Activity Title: You said What?!?

Source: Pringnitz Guerrier, T. (1992). Leisure education II: More activities and resources (pp.
281-282) (N. Stumbo, Comp. Ed.). State College, Pa.: Venture Pub.
Equipment: Dry-erase board or blackboard, handouts with 4 short skits that show examples of
impulsive social behaviors and a blank notes section next to each skit, a dictionary,
highlighters (optional)
Description of Activity:
The objective of the activity is to increase self-awareness about impulsive social behaviors as
well as methods to manage or reduce this type of behavior. The lead therapist begins by asking
participants what they think impulsiveness means, encouraging individuals to contribute to the
discussion. Contributions are written on the board. The dictionary definition of impulsiveness is
then read out loud and compared to the contributions. The leader then asks the group to give
examples of impulsiveness and why it is important to be aware of impulsive behaviors and to try
to change them.
Participants are then divided into groups of 3-4 (including 1 therapist per group) and assigned
one skit from a handout to rehearse for 20 minutes. Participants are then asked to perform their
skits in front of the group and the audience is asked to identify the impulsive behavior within
each skit and what could have been done instead to correct the behavior. These ideas are then
written on the board and participants are asked to write the corrected behaviors down in the
notes section of their handouts.
Leadership considerations:
This activity is good for groups of 12-16 in a classroom setting. A therapist to participant ratio of
1:4 is recommended. The lead therapist should encourage a discussion of ideas throughout the
activity and emphasize the importance of being self-aware and practicing self-regulation. It is
important for therapists to have a non-judgmental tone regarding the content. During skit
performances, therapists should side coach participants as needed.
Adaptations:
Individuals with Brain Injuries: If recall and short term memory deficits may make it difficult to
remember lines, participants should be allowed to read their lines out loud from the handout
rather than memorize their parts. Also, clients who have more concrete thought processing as a
result of their injury might require additional assistance for this activity. Highlighters may be
used to make it easier for participants to find their lines.

Activity Title: Feelings and Triggers

Source: Khalsa, K., & Leutenberg, E. (2002). Life management skills VII: Reproducible activity
handouts created for facilitators. Plainview, N.Y.: Wellness Reproductions & Pub.
Equipment: Feelings and Triggers Handout containing five circles with 4 arrows pointing
towards each circle, pens/pencils
Description of Activity: The objective of this activity is to help participants improve awareness
of their own emotions and the triggers that evoke them, to promote behavioral changes that
increase comfortable feelings and decrease uncomfortable feelings, and to promote healthy
self-expression. The therapist should open the activity with a discussion about how recognizing
feelings and what causes them helps in making decisions that will result in more comfortable
feelings and facilitate more life enjoyment. The therapist should then ask participants to think of
some of the emotions theyve experienced recently, positive and negative, and write them inside
the circles. Then, participants are asked to think about and write down the possible triggers of
those emotions on the arrows. The therapist should give participants a few minutes to complete
the handouts and be available to help and answer questions if needed. After everyone is done,
participants are asked to share their feelings and triggers and the therapist helps to facilitate a
brainstorming session about how what behaviors they can change to facilitate more positive
feelings and less negative feelings. The therapist should ask participants to write down their
behavior plans on the back of the handout and take the handouts with them.
Leadership considerations: This activity may be conducted 1 on 1 or in small groups. The
therapist acts as an educator and facilitator during this activity. The therapist should help
participants relate the information presented to leisure and recreation activities by using leisure
and recreation situations as examples as much as possible. The therapist should be aware that
some of the content may be emotionally disturbing to participants and be prepared to pause
and/or allow a participant to exit the session if they express severe discomfort. The therapist
should also explicitly disclose the topics of discussion during the introduction.
Adaptations:
Individuals with PTSD: PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can ensue following exposure to
inordinately distressing event (Gray, Elhai, and Frueh, 2004). In a recent program for veterans
with PTSD, enhancement of social and leisure functioning was emphasized as a necessary
agent of change, not just a pursuit that patient can engage in once PTSD symptoms have been
successfully treated, therefore patients were encouraged to seek out meaningful leisure
experiences during recovery (Gray, Elhai, and Frueh, 2004). In the context of integrated
treatment for PTSD, this activity should be centered on exclusively addressing the triggers that
are barriers to leisure participation.
Individuals with Substance Use Disorder: A study by Axelrod et al. (2011) found that improved
emotional regulation led to improved mood and decreased substance use frequency in women
with substance use disorders. According to Khalsa & Leutenberg (2002), addressing feeling and
their triggers is the first step towards learning how to regulate ones emotions. For this
population, the therapist might emphasize how positive emotions might be elicited by healthy
leisure pursuits.
Axelrod, S. R., Perepletchikova, F., Holtzman, K., & Sinha, R. (2011). Emotion Regulation and
Substance Use Frequency in Women with Substance Dependence and
Borderline Personality Disorder Receiving Dialectical Behavior Therapy. The

