GENERAL FACILITATION GUIDELINES (READ FIRST)

Group Length

● 3 hours total
● Includes psychoeducation, discussion, activities, and breaks

Facilitator Role

● You are a guide, not a lecturer

● Do not force participation
● Normalize hesitation and ambivalence
● Redirect gently, not confrontationally

Safety Rule

If any client endorses safety concerns, pause curriculum and follow program safety protocol.

GROUP 1: COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS

Clinical Purpose

To help clients identify unhelpful thinking patterns that negatively impact mood and behavior.

OPENING CHECK-IN (15 MIN)

Facilitator Script:

“Let’s start with a check-in. What is one thought you noticed that made your mood
worse or increased stress?”

If clients are quiet, prompt:

● “It can be something small.”

● “Even a thought you had this morning.”

PSYCHOEDUCATION (30 MIN)

Teaching Points (Say This):

● “Thoughts are not facts.”

● “Cognitive distortions are habits, not character flaws.”
● “We learn these patterns over time, often to protect ourselves.”
Common Distortions to Teach:

● All-or-Nothing Thinking
● Catastrophizing
● Mind Reading
● Overgeneralization
● Emotional Reasoning
● Should Statements

Use neutral examples first (work, traffic, misunderstandings).

ACTIVITY 1: DISTORTION IDENTIFICATION (30 MIN)

Instructions:

1. Write 5 example thoughts on the board (or read aloud)

2. Ask group: “Which distortion fits best?”

3. Allow discussion—not debate

If disagreement occurs:

“Different interpretations are okay—the goal is awareness, not perfection.”

BREAK (10 MIN)

ACTIVITY 2: PERSONAL THOUGHT TRACKING (45 MIN)

Instructions:

1. Hand out paper or worksheet

2. Ask clients to write:

○ Situation
○ Automatic thought
○ Emotion

3. Walk around and support quietly

If client struggles:

“What was the first thought that popped into your head?”

GROUP DISCUSSION (30 MIN)

Discussion prompts:

● “Which distortions do you notice most often?”

● “How do these thoughts affect your behavior?”
● “How might they have helped you in the past?”

WRAP-UP (20 MIN)

Summarize:

● Awareness comes before change

● This skill connects to future groups

PRE-WRITTEN GROUP NOTE

Clients participated in a CBT-based group focused on identifying cognitive

distortions. Group reviewed common thinking errors and practiced identifying
automatic thoughts related to recent stressors. Clients engaged in discussion and
self-reflection to increase awareness of thought patterns impacting mood and
behavior.

GROUP 2: THE COGNITIVE MODEL / CBT TRIANGLE

Clinical Purpose

To teach the relationship between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

CHECK-IN (15 MIN)

“Describe a recent situation where your reaction felt automatic or intense.”

PSYCHOEDUCATION (30 MIN)

Explain:

● Situation → Thought → Emotion → Behavior

● You can intervene at any point

Draw triangle on board.

ACTIVITY 1: GROUP TRIANGLE (30 MIN)

Instructions:

1. Provide a neutral scenario

2. Ask group to fill in each part together

3. Correct gently if they confuse thoughts/emotions

Helpful clarification:

“Feelings are one word. Thoughts are sentences.”

BREAK (10 MIN)

ACTIVITY 2: PERSONAL TRIANGLE WORK (45 MIN)

Clients complete their own triangle.

If overwhelmed:

“You can keep it general—details aren’t required.”

ACTIVITY 3: BEHAVIOR EXPERIMENT (30 MIN)

Prompt:

“If you changed one behavior, how might the rest of the triangle shift?”

WRAP-UP (20 MIN)

PRE-WRITTEN GROUP NOTE

Group focused on understanding the CBT model and the interaction between
thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Clients practiced mapping personal experiences
using the cognitive triangle to increase insight into emotional and behavioral
patterns.

GROUP 3: DEFENSE MECHANISMS

Clinical Purpose
To increase insight into unconscious coping strategies.

CHECK-IN (15 MIN)

“When you feel uncomfortable emotionally, what do you usually do?”

PSYCHOEDUCATION (30 MIN)

Key message:

● “Defenses are automatic and protective.”

