Session 1 Instructor Script

Introduction and Icebreaker (5 minutes)

Teacher: “Good morning, everyone! Welcome to Session 1 of our Calm Minds Toolkit. I’m [Your Name], and I’ll be guiding you through practical skills to manage anxiety using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT.

Teacher: “Today, we’ll:

• Understand what anxiety is and why it matters
• Learn about the CBT Triangle (Thoughts ↔ Feelings ↔ Behaviors)
• Complete a quick thought record activity
• Play a fast-paced skills game to practice identifying Thoughts, Feelings, or Behaviors

Teacher: “To get started, let’s do a quick icebreaker. I’d like each of you to share one word that describes how you feel right now.

Teacher: “I’ll start: I’m feeling excited to begin. Now, let’s go around the room. Who wants to share next?”

Teacher: “Thank you all for sharing. I appreciate your honesty—it helps us build a supportive space.”

Understanding Anxiety (5 minutes)

Teacher: “Let’s talk about anxiety. Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress or perceived danger. We all experience it, and it can show up in our bodies and minds in different ways.”

Teacher: “Some common signs of anxiety are:

• Rapid heartbeat or ‘butterflies’
• Sweaty palms or tense muscles
• Restlessness or irritability
• Excessive worry or fear”

Teacher: “Can someone raise their hand and share a time when they noticed one of these signs?”

Teacher: “Thanks for sharing. When anxiety goes unchecked, it can affect focus, relationships, and even cause headaches or stomachaches. That’s why learning to manage it is so important.”

Introduction to CBT (10 minutes)

Teacher: “Now, let’s introduce the core idea of CBT. Please open Session 1 Slide Deck on your device or look up here on the screen.”

Teacher: “On Slide 3, you’ll see why managing anxiety matters. On Slide 4, we have the CBT Triangle, which shows how Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors are connected.”

Teacher: “In CBT, changing one corner of the triangle—like our unhelpful thoughts—can influence our feelings and behaviors, helping us feel better and act differently.”

Teacher: “I’m going to distribute the Introduction to CBT Reading. Take a moment to skim it and highlight anything that stands out to you.”

Teacher: “Great! Does anyone want to share a takeaway from the reading?”

Teacher: “Excellent observations. We’ll keep referring back to these ideas all program long.”

CBT Triangle Interactive Activity (7 minutes)

Teacher: “Next, we’re going to practice using a thought record. Please take a copy of the Session 1 Thought Record Worksheet.”

Teacher: “On your worksheet, write down a recent situation that triggered anxiety for you.”

Teacher: “Now, identify the three parts of the triangle for that situation:

1. Thought: What was the automatic thought in your head?
2. Feeling: What emotion did you notice?
3. Behavior: What did you do, or what did you almost do?”
   
   
   
   
   
   

Teacher: “Okay, turn to a partner. Share your triangle entries and discuss how these elements connect.”

Teacher: “Thank you for sharing with your partner. It takes courage to explore these moments!”

Anxiety Management Skills Game & Closing (3 minutes)

Teacher: “To wrap up, we’ll play a quick game. I’ll read a scenario, and you’ll shout out whether it’s a Thought (T), Feeling (F), or Behavior (B). Ready?”

Teacher: “Scenario 1: ‘I’m going to fail the test.’”
Students: “T!”

Teacher: “Scenario 2: Your heart is pounding before a presentation.”
Students: “F!”

Teacher: “Scenario 3: You skip a class discussion because you’re nervous.”
Students: “B!”

Teacher: “Excellent work! You’re already spotting the CBT triangle in action.”

Teacher: “Today we covered the basics of anxiety, the CBT Triangle, and practiced with a thought record. Next session, we’ll learn specific skills to challenge unhelpful thoughts and build calm. I look forward to seeing you all then!”

Session 1 Thought Record Worksheet

Instructions

Think of a recent situation that triggered anxiety. For each situation, fill in the automatic thought you had, the feeling it led to, and the behavior you took (or almost took). Use the spaces below to write your responses.

Feel free to add more rows if you’d like to practice with additional situations.

Introduction to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Do you ever notice that the way you think about a situation can make you feel better—or worse? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is all about spotting those thoughts and learning how to shape them so you feel calmer, more confident, and more in control.

What Is CBT?

CBT is a form of talk therapy that helps you:

• Understand how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected (the CBT Triangle).
• Recognize unhelpful or “stuck” thinking patterns (often called thought distortions).
• Learn practical skills to challenge and change those thoughts.
• Practice new behaviors that support healthier emotions and actions.

CBT is active and hands-on. You aren’t just sitting and talking—you’re doing exercises, filling out worksheets, and trying out new ways of thinking in real life.

