Fly By Design

by Val

The intervention that I spoke about in my video assignment was a technique used in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).  This technique demonstrates how thoughts and feelings impact actions, and that by changing thoughts, it is possible to change behavior.  This therapeutic method can be used with children as well as adults, and in groups or working with individuals.

The Fly By Design activity is part of an evidence based curriculum developed by Dr.Harvey Milkman and Dr. Kenneth Wanberg (2005).  In this activity, participants make a paper airplane and fly it.  The instructor notes how far the plane flies.  After this, participants are asked to make a second airplane and are encouraged to modify it.  The planes represent thoughts and the distance represents actions taken.  Metaphorically, one’s thoughts control one’s actions, just as the plane design controls the distance that the plane travelled.  By changing the design (or thoughts), the participant is able to control the plane (or actions).

Reference:

Milkman, D. H., & Wanberg, D. K. (2005). Pathways to Self-Discovery and Change: Criminal Conduct and Substance Abuse Treatment for Adolescents. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Intervention to begin discussion for CBT with adolescents

This in an intervention I use with my clients to help them open up (a lot of them are anxious and won't talk), particularly in groups to facilitate discussion. Because about 99% of my clients have some type of anxiety disorder, we normally use CBT to treat it, and this intervention allows them to feel comfortable opening up and talking about their feelings. It also helps gather information about the client that they may not have normally told you (without the game).

References:

Masia-Warner C, Klein RG, Dent HC, et al. (2005). School-based intervention for adolescents with social anxiety disorder: results of a controlled study. J Abnorm Child Psychology, 33(6):707-722.

Verhulst F. (2001) Community and epidemiological aspects of anxiety disorders in children. In: Silverman WK, Treffers PDA, eds. Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Research, Assessment and Intervention. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press; 273-292.

The Stop Light Model: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

by Jessica

Depression will affect between 3-8 percent of the population by mid-adolescence.  Research supports CBT to be used with significant success with mild to moderate depression.  The National Institute of Mental Health has found that when treating major depression in adolescents with medication, CBT not only aids in a faster recovery, but also provides additional safeguards for those vulnerable to suicide.

CBT gives the adolescent a way of better understanding how their negative thoughts affect how they respond to different situations, and in turn, how they feel.  With the use of specific tools to change negative thoughts, youth are able to work their way out of depression.  One of the goals of CBT is cognitive restructuring which asks the client to identify his or her negative, unrealistic or unhelpful thoughts, evaluate evidence for and against these, and generate a more positive, realistic or helpful thought based on this evidence”

 This video gives one example of a CBT tool that can be used to aid in cognitive restructuring.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Medication. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2012, from Worry Wise Kids:www.worrywisekids.org/treatments/med_thrpy.html

Friedburg, R. D. (2009). Self-Instructional and Cognitive Restructuring Methods. In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Techniques for Children and Adolescents (pp. 121-128). New York: The Guilford Press .

Gledhill, J., & Hodes, M. (2011). The Treatment of Adolescents with Depression. Current Medical Literature - Psychiatry 22(1) , 1-7.

Labbe, C. (2007). Depressed Adolescents Respond Best to Combination Treatment. Retrieved July 15, 2012, from National Institutie of Mental Health: www.nih.gov/news/pr/oct2007/nimh-01.htm