G N I K N I THmily TrHeeT FSTRAIG SeSSION 9 This session is dpted from the work of Dr.Gry O Reilly, UCD Session 9 Thinking Stright Pge 1
Lerning Objectives ful thinking tht To look t how we cn spot unhelp feelings nd behviour To look t different things we cn do to help mend this fulty wy of Fcilittors Notes Advnced Session / Alterntive Schedule Fcilittors should red through this session nd decide if it is too dvnced for their group. If it is, fcilittors my choose insted to do the following: Pick 1 2 of the wrm up/ trickle in exercises tht support focus on positive thinking. Do the thinking nd behviour exercise from this session to introduce bsic CBT. hs bd effect on our Undertke 1 2 of the mindfulness type closing exercises to support relxtion nd positive thinking. thinking Mterils Needed Pen nd pper ech for the prticipnts Print outs of worksheets t the end of this module Flipchrt nd mrkers Post-it notes (evlution forms) Length of Session Plese note tht this session is slightly longer (1 hr 45) nd so my benefit from being spred over 2 weeks. Cognitive Behviourl Therpy The importnce of developing the nlyticl skills presented in this module hve been proven to be helpful to both dults nd children in high-stress or difficult situtions. The fcilittor should hve working understnding of CBT. There re some very useful resources on CBT nd young people vilble on www.peskygnts.com / www.juvenilementlhelthmtters.com See the overview for fcilittors for some guiding notes on working through CBT with young people. Session 8 Thinking Stright Pge 2 Session Timetble Section Time Thinking & Behviour 15 Automtic 20 Thoughts Exercise GNATS 15 GNAT Control 15 Swotting Awy 40 Totl 2 hr
Trickle In p U m r W is erc es Closing Ex Tricke in, Wrm Up nd Closing exercises re suggested, lthough fcilittors re encourged to choose ctivities to suit their group. Trickle In/ Wrm Up: Smiley Fces Wrm Up: NA Closing: Being Present nd Positive Thinking & Behviour 15 mins This exercise is to introduce n importnt ide in CBT; the ide tht lot of the time, we don t pln or even relise wht we re thinking becuse it is utomtic nd cn hppen very quickly. AIM Instructions 1 Red this story loud to the group: Ritchie ws wlking to the shop nd herd group of young lds behind him lughing. Richie becme furious nd turned round nd strted shouting t them. He got in fight with one of the lds nd felt furious nd upset going home. 2 Looking t the story, s group, discuss the following questions: Wht did Richie think when he herd the lughing behind him? Why did he strt shouting nd get in fight? Could there be nother explntion for the group of young lds lughing? If Richie hd relised one of these other explntions, would he hve thought Cn nyone here think of time when the wy they thought bout something differently? Would he hve behved differently? How? (right or wrong) hd n importnt impct on how they? Session 9 Thinking Stright Pge 3
Automtic Thoughts AIM 20 mins The im of this exercise is to introduce prticipnts to the ide tht we hve utomtic thoughts tht re negtive nd cn hve negtive impct on how we understnd nd respond to situtions. Instructions 1 The fcilittor should write ech of the following words up in five res of the room: Automtic Hidden Twisted Unhelpful Involuntry 2 The fcilittor should highlight tht some of these words my be difficult, or hve lots of menings. The im is to use it s lerning experience, not to test nyone. Most people will be guessing wht they men. 3 In pirs, ech tem goes round to ech word. They cn either discuss, or use the Automtic Thoughts worksheet (pge 8) nd writes down, wht they think ech word mens. They cn only spend 2 minutes t ech word. This cn be done s prt of the whole group either. 4 As group, discuss wht the words men. The fcilittor cn help the group to clrify. Some suggested definitions re in plce: Automtic Pop into your hed without ny effort from you Hidden You don t usully notice them Twisted They re not true, or bend the truth Unhelpful They mke you feel bd don t help you to del with the sitution Involuntry You don t choose to hve them nd they cn be hrd to switch off Session 8 Thinking Stright Pge 4
gnats AIM 15 mins The im of this section is to look t how hving negtive utomtic thoughts cn influence your thinking nd behviour nd good wy to recognise these thoughts nd how they re influencing us. Instructions 1 Explin tht gnats re like little flies tht sting you into certin thoughts nd you usully don t notice being stung 2 When you get stung by negtive utomtic thought, or gnat, it cn mke you do or think mny different things. Hnd out the informtion sheet 7 Different Types of gnats (pge 9) with the group. As you go through ech of the gnats on the sheet, sk ll who hve done something like this before to stnd on one side of line nd ll who hven t to stnd on nother. You cn sk if nyone hs stories to shre. Session 9 Thinking Stright Pge 5
