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Emotion GPS

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Lesson Plan

One-on-One Emotion GPS Plan

In this 20-minute one-on-one session, the counselor and student will identify emotional triggers, track feelings using the Trigger Tracker Chart, and develop personalized coping strategies recorded in a reflection journal, aiming to enhance self-awareness and equip the student with practical regulation techniques.

This lesson builds emotional self-awareness and regulation skills by guiding the student to recognize triggers, reflect on their feelings, and practice coping strategies, fostering resilience and supporting academic and social success.

Audience

7th Grade Student

Time

20 minutes

Approach

Guided reflection, charting, and personalized strategy development.

Materials

Prep

Teacher Preparation

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up & Emotional Check-In

3 minutes

  • Greet the student and create a supportive atmosphere
  • Use the Navigating My Feelings slide deck to present common emotions
  • Ask the student to identify and name how they're feeling right now
  • Encourage a brief description of the intensity and context of that feeling

Step 2

Identify Triggers

4 minutes

  • Prompt the student to recall a recent situation when they felt the identified emotion strongly
  • Guide them to use the Trigger Tracker Chart to note:
    • The trigger event or thought
    • Physical sensations or reactions
    • The context (time, place, people involved)

Step 3

Coping Strategy Brainstorm

5 minutes

  • Introduce a variety of coping strategies (e.g., deep breathing, positive self-talk, movement breaks)
  • Invite the student to select 2–3 strategies that resonate with them
  • Have them record each chosen strategy on the Trigger Tracker Chart alongside the related trigger

Step 4

Reflection Journal

5 minutes

  • Provide the Coping Strategy Reflection journal
  • Ask the student to write about:
    • Which strategy they believe will be most helpful and why
    • How and when they plan to implement it in real situations
    • Any potential challenges they foresee and how to overcome them

Step 5

Progress Check & Goal Setting

3 minutes

  • Use the Progress Check Rubric to evaluate:
    • Student’s understanding of triggers
    • Selection of appropriate coping strategies
    • Confidence in applying strategies independently
  • Collaboratively set a specific goal for using the chosen strategy before the next session
  • Schedule a follow-up check-in to review progress
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Slide Deck

Navigating My Feelings

Today we’ll explore what emotions are, how they show up in our bodies, and check in on how you’re feeling right now.

Welcome the student warmly and introduce the purpose of this slide deck. Explain that understanding feelings is the first step toward managing them.

What Are Emotions?

• Emotions are signals that tell us how we feel about people, places, or situations.
• They can be positive, negative, or mixed.
• Paying attention helps us respond in healthy ways.

Define emotions in simple terms. You might say: “Emotions are signals from our brain that something matters to us.”

Common Emotions

• Joy • Sadness • Anger
• Fear • Surprise • Disgust

Show or draw simple faces for each emotion as you name them. Invite the student to share times they’ve felt each one.

Emotions in Your Body

Notice where emotions show up:
• Tight shoulders or clenched jaw
• Butterflies in your stomach
• Fast heartbeat or sweaty palms

Ask the student: “When you feel angry, what happens in your body? How about when you feel sad?” Encourage them to link feelings to physical sensations.

Rate Your Feeling

On a scale of 1 (mild) to 5 (very strong), how intense is your current emotion?

Explain the 1–5 scale clearly: 1 is a small feeling, 5 is overwhelming. Encourage honesty—there’s no right or wrong answer.

Your Check-In

  1. Which emotion are you feeling right now?
  2. Intensity (1–5): ___
  3. What’s happening around you that might be influencing it?

Give the student a moment to think and respond. Jot down their answers or invite them to share verbally.

Next Step: Tracking Triggers

We’ll now use the Trigger Tracker Chart to note your trigger event, how you felt in your body, and what thoughts went through your mind.

Introduce the next tool they’ll use. Explain that tracking triggers over time helps spot patterns and plan coping strategies.

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Worksheet

Trigger Tracker Chart

Instructions: For each situation where you notice a strong emotion, record the details below to help identify patterns over time.

Date/TimeTrigger Event/ThoughtPhysical SensationsFeeling Intensity (1–5)Context (People, Place)
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Journal

Coping Strategy Reflection

Use this journal to think about the coping strategies you chose and plan how to use them.

  1. Which strategy do you believe will be most helpful for you, and why?











  2. How and when do you plan to use this strategy in a real situation?






  3. What challenges or obstacles might come up when you try this strategy? How will you handle them?











  4. How will you know if this strategy is working for you? What will you notice?






  5. Set a specific goal for using this strategy before our next session (e.g., “I will use deep breathing when I feel stressed during math class.”):



  6. Any additional thoughts, questions, or ideas about using your strategy?






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Rubric

Progress Check Rubric

Use this rubric to guide the end-of-session check and set goals.

Criteria1 – Developing2 – Proficient3 – Exemplary
Understanding TriggersStudent identifies few or vague triggers and relies on prompts to recognize when emotions arise.Student identifies most triggers with some detail—names events or thoughts and notes basic physical or contextual cues.Student independently identifies multiple triggers in detail—describes event/thought, physical sensations, and context clearly.
Strategy SelectionStudent selects limited or mismatched coping strategies; explanation of choices is unclear or missing.Student chooses 2–3 relevant strategies and gives a basic explanation of why each might help.Student selects targeted, effective strategies tied to specific triggers and provides clear, insightful rationale for each choice.
Confidence/ApplicationStudent expresses low confidence, uncertainty about using strategies, and needs significant support to plan implementation.Student shows moderate confidence, outlines when and how to use strategies, and may need occasional guidance to refine the plan.Student demonstrates strong confidence, articulates a clear, independent plan for applying strategies in real situations, and problem-solves potential obstacles.
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