PBSIS Social Skill Lesson 4 1

SESSION 4: Relaxation Skills

Sections Materials Time

I. Review Homework N/A 10 minutes Activity

II. Relaxation Strategies Flip chart, markers, 15 minutes Relaxation Strategies Cards

III. Role-Play Activity My Trigger Map 15 minutes Handout

V. Homework Activity Homework Handout 5 minutes

NJ PBSIS (2014). NJPBSIS is sponsored by New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs in collaboration with 1 The Boggs Center, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. PBSIS is funded by I.D.E.A., Part B. www.njpbs.org PBSIS Social Skill Lesson 4 2

SESSION 4: Relaxation Skills

I. Review Homework Activity (10 minutes)  Purpose: Review assignments and reflect on the content covered during the last session.

 Review each student’s observed or experienced triggers and what happened after the trigger (specifically the student’s behavior).

II. Relaxation Strategies (15 minutes)  Purpose: Teach students skills to relax in challenging situations.

 Copy and cut up Relaxation Strategy Cards. There are cards for each relaxation strategy (i.e. counting, deep breathing and muscle relaxation). Each student should receive a card for each strategy.  TIP: Laminate cards and hole punch at top left corner. Students will receive cards for skills/strategies in subsequent sessions. Provide strong or a ring for students to hold all cards together.

 Topic introduction  We are going to be discussing ways to deal with your trigger situations. The first one we are going to learn is called relaxation. We are going to learn how to calm down and allow ourselves to make good choices. Remember, your triggers and feelings will still exist. We are going to learn how to calm down when we are upset (angry, embarrassed, sad) so that we can make better choices when we have these kind of upsetting feelings. We want to understand what our feelings are and make choices about how to best deal with them. When you are calm you can make good choices.

 All students, regardless of function of behavior, will benefit from instruction on the 3 relaxation strategies.

 Hand out Counting Cards to students.

 Counting Strategy:  When you feel yourself getting upset or feel like you might do something that could get you in trouble, try to take a short break in your head before doing anything. Count from 1 to 10 slowly in your head and then make a choice about what you should do (TIP: have students count 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi...to slow the count down). Make sure that you concentrate on NJ PBSIS (2014). NJPBSIS is sponsored by New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs in collaboration with 2 The Boggs Center, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. PBSIS is funded by I.D.E.A., Part B. www.njpbs.org PBSIS Social Skill Lesson 4 3

counting and try to get everything else out of your mind. Try to think about only the numbers. This is a great strategy because you can do it anywhere, anytime, and it is private.  Instructor models strategy.  TIP: Talk out loud the steps (i.e. I’m going count to 10 to calm down; 1, 2, 3; I feel calm now)  Practice counting as a group. Students can count out loud as a group.  As a group, brainstorm when they can or cannot use this skill.  Ask students: Why do you think this skill would be helpful?

 Deep Breathing Strategy:  When you feel yourself becoming upset, use deep breathing to relax. There are two very important steps to remember. First, take a slow, deep breath in, so that you bring air all the way down to your stomach. Second, slowly let the air out, while slowly counting to five in your head.  Instructor models strategy.  TIP: Talk out loud the steps (i.e. First, I take a deep breath and bring the air down to my stomach; Then, I’m going to let the air out, 1 2 3 4 5; I feel calm now).  Practice deep breathing as a group. Encourage students to talk out loud the steps.  As a group, brainstorm when they can or cannot use this skill.  Ask students: Why do you think this skill would be helpful?

 Muscle Relaxation Strategy:  Another strategy you can use when you feel upset and your muscles tighten is muscle relaxation. With muscle relaxation, you are going to make your muscles loosen. You are going to tighten and then relax different muscle groups in your body until your entire body feels relaxed (instructor should demonstrate tightened and relaxed muscles).  Instructor models strategy.  TIP: Talk out loud the steps. First, I close my eyes. I let my arms and legs rest comfortably. I tighten my feet and legs and make them really tight. I count to 5 – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Now I let my feet and legs relax for 5 seconds (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). The instructor should work up the body (stomach, arms/hands, shoulders/neck, face/head, whole body) doing the same thing.  Practice deep breathing as a group.  Now, you are going to try muscle relaxation. I am going to talk you through the process. Close your eyes. Let your arms and legs rest comfortably. Starting with your feet and legs, tense your muscles really tight. Concentrate on how your muscles feel with all the tension in them. Now we are going to hold this for 5 seconds (Count to 5 slowly). NJ PBSIS (2014). NJPBSIS is sponsored by New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs in collaboration with 3 The Boggs Center, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. PBSIS is funded by I.D.E.A., Part B. www.njpbs.org PBSIS Social Skill Lesson 4 4

Now stop tightening your muscles and let them relax. Feel how heavy they get. Notice the difference between the tense and relaxed feelings in your muscles. Stay relaxed for 5 seconds (count to 5 slowly).  Work up the body doing the same thing for the following body parts: - stomach/upper body - arms/hands - shoulders/neck - face/head - whole body  As a group, brainstorm when they can or cannot use this skill.  Instruct students that this technique is best practiced at night before they fall asleep.  Prompt students to think about when they can use this skill during school (i.e. different times and places it would be appropriate to try this skill, such as a counselor or nurse’s office, during breaks, etc.). Remind students that they need permission from their teacher and others (e.g., guidance counselor, nurse) to use this skill in set locations.  Prompt students to think about how they can modify this skill to use in class. For example, show students how they can sit in a chair and practice tightening some of their muscle groups (e.g., legs, lower body, hands) and it would not be obvious to others (remind students that when using this strategy in class, they would need to keep their eyes open).  Ask students: Why do you think this skill would be helpful?

III. Role Play Activity (15 minutes)  Purpose: To provide students with additional experience using relaxation strategies.  Ask students to identify a situation or trigger that makes them upset, frustrated, overwhelmed, or angry (You can have them refer to their My Trigger Map).  Ask for student volunteers to role-play the situation and the use of a relaxation strategy of their choice. The skill instructor may need to recruit additional student volunteers to help with the role-play.  Students may need lots of initial prompting on how to use the relaxation strategies. Encourage students to verbalize (self-talk) through each step and to use their cards.  Be sure to stress to students that using relaxation strategies correctly and effectively takes LOTS of practice!

IV. Homework Activity and Departure (5 minutes):  Instruct students to practice skills at home and in school when possible/needed. NJ PBSIS (2014). NJPBSIS is sponsored by New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs in collaboration with 4 The Boggs Center, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. PBSIS is funded by I.D.E.A., Part B. www.njpbs.org PBSIS Social Skill Lesson 4 5

 Handout Homework Sheet.

 Option 1: Instruct students that when they are upset and use a skill, afterwards they should fill out the sheet.

 Option 2: Instruct students that when they are upset and use a skill, they can draw how they felt before using a calming strategy and then draw how they felt after

Session 4 Homework Relaxation Strategies (Option 1)

What was your trigger? ______

How did you feel? ______

Circle the strategy used Counting Deep Breathing What strategy did you use to calm yourself down? Muscle Relaxation

Calming Phrase

Did the strategy work for you? YES NO

NJ PBSIS (2014). NJPBSIS is sponsored by New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs in collaboration with 9 The Boggs Center, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. PBSIS is funded by I.D.E.A., Part B. www.njpbs.org