Coping Skills
What are coping skills?
Coping skills are techniques to help manage intense emotions!
What does sadness feel like to you?
....
What can I talk about in therapy?
What is the fastest animal on land?
A cheetah!
What are some examples of coping skills?
Deep breathing, journaling, talking about your emotions, distraction by doing something you love, dance/movement/exercise, art, yoga, positive affirmations, laughter, going outside/fresh air, spending time with loved ones/friends/family, etc...
True or false: some emotions, like anger, are bad?
False! There are no bad emotions and it is important to express our emotions. However, there are healthy and unhealthy ways to express each emotion and it is important to try your best to express emotions in a healthy and safe way!
True or False: What you say in therapy stays a secret?
True! Everything you talk about in therapy stays in the room unless the therapist feels you are in danger, or are a danger to yourself or others!
What animal can lift up to 50x its body weight?
Ant
True or False: all coping skills are healthy
False! Some coping skills are not healthy. E.g., breaking something, hurting yourself, anything that causes unwanted damage, leads to punishment, or puts someone in danger is an unhealthy coping skill
True! Emotions are not just in your head but also in your body.
True or False: My therapist will tell my parents what I talk about in session
False! Therapists communicate with parents in order to get more insight on your life and let them know how therapy is going, but what you say in session stays in the room.
What is the closest living relative to a t-rex?
Chickens!
True or false: coping skills work the same for everyone
False! We are all different, so different skills work better for different people. It is important to explore different skills to find out what helps you most!
What does anger feel like to you?
......
True or False: Therapy is only for bad emotions like sadness or anger
False! Therapy can be used to talk about hard emotions, but also positive emotions!
Which birds eye is bigger than it's brain?
Ostrich
True or false: Coping skills will always work?
False - Sometimes coping skills may not work, which means we need to try something different.
True or false: you can feel multiple emotions at once?
True!
False- You only have to tell your therapist what you are comfortable talking about. The most important thing about therapy is that you feel safe and comfortable. If your therapist ever asks you something and you do not want to talk about it, you do not have to!
How do sea otters keep from drifting apart when they sleep?
By holding hands