Opening Our Space: Your CBT Journey Begins

Teacher: "Welcome, everyone! I'm so glad you're here. My name is [Your Name], and I'll be facilitating our 'Navigating Your Mind' group over the next 10 weeks. This is a special place we're creating just for you – a safe and supportive environment where we can explore how to understand and manage anxiety using some really helpful tools from something called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT."

"To start, I'd love for us to go around the circle. Please share your first name and, if you're comfortable, one thing you hope to gain from being a part of this group. There's no right or wrong answer, just what's on your mind as we begin. Who would like to start?"

(Allow time for each student to introduce themselves and share their hope. Offer gentle prompts if needed, such as "Thank you for sharing that. It takes courage to speak up." or "That's a great goal for our group.")

Teacher: "Thank you all for sharing. It's really helpful to hear what you're hoping for. It reminds us why we're here and what we're working towards together."

"Now, for us to feel truly safe and comfortable sharing, it's really important that we establish some 'group norms' or guidelines for how we'll interact. Think of them as our shared agreements for making this space the best it can be."

(Display Welcome to Our Space Slide Deck Slide 3: 'Our Shared Space: Group Norms')

Teacher: "Looking at this slide, what helps you feel safe, respected, heard, and understood in a group setting? What rules or agreements do you think would be important for us to have? For example, how important is confidentiality, or listening respectfully?"

(Facilitate a discussion using Our Group Guidelines Activity. Write down 3-5 key norms on a whiteboard or flipchart as students suggest them. Guide them towards concepts like confidentiality, respectful listening, one person speaking at a time, 'I' statements, and the right to pass.)

Teacher: "Excellent! These are fantastic guidelines, and I think they'll help us create a really supportive environment. Thank you for building this together."

"Now, I want us to take a moment for a personal reflection, thinking about 'My Hopes for Our Journey.' This group is for you, and the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it. On the worksheet I'm handing out [referencing if a physical worksheet is used, or indicating it's a mental reflection/brief share], or just in your mind, I want you to think about this question: 'What specific challenges related to anxiety do you hope CBT will help you address, and what skills do you want to learn?'"

(Display Welcome to Our Space Slide Deck Slide 5: 'My Hopes for Our Journey')

Teacher: "Take a few minutes to think about this. You don't have to share your deepest thoughts, but having a clear idea for yourself can be really motivating. If you're comfortable, feel free to share one of your hopes with the group. Is anyone willing to share?"

(Allow 5-7 minutes for reflection and optional sharing. Encourage, but don't pressure.)

Teacher: "Thank you again for your openness. It’s clear you all have a desire to learn and grow, which is wonderful. To give you an idea of what’s ahead, I’ve put together a brief overview of our 10-lesson path. This will be our roadmap for the next few weeks."

(Display Welcome to Our Space Slide Deck Slide 6: 'What to Expect: Our 10-Lesson Path')

Teacher: "Over the course of these sessions, we'll dive into topics like understanding what anxiety really is, becoming 'thought detectives' to identify unhelpful thinking, learning practical calming techniques like mindfulness and relaxation, challenging those tricky negative thoughts, building a robust toolbox of coping strategies, and even learning how to gradually face fears. We'll also touch on healthy habits and how to maintain the progress you make. I've also provided a handout, Our CBT Journey Reading, that you can take home to review these topics in more detail."

"We're going to learn a lot of practical skills that you can use in your daily lives right away."

"To wrap up our first session, I'd like us to do a quick 'Cool Down' activity called Reflecting Forward Cool Down. This is just a moment to reflect on what we've covered and look ahead."

(Display Welcome to Our Space Slide Deck Slide 7: 'Ready to Begin?')

Teacher: "Please take a minute to complete this. Thank you all for your wonderful participation today. I'm really looking forward to our next session, where we'll start diving deeper into understanding anxiety. Have a great rest of your day!"

Our Group Guidelines Activity: Creating Our Safe Space

Objective: To collaboratively establish a set of group norms that ensure a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for all participants.

Time: 5 minutes

Instructions for Students:

As we begin our journey together, it's important that everyone feels comfortable, respected, and heard. We're going to create our own group guidelines – these are the rules we all agree to follow to make this space the best it can be.

