Week 1 – Anxiety Reduction and Relaxation Techniques
· Physiological, cognitive and affective symptoms of anxiety; how anxiety can mirror symptoms associated with anger
· Understanding Fight or Flight
· Understanding triggers associated with Anxiety (i.e. fear/Sense of Urgency)
· Understanding that the goal of anxiety reduction is not to get rid of anxiety but rather to reduce frequency, severity and duration so as to improve functioning
· Reduction Techniques
o Buddha Breathing with increasing difficulty over time
o Mindfulness
o Grounding/tapping
o Deep muscle Relaxation
o Meditation
o Worry Time
o Distraction (if most helpful)
o ACT – more resist the more it will persist
§ Singing – trivialises it
§ Leaf on a stream
§ Observer
§ I’m having the thought that XXXX
Week 2 – Identifying and Challenging Unhelpful Thoughts
· I think therefore I feel
· ABCD (cognitive heuristics) and cognitive reframing
Week 3 – Self Care Strategies
· SMART goal Setting
· Self Talk
· Sleep Hygiene
· Journalling
· Positive Event Scheduling
· Trauma Informed/sensorimotor practices, religious affiliations, and retraining the brain with the antithesis (i.e., anger/empathy)
· Writing a letter to the clients’ addiction
Week 4 – Identification of Inner Values to live a value-driven life
· Why values are important
· How values can inform sound decisions and avoid cognitive dissonance
Week 5 – Schema Based Therapy
· Attachment Styles and how these lead to maladaptive schemas
· Development of maladaptive schemas and their interpersonal impact
Week 6 – Open class to consolidate and Effective Communication strategies
· Ingredients to assertive communication including levelling, listening, validating and self-talk