The CBT Triangle: Thoughts • Feelings • Behaviors

Imagine a triangle with three corners labeled Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors. Each corner influences the others:

Thoughts
↗ ↖
Behavior Feeling

• A thought ("I’m going to mess up my presentation") can lead to a feeling (anxiety), which can lead to a behavior (skipping class discussion).
• A behavior (going for a walk when stressed) can lead to a thought (“I handled that stress well”) and a more positive feeling.

By changing one corner—usually our unhelpful thoughts—we can shift the whole triangle.

Common Thought Distortions

We all have thinking traps. Recognizing these helps us catch negative thoughts quickly:

• All-or-Nothing Thinking: Seeing things in black or white ("If I’m not perfect, I’m a failure").
• Overgeneralization: Making broad rules from one event ("I flopped once, so I always will").
• Mind Reading: Assuming you know what others are thinking ("They think I’m stupid").
• Catastrophizing: Expecting the worst ("If I fail, my life is ruined").
• Emotional Reasoning: Believing how you feel must be true ("I feel scared, so it must be dangerous").

In CBT, you’ll learn to spot these distortions and ask: “What’s the evidence for this thought? Is there another way to look at it?”

Why CBT Helps with Anxiety

1. Empowerment: You learn tools to challenge worry before it spirals.
2. Skill Building: Each skill—like deep breathing or thought records—becomes another resource in your toolkit.
3. Resilience: When you face stress or fear, you know how to respond instead of reacting.
4. Long-Term Benefits: Because you learn strategies (not just temporary fixes), you can use them throughout life.

What to Expect in This Program

Over the next 16 weeks, we’ll:

1. Dive into the CBT Triangle and thought records.
2. Practice anxiety management skills (like breathing exercises and grounding techniques).
3. Learn to identify and challenge common thought distortions.
4. Role-play real-life scenarios and play fun games to reinforce skills.
5. Track your progress in worksheets and share successes in group discussions.

By the end, you’ll have a personalized “Calm Minds Toolkit” full of strategies that work for you. Remember, CBT is a skill—so the more you practice, the stronger you become!

Let’s get started on your journey to understanding and mastering your mind. You’ve got this! 😊

CBT Triangle Activity

Time: 7 minutes
Materials: Session 1 Thought Record Worksheet, pens and paper

Purpose

Practice identifying and connecting Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors in real-life anxiety situations.

Instructions

1. Individual Reflection (2 minutes)
   • Distribute the Session 1 Thought Record Worksheet.
   • Ask students to think of one recent situation that made them feel anxious.
   • In the first row, have them briefly describe the Situation, then write the automatic Thought, resulting Feeling, and their typical Behavior in the corresponding columns.
     
     
     
2. Paired Discussion (3 minutes)
   • Pair students up.
   • In pairs, each student shares their worksheet entry.
   • Partners ask each other:
     • How did that thought lead to your feeling?
     • How did the feeling influence what you did (or wanted to do)?
     • Could you imagine a different thought that might lead to a different feeling or behavior?
     
     
     
     
     
     
3. Group Debrief (2 minutes)
   • Invite 2–3 volunteers to share one example from their pair discussion (anonymously if preferred).
   • Highlight how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors connect—and how changing one corner of the triangle can change the others.

Discussion Questions & Follow-Up

• What surprised you about seeing these connections on paper?
• Did you notice any common thought patterns (e.g., “Catastrophizing”)?
• How might you practice noticing automatic thoughts next time you feel anxious?

Use student examples to reinforce that everyone experiences these connections—and that awareness is the first step toward change.

Anxiety Management Skills Game Instructions

Time: 3 minutes
Materials: None (optional: whiteboard and marker to track answers)

Purpose

Help students quickly identify components of the CBT Triangle (Thoughts, Feelings, Behaviors) in real-life scenarios. This fast-paced game reinforces their understanding and keeps energy high.

Setup

• Explain that you will read short statements.
• Students respond by shouting:
  • T for Thought
  • F for Feeling
  • B for Behavior
• (Optional) Write “T – Thought | F – Feeling | B – Behavior” on the board.

Game Instructions

1. Teacher reads each scenario aloud.
2. Students call out T, F, or B as quickly as they can.
3. After each response, confirm the correct answer and briefly explain why.
4. Move through all scenarios, keeping the pace lively.

Sample Scenarios

1. “I’m going to fail the test.”
2. “My heart is racing before I start my speech.”
3. “I decided not to raise my hand in class because I felt embarrassed.”
4. “I always mess up presentations.”
5. “I feel a knot in my stomach when I think about tomorrow’s exam.”
6. “I walk out of the room when I get too nervous.”

(Feel free to add or swap in your own scenarios based on students’ experiences.)

Debrief (1 minute)

• Ask: Which type (T, F, or B) did you find easiest to spot? Which was trickiest?
• Reinforce: Recognizing these components quickly helps you catch and challenge unhelpful thoughts in real time.

Great job! You’ve practiced spotting Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors—and you’re already using CBT skills in action.