ACTIVITY: Cup Communication

Purpose: This activity starts the conversation around communication, problem solving, and distress tolerance Materials Needed: For a group of 12, you will need: 18 plastic cups, 3 rubber bands, 12 pieces of yarn about 12 inches long Instructions/Steps: Ask the clients to get into groups of 4 (this will give you 3 groups of 4 …

TIP: Creativity in Group

Creativity is the spice of life. Infusing our groups with creativity can take a flat and tired curriculum and make it come alive again.  Being creative with lesson plans and utilizing all styles of learning keep our groups interesting, relevant, and impactful. Creativity on the part of the facilitator refers to the facilitator’s ability to …

ACTIVITY: (Not) Speed Dating

Purpose: This exercise helps build cohesion, gets clients interacting and helps with practicing communication skills. Materials needed: Anything that makes a loud enough sound to get the clients’ attention (e.g., a bell, a gong, a loud voice) Instructions/Steps: Provide the clients an overview of the activity by saying that the clients will walk around the …

TIP AND ACTIVITY: Shifting the Shape of Group and Stress-related Activities

One of the primary ways to keep groups engaged is to shift the shape of group every 15-20 minutes.  By this I mean that you are changing or shifting the modality you are using frequently so that clients are not drifting off.  For example, I might start group by doing a teaching piece about stress.  …

Activity: Values Reaper

Purpose: This exercise helps with values clarification, increases awareness of thoughts/feelings in the moment, and begins the conversation about locus of control. Materials needed: 5 blank index cards per client, pens Instructions/Steps: Have a discussion about values, both inner values – guiding principles (honesty, respect, kindness, integrity) and external values (family, friends, health, employment, finances, …

Group Agreements Activity

Purpose: This activity starts the conversation around establishing group norms Materials Needed: Sticky notes, pens Instructions/Steps: Hand each group member at least 4 sticky notes and a pen. Explain that in order for us to feel safe in group we often need certain agreements from ourselves and others. Ask the group for just one or …

Activating the here-and-now

Most often, activities or worksheets presented in manualized curricula reference “there and then” issues, meaning they ask the clients to use as a reference their past offenses or experiences.  This results in talking “about” the issues as opposed to actively working “with” the issues as they come up.  Further, numerous things distort the client’s conception …

Goals/Motivation: Commitment walk

Purpose: This activity can be used to explore stages of change, ability to change and can help clients with goal setting. Materials needed: None Instructions/Steps: Facilitator asks group members to line up according to their commitment to change – with one side of the room being a ‘1’ = “I really do not need to …

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