● “They are not character flaws.”

Teach:

● Denial
● Rationalization
Projection
● Intellectualization
● Avoidance

ACTIVITY 1: DEFENSE VS COPING SORT (30 MIN)

Instructions:

1. Read behaviors aloud

2. Group identifies: defense or coping
Discuss function—not judgment

BREAK (10 MIN)

ACTIVITY 2: SELF-REFLECTION (45 MIN)

Clients write:

● Defense they use

● What it protects them from
● Cost of using it

GROUP DISCUSSION (30 MIN)

Normalize insight and ambivalence.

PRE-WRITTEN GROUP NOTE

Clients explored common defense mechanisms and increased awareness of

automatic coping responses. Group discussed the protective function of defenses and
how they may interfere with emotional processing and recovery.

GROUP 4: STAGES OF CHANGE

Clinical Purpose

Normalize ambivalence and motivation changes.

CHECK-IN (15 MIN)

“What change feels hardest right now?”

PSYCHOEDUCATION (30 MIN)

Teach:

● Stages are non-linear

● Relapse = information, not failure

ACTIVITY 1: STAGE IDENTIFICATION (30 MIN)

Clients identify current stage.

BREAK (10 MIN)

ACTIVITY 2: STAGE-BASED NEEDS (45 MIN)

Small groups discuss:

● What support helps in each stage

PRE-WRITTEN GROUP NOTE

Group focused on the Stages of Change model. Clients identified their current stage
and explored barriers and supports related to behavior change.
 GROUP 5: COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING

Clinical Purpose

Teach skills to challenge unhelpful thoughts.

CHECK-IN (15 MIN)

“What thought do you wish you could change?”

PSYCHOEDUCATION (30 MIN)

Teach:

● Evidence for vs against

● Balanced replacement thoughts

ACTIVITY: THOUGHT RECORD PRACTICE (90 MIN TOTAL)

● Model example (20 min)

● Client practice (45 min)
● Review (25 min)

PRE-WRITTEN GROUP NOTE

Clients practiced cognitive restructuring by identifying automatic thoughts,

examining evidence, and developing balanced alternative thoughts to reduce
emotional distress.

GROUP 6: CORE BELIEFS

Clinical Purpose

Identify deeply held beliefs driving distress.

CHECK-IN (15 MIN)

“Complete the sentence: ‘Deep down, I believe that I am…’”

PSYCHOEDUCATION (30 MIN)

Explain:
 ● Core beliefs form early
● Often feel like facts

ACTIVITY: DOWNWARD ARROW (90 MIN)

Step-by-step:

1. Start with surface thought

2. Ask “If that’s true, what does it mean about you?”
3. Repeat until belief emerges

PRE-WRITTEN GROUP NOTE

Group focused on identifying core beliefs and understanding their impact on

emotions and behaviors. Clients practiced guided self-reflection to increase insight
into longstanding belief systems.

GROUP 7: DECISIONAL BALANCE

Clinical Purpose

Resolve ambivalence around change.

CHECK-IN (15 MIN)

“What change are you unsure about right now?”

ACTIVITY: FOUR-QUADRANT DECISIONAL BALANCE (2 HOURS TOTAL)

Quadrants:

● Pros of changing
● Cons of changing
● Pros of staying the same
● Cons of staying the same

Clinician role:

● Reflect
● Avoid persuading

PRE-WRITTEN GROUP NOTE

Clients explored ambivalence related to change using a decisional balance exercise

to increase motivation and insight into personal values and goals.
 GROUP 8: LOCUS OF CONTROL

Clinical Purpose

Increase empowerment and responsibility.

CHECK-IN (15 MIN)

“When something goes wrong, what do you usually blame?”

PSYCHOEDUCATION (30 MIN)

Teach:

● Internal vs external locus

● Trauma impact on control

ACTIVITY: CIRCLE OF CONTROL (90 MIN)

Clients identify:

● What they control

● What they influence
● What they cannot control

PRE-WRITTEN GROUP NOTE

Group focused on understanding internal and external locus of control. Clients

identified areas of personal agency and discussed strategies for increasing
empowerment and accountability.