Think Smart Programme for Young People

8/22/2019 Think Smart Programme for Young People

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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.


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.


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


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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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?


3. How often do you ignore or overlook the positive or good thingsthat happen?


4. How often do you play down the positive or good things thathappen?


Blowing things up1. How often do you find yourself all-or-nothing thinking?


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?


Predicting failure

1. How often do you think you know what other people are thinkingabout you?


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?


Setting yourself up to fail

1. How often do you think that things are not good enough unless theyare perfect?


2. How often do you find yourself thinking that you should do this orthat?


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?



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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.


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


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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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


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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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.

Documents

Think Smart Programme for Young People