‘Managing Negative Feelings and The Stories We Tell Ourselves’ Intervention Workbook – Oxfordshire Youth Justice and Exploitation Service (January 2023)

Published:

Summary

Oxfordshire Youth Justice and Exploitation Service have shared their managing negative feelings and the stories we tell ourselves intervention workbook to use with children to develop emotional literacy and develop emotion and impulse management skills.

Description

Oxfordshire Youth Justice and Exploitation Service have shared their Managing Negative Feelings and The Stories We Tell Ourselves intervention workbook. The workbook is aimed at supporting children with their emotional literacy, develop relational skills and learn about emotion and impulse management.

Oxfordshire Youth Justice and Exploitation Service use the workbook with the majority of children, as support around managing emotions and learning about the adolescent brain is useful for all the children. However, the workbook is not used and should not be used with children with complex needs or that are highly traumatised, where they require more specialist therapeutic intervention or an alternative approach.

This workbook draws upon Albert Ellis and Windy Dryden Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) which explores the impact of individuals’ feelings and beliefs underlying behaviour.  It also brings in Timothy Wilson’s (2011) narrative approach, which is based on individuals understanding events through a ‘stories we tell ourselves’ approach.

The workbook focuses on anger in the core sessions but there are additional sessions at the end which explore other negative feelings such as anxiety and shame. The workbook covers:

  • Offence analysis and intro to cognitive behaviour therapy
  • Learning about feelings: anger
  • Stories we tell ourselves (beliefs and schemas)
  • Locus of control (can and can’t control) and unhelpful thinking
  • Coping strategies and self-regulation
  • Safety planning

Contact

Organisation:Oxfordshire Youth Justice and Exploitation Service
Name:Alison Brookman
Email:alison.brookman@oxfordshire.gov.uk