Build Positive Self Talk & Challenge Negative Thinking Counseling Activities

Do you have students who struggle with anxiety? Positive thinking doesn't come automatic to them, right? Many anxious students need to learn to spot and manage their negative thoughts first.

You will love that you can reuse these individual counseling activities. They are perfect for upper elementary and middle school students. Use them in CBT-based individual counseling or small group counseling.

This resource will help you

• teach students about different kinds of negative thinking.
• teach students to recognize and challenge negative thinking.
• show students how to replace negative with positive thinking.

HOW TO USE

Individual counseling is different with each student. This resource provides a variety of materials that to plan your sessions. You may not use all the materials with any one student, but will have everything you need to personalize it to them.

There are a number of activities you can do with students depending on their age, skills, and needs.

• Using the example negative thoughts, tell what makes it negative.
• Tell types of negative thoughts apart.
• Sort negative and positive thoughts.
• Determine which type of negative thoughts a student has and which they don’t.
• Have students create names for their negative thinking.
• Practice exercises to challenge negative thoughts.
• Take an example negative thought, match with an exercise, and change to a more realistic thought.
• Review Change Your Thinking Poster.
• Follow the paths for positive and negative thoughts to see what happens.

It is helpful for students to understand the difference between a thought and a feeling.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Guides

• Counseling Plan - for small group or individual sessions
• Guide - How to Explain the Connections Between Thoughts, Feelings and Actions
• Guide - Types of Negative Thoughts

Student Visuals & Activities

• Posters - Negative Thinking, Thoughts-Feelings-Actions, Changing Negative Thoughts
• Types of Negative Thinking Individual Posters
• Negative Thoughts Cards with Examples
• 42 Negative Thinking Examples and Alternate Positive Thoughts.
• 13 Strategies to Challenge Negative Thinking
• My Negative Thinking Plan
• Thought Journal
• Challenge Negative Thoughts Worksheet

Students will learn to:

• Understand the types of negative thoughts
• Recognize the negative thinking they have
• Learn strategies to challenge negative thinking

Need More CBT-Based Counseling Resources?

CBT Bundle - BUY together and save over 20% off 6 resources

CBT Activities for Individual Counseling

Positive Thinking Bundle

How Counselors Are Using This

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a great resource to help students better understand and navigate negative thoughts they might be feeling. We were able to really recognize and discuss what we are sometimes feeling. Excellent resource.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This resource is fantastic for helping students understand Automatic Negative Thoughts. We focused on how our thinking affects our feelings, and in turn changes the way we act. My 5th graders learned about the different types of ANTs...we figured out why it is so important to learn about them, because if you can recognize them, that is the first step to challenging them. Excellent resource.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I've used this product to help a student go beyond just being a "flexible thinker" but clearly identify which thinking error is taking place. It's a great, quality product that launches valuable discussions.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I used this resource in conjunction with the 'Challenging Negative Thinking Activities for Positive Talk' resource. It is so helpful in teaching my students how to recognize and challenge their negative thinking patterns, using a CBT-based approach. The language used was easy for my students to understand, and the clip art made it interesting and fun. I will definitely use this resource again, and recommend it to others.

FAQ

Can this be used for whole groups?

This is best used with individual students or small groups of students. It is designed for counseling sessions, but can easily be used by special education teachers or other support staff looking to address negative thinking.

What size are the materials?

All materials can be printed on 8x11 paper.

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