Coping skills

This workshop is meant especially for staff in VET to learn more about promoting mental well-being. It is also useful in teaching students. You will find more material to use with students in the end of this page.

The goal of the workshop is to understand what coping skills are and how to teach them to students.

The structure of the workshop

1. Warming up: icebreaker excercise
2. Introducing the theme: emotions and interactions
3. Orientation and excercises
4. Closing the theme



1. At the beginning of the workshop, please carry out icebreaker exersice

2. Introducing the theme: Coping skills

Everyone faces crises, losses and sorrow in some point of their lives. They are a natural part of human life. There are many kinds of crises: developmental crisis is connected to growth or a change in one’s life that turns the direction of the path. All the changes don’t cause crisis but other people may feel them strongly and need time to adjust and cope.  Life crisis may be a result of a long lasting stressful situation like unemployment, divorce process or a long-term illness.  Sudden crisis is a result of unexpected incident that causes considerable distress and suffering. Students may feel different kind of loss in some point of their life.

Everyone reacts to crisis with their own way and everyone also has their own way to cope with the crisis. These coping ways and skills can be practiced and strengthened. Different coping skills help with the smaller setbacks and stress or a bigger crisis in life. Coping skills promote mental wellbeing.

You may use powerpoint-Material about Coping skills.

After going through basic information you may watch the video:

After watching video you may have discussion around these themes:

• What cause stress among your students? 
• How stress is shown among the students? 
• How can organization support the students in these kind of situations? What kind support is given? 

First discuss issues with your pair and then with whole group.

3. Orientation and excercises 

Draw a stress
Each participant draw a stress. Stress can be some stress/stressfull situation that they have gone through during their life. Drawing can be whatever drawing that present the stress. Drawings are introduced to your pair. Exercise may also be carried out with students. Students are also asked to draw a stress and you may go through pictures as a pair/class and have discussion what kind of stressfull situations youth have.

A video of stress
You may also watch the video of the different stages of grief:

4.  Closing the theme

Participant are asked to choose a picture of  the way that helps them to relax. You may use mood cards for this. In case you don´t have these kind of cards available, you may google "way of relaxing" and print pictures to choose pictures from. After participants have chosen cards, small discussion why participant chose this card. This helps participans understand their coping skills. Excersice may be carried out with students in order them to understand their skills of coping.


After you have received further information of the theme you may go through and test shared best practices. 

Materials

Survivor´s sails 
How to use Survivor´s sails? 
The aim is to introduce students six different ways of coping with trouble, sorrow or even crisis. Students realize their own ways of coping and become aware of the new ones. It names ways of coping and it can be used as a tool in discussing. It can also be used in a functional way.


Safety net
How to use Safety net? 
Safety net introduces people who can support a student at home, in school and in spare time. Student´s can name and draw their own safety net.


Role Playing -Stress
How to use the Role Playing? 
Stories and role play are good ways to have a discussion about coping skills. A story and cards are tools for this exercise about stress. 

  Role Playing -Grief
How to use Role Play- Grief? 
Stories and role play are good ways to have a discussion about coping skills. The power point show, story and the cards are the tools in this exercise about grief.


Handbag

      Handbag is a practice that helps to recognise your feelings and things that may stress you at the moment or need some change in life. It helps to get to know your self better and it's a tool for discussion and sharing thoughts with others.

Safety net 
Creating a net by saying positive things to group members. Students understands who are their safety net. 


Mandala
Mandalas are tools for meditation and increasing self-awareness. Mandalas can also help to deal with stress and difficult emotions. Many different cultures around the world use mandalas in their spiritual practices. 


Mindfulness practices
Mindfulness exercise is a way to pay attention to the present moment by using techniques like meditation and breathing. Practising helps to become more aware of your thoughts, feelings, body sensations and manage with them.  Mindfulness can give more insight into emotions and self-knowledge, boost attention and concentration, improve relationships and release stress.

Links

Mental Health Foundation: Mindfulness and mental health