Think about a time you felt really safe and able to share in a group, or a time you wished a group had better rules. What made it that way? What's important for you to feel safe and supported here?

Discussion Prompts (Teacher will guide):

1. Confidentiality: What does it mean to keep what we share in this room private? Why is that important for trust?
   
   
   
   
2. Respectful Listening: How can we show each other that we are truly listening and valuing what they say, even if we don't agree?
   
   
   
   
3. Speaking Up / Passing: How can we make sure everyone has a chance to speak, and that it's okay if someone isn't ready to share?
   
   
   
   
4. "I" Statements: Why is it helpful to talk about our own experiences using "I feel..." or "I think..." instead of talking for others?
   
   
   
   
5. Kindness & Support: What does it look like to be kind and supportive towards each other in this group?
   
   
   
   

Our Agreed-Upon Group Norms:

(The teacher will write down 3-5 key norms on a visible surface based on your discussion.)

Our CBT Journey: What to Expect

Welcome to "Navigating Your Mind"! Over the next 10 sessions, we will embark on an exciting and empowering journey using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to understand and manage anxiety. CBT is a practical approach that helps us connect our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, giving us tools to make positive changes.

Here's a glimpse of the path we'll travel together:

Session 1: Welcome to Our Space (Today!)

• Introductions and getting to know each other.
• Establishing our group norms for a safe and supportive environment.
• Understanding what you hope to gain from this group.
• An overview of our upcoming topics.

Session 2: Unmasking Anxiety: What's Happening in My Body and Mind?

• Exploring the physical, mental, and emotional signs of anxiety.
• Learning about the "fight, flight, or freeze" response.
• Understanding how anxiety shows up for you personally.

Session 3: Becoming a Thought Detective: Identifying Unhelpful Thinking

• Discovering how our thoughts influence our feelings and actions.
• Learning to spot common "thinking traps" or cognitive distortions.
• Practicing catching negative or unhelpful thoughts.

Session 4: Mindful Moments: Relaxation and Grounding Techniques

• Exploring practical strategies to calm your body and mind.
• Practicing deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness exercises.
• Developing a personal toolkit for immediate anxiety relief.

Session 5: Challenging Your Thoughts: Is That Really True?

• Learning how to question and reframe unhelpful thoughts.
• Developing more balanced and realistic perspectives.
• Practicing turning negative thoughts into more helpful ones.

Session 6: Building Your Coping Toolbox: Strategies for Every Situation

• Identifying and developing a range of healthy coping mechanisms.
• Exploring distraction techniques, self-soothing, and seeking support.
• Creating a personalized coping plan.

Session 7: Problem-Solving Worries: Tackling What You Can Control

• Learning a step-by-step approach to solve problems that contribute to anxiety.
• Distinguishing between worries you can influence and those you cannot.
• Developing action plans for manageable stressors.

Session 8: Facing Your Fears: Gradual Exposure to Anxiety Triggers

• Understanding the concept of gradual exposure.
• Creating a hierarchy of fears and developing small steps to approach them.
• Practicing brave behaviors in a supportive way.

Session 9: Healthy Habits for a Calm Mind: Lifestyle and Well-being

• Exploring the connection between sleep, nutrition, exercise, and anxiety.
• Discussing the impact of screen time and social media.
• Developing strategies for incorporating healthy habits into daily life.

Session 10: Sustaining Your Progress: Maintaining a Calm & Confident You

• Reviewing key learnings and celebrating progress.
• Developing a relapse prevention plan: what to do when anxiety returns.
• Identifying ongoing support systems and resources.
• Reflecting on your growth and looking to the future.

Reflecting Forward: Cool Down

Instructions: Please take a moment to reflect on our first session today. Choose one or two questions below to answer briefly.

1. One Word Check-in: In one word, how are you feeling after our first group session?
   
   
   
   
2. New Idea: What is one new idea or thought you had during today's session?
   
   
   
   
3. Looking Ahead: What are you most curious or excited to learn about in our upcoming sessions?
   
   
   
   
4. Takeaway: What is one thing you will remember from today's session?