Coming to Therapy
How do you feel about therapy?
Sometimes kids feel nervous about therapy, if they haven't been before. Some kids feel excited. Thank you for sharing your story!
Name some coping skills that you are aware of.
Thank you for sharing! Examples of coping skills are progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, use of stress ball, talking to friends or healthy adults, taking a break, eating a snack, drinking water, count to 10, read a book, draw a picture, color, music, etc.
Thank you for sharing! some common breathing exercises are box breathing, 4-5-4 breathing, color breathing, etc.
Are you familiar with challenging family situations?
Yes or no.
Describe some typical emotions you experience.
Thank you for sharing. Examples of emotions could be stress, annoyed, mad, anxious, sad, happy, excited, etc.
Do you think therapy is helping you?
Thank you for sharing! Sometimes therapy helps right away, sometimes it takes time. Talk to your therapist or parent about ways therapy can be helpful.
What is a coping skill?
A coping skill is a tool that you can use to manage emotions.
Tell us about a time when you used a breathing exercise and if it worked.
Thank you for sharing!
Tell us about a challenging family situation that you had to deal with or go through.
Thank you for sharing!
Why is it important to control emotions?
So that situations don't get out of hand. Sometimes kids say things they don't mean or do things that get them in trouble when they can't control their emotions.
What can you do if you are not comfortable in therapy?
Try talking about it to your parent or a safe adult. Try explaining to your therapist what makes you uncomfortable.
What is the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy coping skill?
Unhealthy coping skills provide instant relief, but have negative effects on the person or persons around them. Healthy coping skills do not always feel good in the moment, but they have positive long-lasting effects.
When are breathing exercises useful?
Whenever you feel a strong emotion, especially anger, anxious, stressed, overwhelmed.
Do you feel comfortable sharing your family situation with your therapist or a trusted adult?
Yes or no.
Why do we experience emotions?
Emotions are your brain's ability to protect you. It is the way we can tell if something is good or bad for us.
Why do you think you are going to therapy?
Thank you for sharing! There are several reasons kids go to therapy. If you don't know why you are going, talk to your parent or therapist.
This is when you change your thoughts to manage difficult or unrealistic emotions.
Thought reframing or challenging.
When should you practice breathing exercises?
You should practice breathing exercises a few times per week when you are in a calm state of mind and in a safe place.
How can you help a friend who is experiencing a difficult family situation?
Thank you for sharing. There are several ways to help your friend. Listening with out judgement, encouraging them to talk to a healthy adult, reflective listening, validating their feelings, give them a hug (if wanted), etc.
How do we control emotions?
Use healthy coping skills such as deep breathing, muscle relaxation, color breathing, talking to a healthy adult, friend, therapist, etc., counting to 10, taking a break or timeout, eating a healthy snack, drinking water, going for a walk, etc.
How do you know if you need to return to therapy after finishing therapy?
If you start experiencing similar problems or emotions to the reason you started therapy initially. Also, if start experiencing different problems that you don't know how to handle.
How do coping skills work?
Coping skills are used to manage difficult emotions or life situations by creating a calming effect in your brain and body.
How does deep breathing calm emotions?
Slow breathing can help change the way your brain works by creating a calm space for it. By creating this calm space for your brain, your nervous system calms down as well, creating a calming feeling in your whole body.
How would you handle if your one of your parents became violent at home?
Tell us about a time when you experienced a difficult emotion.
Thank you for sharing.