gnat Control 15 mins Discuss the following with the group: 1 The first thing you hve to do to control your negtive utomtic thoughts is set trp for them. There re three steps to this: STEP ONE: WHERE AND WHEN Think of ll the plces or situtions tht GNATs cn strike. STEP TWO: HOW We know tht GNATs re sneky, nd brief like: I m crp t everything My m htes me Nobody wnts to be friends with me STEP THREE: WHAT THEN? Strt to see wht effect the gnats hve on your feelings nd behviour. Wht re some of the negtive emotions tht they might mke you feel? Wht behviours might chnge s result? 2 As group, recll the scenrio t the beginning of the session, when Ritchie ws ngry with the lds on the street. 3 Hve red through Ritchies gnat Trp (pge 10) 4 All prticipnts should tke blnk Your gnat Trp (pge 11) nd fill it in from sitution they encountered recently. 5 Ask if nyone would like to shre, they my. Session 8 Thinking Stright Pge 6
Swotting Awy AIM 40 mins Prticipnts will finlly lern some techniques for swotting wy the negtive utomtic thoughts. Instructions This cn be done through sking four questions bout ech negtive thought nd filling in the SWIPE IT form either individully or s group. 1 Wht evidence do I hve for my negtive utomtic thought? 2 Wht other explntions could there be? 3 Ritchie might sy: I suppose they could hve just shred joke, or they could hve been lughing bout something completely different. I think I ws jumping to conclusions too quickly. Wht effect does the negtive thinking hve on me? 4 Ritchie might sy: Well I herd them lughing but there is no wy I know if they were lughing t me or even if they did it ws nything to do with my m. Ritchie might sy: I got relly depressed nd ngry. I ended up mking show of myself nd shouting t people tht I see round. I didn t go out for week fterwrds nd felt relly bored nd lonely. I need to slow down in these situtions nd not presume the worst. I don t wnt my negtive thoughts to hve bd effect on my life, my feelings nd my friendships. Wht sort of gnat did I swipe wy? Wht Ritchie might sy: I know tht I ws personlising nd jumping to conclusions. Session 9 Thinking Stright Pge 7
Automtic Thoughts In the boxes below, write wht you think the word on the left might men. Automtic Hidden Distorted Unhelpful Involuntry Session 8 Thinking Stright Pge 8
7 Different Types of gnats Nme: OVER-GENERALISING GNAT His sting mkes you think: If something bd hppens once, it ll hppen gin nd gin. Exmple: fter filing mths test, Jmie sys to himself I ll never be good t mths. Nme: SELECTIVE THINKING GNAT Her sting mkes you: Only focus on the bd prts of stuff. Exmple: At the end of prty t the youth club, with gret music nd food nd lods of fun, Jenny got into trouble for horseply. She told everyone wht terrible night it ws nd didn t point out ny of the good stuff. Nme: BLACK AND WHITE THINKING GNAT His sting mkes you: think everything is either good or bd, with no in between. Exmple: Jck s Dd told him tht he didn t like one of the lds he ws hnging round with nd Jck is furious becuse his dd htes his friends. Nme: PERSONALISING GNAT Her sting mkes you: put the blme on people for doing things to them, even if it wsn t nything to do with them. Exmple: Jonie tells Melnie she cn t come over tht evening becuse she hs to go to her Nn s. Melnie decides tht Jonie doesn t like her nd tht s why she s not coming over. Nme: JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS GNAT His sting mkes you: presume something, even if you don t hve nything to bck it up. Exmple: Alex cme home nd found money gone from his bedside tble. He presumed it hd been stolen by his sister Lorrine. Nme: PREDICTING THE FUTURE GNAT Her sting mkes you: presume ll the worst possible things re going to hppen. Exmple: Courtney sys tht her brother s never going to get off drugs. Nme: CHEWING OVER IT GNAT His sting mkes you: spend ll the time thinking over nd over bout something bd tht hppened. Exmple: Gry s mm told him tht he ws lzy before he left for school. Gry spent the rest of the dy thinking bout it nd being ngry bout it. Session 9 Thinking Stright Pge 9
Ritchie s GNAT TRAP Sitution I herd bunch of lds lughing on the street who were wlking behind me. Negtive Automtic Thoughts They re lughing bout my M Everyone s lwys gonn lugh t me Nobody respects me Bd Outcome: Behviours Bd Outcome: Feelings Feeling bd bout myself. Feeling depressed. Not trying to mke friends with people. Getting into fights. Session 8 Thinking Stright Pge 10
Your GNAT TRAP Sitution Bd Outcome: Behviours Negtive Automtic Thoughts Bd Outcome: Feelings Session 9 Thinking Stright Pge 11
SWIPE IT! 1 2 3 4 Wht proof do I hve for my negtive utomtic thought? Ritchie might sy: Well I herd them lughing but there is no wy I know if they were lughing t me, or even if they did it ws nything to do with my m. b Wht do you sy? Wht other explntions could there be? Ritchie might sy: I suppose they could hve just shred joke, or they could hve been lughing bout something completely different. I think I ws jumping to conclusions too quickly. b Wht do you sy? Wht effect does the negtive thinking hve on me? Ritchie might sy: I got relly depressed nd ngry. I ended up mking show of myself nd shouting t people tht I see round. I didn t go out for week fterwrds nd felt relly bored nd lonely. I need to slow down in these situtions, nd not presume the worst. I don t wnt my negtive thoughts to hve bd effect on my life, my feelings nd my friendships. b Wht do you sy? Wht sort of gnat did I swipe wy? Wht Ritchie might sy: I know tht I ws Personlising nd Jumping to Conclusions. b Wht do you sy? Session 8 Thinking Stright Pge 12