Evidence-based and effective clinical homework for adolescent clients and their caregivers

In the newly updated sixth edition of The Adolescent Psychotherapy Homework Planner, a team of distinguished practitioners delivers a time-saving and hands-on practice tool designed to offer clients valuable homework assignments that will further their treatment goals for a wide variety of presenting problems. The Homework Planner addresses common and less-common disorders—including anxiety, depression, substance use, eating, and panic—allowing the client to work between sessions on issues that are the focus of therapy.

This book provides evidence-based homework assignments that track the psychotherapeutic interventions suggested by the fifth edition of The Adolescent Psychotherapy Treatment Planner. They are easily photocopied, and a digital version is provided online for the therapist who would prefer to access them with a word processor. The Homework Planner also offers:

• Cross-referenced lists of suggested presenting problems for which each assignment may be appropriate (beyond its primary designation)
• Several brand-new assignments, as well as adapted assignments that have been shortened or modified to make them more adolescent-client-friendly
• Homework assignments for the parents of adolescents in treatment, assignments for the adolescents themselves, and assignments for parents and adolescents to complete together

An essential and practical tool for therapists and practitioners treating adolescents, The Adolescent Psychotherapy Homework Planner, Sixth Edition will benefit social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other clinicians seeking efficient and effective homework tools for their clients.

