud) you are improving.
If you use them, make yourself keep count put 5p in a jar, or keep
a note in your diary or on a chart. This will show you how often youuse them and remind you to stop.
Instead of using general labels (Im no good) just focus on what
part of you or what you do (or dont do) that you arent happy with.
Try replacing these general labels for ones that are more
accurate:
Unhelpful labels Different, more helpful ideas
Im weak I have strengths and weaknessesIm no good I have some really good qualities
Im a failure Im normal so I get things wrong and I get
things right
Im stupid I can do stupid things sometimes but that
doesnt mean Im stupid
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Activity 1: Sticky Situations
Situation 1
Your best friend hasnt done her homework and asks to copy yours.
You spent ages doing it the night before and worked really hard on it.