American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 37(1), 3742.

http://doi.org/10.3109/00952990.2010.535582
Gray, M., Elhai, J., & Frueh, B. (2004). Enhancing Patient Satisfaction and Increasing Treatment
Compliance: Patient Education as a Fundamental Component of PTSD
Treatment. Psychiatric Quarterly, 321-332. Retrieved from
http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jon_Elhai/publication/8164430_Enhancing_p
atient_satisfaction_and_increasing_treatment_compliance_patient_education_as
_a_fundamental_component_of_PTSD_treatment/links/0a85e53000a112c2ad00
0000.pdf
Khalsa, K., & Leutenberg, E. (2002). Life management skills VII: Reproducible activity handouts
created for facilitators. Plainview, N.Y.: Wellness Reproductions & Pub.

Activity Title: What Do You Do?

Source: Stumbo, N. (1999). Intervention activities for at-risk youth (pp. 27-28). State College,
PA: Venture Pub.
Equipment: Yoga or exercise mats (one per participant)
Description of Activity: The objective of this activity is to increase participants self-awareness
and knowledge of anger control and stress management techniques. This activity can be
performed 1 on 1 or in small groups in a classroom/activity room setting. The therapist acts as
an educator throughout the activity and facilitates meaningful discussion. The therapist arranges
mats on the floor in a circle with some space between each one. Once participants arrive, the
therapist asks them to sit on the mats in a circle and introduces the activity ad its purpose. The
therapist then asks participants to, one by one, share a time in the recent past when theyve
been angry. Then the therapist openly asks the group what they do when they become angry.
The therapist should prompt with examples if participants are hesitant to answer. The therapist
then teaches participants 3 different techniques for releasing their anger: Technique 1 tense
every muscle in your body for ten seconds and then release. Repeat this a couple of times;
Technique 2 Sit upright, close your eyes, and slowly count to 10 and then backwards back to
1; and Technique 3 Lay back on the mat and picture your favorite place or favorite food (the
therapist should ask everyone to name their favorite place/food during this exercise). The
activity ends with a debriefing discussion about the techniques learned and why its important to
release anger in a safe way rather than lashing out or bottling it up inside.
Leadership considerations: This activity may be performed 1 on 1 or in small groups of up to
8 participants. The therapist acts as an educator and facilitator during the activity. Also, the
therapist should be aware that some participants may not feel comfortable disclosing angry
moments. If this is the case, the therapist should instruct the participant to simply keep an
example in mind and allow them to continue with learning the relaxation techniques. The
therapist should encourage participants to behave respectfully towards each other and be
aware of any inappropriate behavior or bullying.
Adaptations:
At Risk Youth: At risk youth are often exposed to high-stress environments, therefore stress and
anger management is a common intervention for this population (Stumbo, 1999). The therapist
should make sure participants do not blame or accuse each other in their examples (Stumbo,
1999). Also, the focus might be placed on stress rather than anger management depending on
the needs of the group.
Young Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury: Injury to the brain can affect an individuals ability to
regulate emotional control (Gongora, McKenny, and Godinez, 2005). CBT strategies have been
shown to help teach emotional regulation to individuals with TBI (Gongora, McKenny, and
Godinez, 2005). When applying CBT strategies, the therapist helps individuals identify and
examine the validity of their thoughts as a precursor to engaging in a process of changing these
thoughts and emotions (Gongora, McKenny, and Godinez, 2005). It is, therefore, critical that the
therapist keeps a non-judgmental tone and environment and makes sure participants feel that
their feelings and opinions are valid.
Gongora, E., McKenney, A., & Godinez, C. (2005). A Multidisciplinary Approach to Teaching
Anger Coping After Sustaining a Traumatic Brain Injury: A Case Report.

Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 39(3). Retrieved from

http://js.sagamorepub.com/trj/article/view/974
Stumbo, N. (1999). Intervention activities for at-risk youth (pp. 27-28). State College, PA:
Venture Pub.