CBT Group Ideas for Adolescents

Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a psychotherapeutic treatment used by psychologists and other mental health practitioners. The Royal College of Psychiatrists report that CBT can be an effective treatment for adolescents with depression, anxiety, phobias, stress, eating disorders and other mental health problems. While psychologists can use CBT in an individual setting, group CBT sessions may help adolescents feel socially connected and improve symptoms. Groups typically include a small number of people with the same or similar diagnoses.

Sharing Information

• Most group sessions begin with members sharing basic information about themselves. This puts adolescents at ease and allows them to make personal connections with other members. Ask each member to describe where she grew up, her family situation, where she attends school and what her main interests are. After each member has been introduced, discuss the key symptoms of the mental health diagnosis that members share. Ask group members to share how they feel and what thoughts they experience. Sharing this information allows adolescents to understand that they are not alone in dealing with difficult mental health problems.

Journals

• CBT requires you to recognize problematic thoughts and behaviors that initiate or exacerbate your symptoms. Asking adolescents to keep a daily mood and thought journal requires them to attend to their cognitive and behavioral activities. Teach group members to recognize cognitive distortions, which are irrational thoughts. For example, thinking "I made a mistake, and he probably thinks I'm the stupidest person in the world" is a cognitive distortion. Ask adolescents to give examples of cognitive distortions and suggest ways that they might re-frame their thoughts.

Role Playing

• When an adolescent describes a situation that triggered cognitive distortions or unpleasant feelings, ask him to role play the scenario with another group member. Teaching members to modify their body posture, eye contact, speech and tone helps them foster strong interpersonal communication. Focus on identifying unhelpful thoughts or feelings and reinterpreting the situation in a more positive, stress-free light. Practicing basic social interactions makes adolescents with mental health problems feel more comfortable in social situations.

Relaxation Techniques

• Group sessions with adolescents are opportunities to teach basic breathing and relaxation techniques. Young people with mental health problems often become nervous or embarrassed in social situations, making them tense or anxious. Relaxation exercises help adolescents cope with difficult situations and calm their minds, relieving symptoms of anxiety, phobias, bipolar disorder, depression and other mental illnesses. Guide members through a relaxation technique in which they move through different body areas, tensing and then relaxing each muscle group. Ask adolescents to breathe deeply and slowly in and out to calm themselves and relieve tension.