About this resource
Different situations need different coping tools. This toolbox offers ideas across five types of coping: calming, distracting, moving, connecting and expressing. Young people circle what works, add their own and build a go-to list with support contacts.
Purpose
To help young people build a personalised set of coping strategies.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Youth workers. Also relevant for counsellors and therapists, educators and school support staff.
Client or participant group: Young people aged about 12 to 25.
Practice setting: Youth services, schools and group programs.
Suggested uses
- One-to-one support
- Group programs
- Wellbeing planning
- Following stressful events
Instructions for practitioners
- Ask what already works for the young person.
- Encourage a mix of coping types.
- Practise one new strategy in session.
- Follow safety procedures if self-harm or suicide risk is disclosed.
Instructions for clients or participants
- Circle tools that work for you.
- Add your own.
- Write your go-to list.
Accessibility considerations
Can be completed on a phone or as a collage.
Scope and limitations
A wellbeing activity. It does not replace crisis support or mental health care.
Research basis
Understanding, naming and choosing strategies for emotions are central to emotion regulation; putting feelings into words and finer emotion distinctions are linked to better regulation. Young people are more likely to seek help when they know where to go, trust the person and feel less stigma.
- Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion Regulation: Current Status and Future Prospects. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840x.2014.940781
- Kashdan, T. B., Barrett, L. F., & McKnight, P. E. (2015). Unpacking Emotion Differentiation: Transforming Unpleasant Experience by Perceiving Distinctions in Negativity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24(1), 10–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414550708
- Kircanski, K., Lieberman, M. D., & Craske, M. G. (2012). Feelings Into Words: Contributions of Language to Exposure Therapy. Psychological Science, 23(10), 1086–1091. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612443830
- Rickwood, D., Deane, F. P., Wilson, C. J., & Ciarrochi, J. (2005). Young people’s help-seeking for mental health problems. Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health, 4(3), 218–251. https://doi.org/10.5172/jamh.4.3.218
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced.