About the Downloadable Assignments xv

PracticePlanners ® Series Preface xvi

Acknowledgments xviii

Introduction 1

Section 1: Academic Underachievement 4

Exercise 1.A Attitudes About Homework 5

Exercise 1.B Break It Down into Small Steps 11

Exercise 1.C Good Grade/Bad Grade Incident Reports 15

Section 2: Adoption 18

Exercise 2.A Beginning a Search for Birth Parents 19

Exercise 2.B Considering a Search for Birth Parents 22

Exercise 2.C My Child’s Search for Birth Parents 26

Exercise 2.D Questions and Concerns Around Being Adopted 29

Exercise 2.E Some Things I’d Like You to Know 31

Section 3: Anger Control Problems 34

Exercise 3.A Anger Checklist 35

Exercise 3.B Anger Control 39

Exercise 3.C Stop Yelling 45

Exercise 3.D Thought Stopping 48

Section 4: Anxiety 50

Exercise 4.A Finding and Losing Your Anxiety 51

Exercise 4.B Progressive Muscle Relaxation 54

Exercise 4.C Tools for Anxiety 58

Exercise 4.D What Makes Me Anxious 61

Exercise 4.E Worry Time 65

Section 5: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) 67

Exercise 5.A Channel Your Energy in a Positive Direction 68

Exercise 5.B Evaluating Medication Effects 72

Exercise 5.C Getting It Done 77

Exercise 5.D Problem- Solving Exercise 82

Exercise 5.E Social Skills Exercise 86

Section 6: Autism Spectrum Disorder 90

Exercise 6.A Managing the Meltdowns 91

Exercise 6.B Moving Toward Independence 94

Exercise 6.C Progress: Past, Present, and Future 97

Exercise 6.D Progress Survey 100

Section 7: Bipolar Disorder 103

Exercise 7.A Action Minus Thought Equals Painful Consequences 104

Exercise 7.B Clear Rules, Positive Reinforcement, Appropriate Consequences 107

Exercise 7.C Medication Resistance 110

Exercise 7.D Mood Disorders Symptom List 113

Section 8: Blended Family 115

Exercise 8.A A Few Things About Me 116

Exercise 8.B Assessing the Family— Present and Future 118

Exercise 8.C Interaction as a Family 121

Exercise 8.D Stepparent and Sibling Questionnaire 124

Section 9: Bullying/Aggression Perpetrator 127

Exercise 9.A Apology Letter for Bullying 128

Exercise 9.B Bullying Incident Report 131

Exercise 9.C Factors Contributing to Bullying 135

Exercise 9.D Reasons for Rage 138

Section 10: Bullying/Aggression Victim 141

Exercise 10.A Calm Response to Verbal Bullying 142

Exercise 10.B Effective Ways to Manage Cyberbullying 146

Exercise 10.C Identify Impact of Bullying 150

Section 11: Conduct Disorder/Delinquency 152

Exercise 11.A Catch Your Teen Being Responsible 153

Exercise 11.B Headed in the Right Direction 156

Exercise 11.C How My Behavior Hurts Others 160

Exercise 11.D Letter to Absent or Uninvolved Parent 163

Exercise 11.E Patterns of Stealing 166

Section 12: Depression—Unipolar 168

Exercise 12.A Bad Thoughts Lead to Depressed Feelings 169

Exercise 12.B Becoming Assertive 173

Exercise 12.C Home, School, and Community Activities I Enjoyed 177

Exercise 12.D Overcoming Helplessness and Hopelessness 181

Exercise 12.E Surface Behavior/Inner Feelings 185

Exercise 12.F Three Ways to Change the World 189

Exercise 12.G Unmet Emotional Needs— Identification and Satisfaction 192

Section 13: Divorce Reaction 195

Exercise 13.A Impact of Parents’ Separation/Divorce 196

Exercise 13.B Initial Reaction to Parents’ Separation 199

Exercise 13.C My Thoughts, Feelings, and Beliefs About Divorce 203

Exercise 13.D Stop the Fighting 206

Section 14: Eating Disorder 208

Exercise 14.A Body Image 209

Exercise 14.B Fears Beneath the Eating Disorder 212

Exercise 14.C Plan and Eat a Meal 216

Exercise 14.D Reality: Food Intake, Weight, Thoughts, and Feelings 219

Section 15: Gender Dysphoria 224

Exercise 15.A Exploring Development of Gender Identity 226

Exercise 15.B Current Experience of Gender Identity 232

Exercise 15.C Gender Identity: Future Me 236

Section 16: Grief/Loss Unresolved 238

Exercise 16.A Create a Memory Album 239

Exercise 16.B Grief Letter 241

Exercise 16.C Honoring the Anniversary of the Loss 245

Exercise 16.D Memorial Collage 247

Exercise 16.E Moving Closer to Resolution 249

Section 17: Intellectual Disability 252

Exercise 17.A Activities of Daily Living Program 253

Exercise 17.B A Sense of Belonging 259

Exercise 17.C Hopes and Dreams for Your Child 263

Exercise 17.D Supportive Services for Your Child 266

Section 18: Loneliness 269

Exercise 18.A What Do I Value? 270

Exercise 18.B Practice Being Mindful 276

Exercise 18.C Fusing and Defusing: What? 281

Section 19: Low Self-Esteem 284

Exercise 19.A Maintaining Your Self- Esteem 285

Exercise 19.B Recognizing Your Abilities, Traits, and Accomplishments 289

Exercise 19.C Three Ways to Change Yourself 293

Exercise 19.D Three Wishes Game 296

Section 20: Medical Condition 297

Exercise 20.A Attitudes About Medication or Medical Treatment 298

Exercise 20.B Coping with a Sibling’s Health Problems 301

Exercise 20.C Coping with Your Illness 305

Section 21: Negative Peer Influences 307

Exercise 21.A Choice of Friends Survey 308

Exercise 21.B I Want to Be Like 313

Exercise 21.C Reasons for Negative Peer Group Involvement 316

Section 22: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) 318

Exercise 22.A Decreasing What You Save and Collect 319

Exercise 22.B Refocus Attention Away from Obsessions and Compulsions 322

Section 23: Opioid Use 326

Exercise 23.A How My Thoughts and Feelings Link 328

Exercise 23.B Am I Ready for a Change? 333

Exercise 23.C How Do I Live with Chronic Pain? 336

Section 24: Oppositional Defiant Disorder 338

Exercise 24.A Changing School Rules 339

Exercise 24.B Cooperative Activity 343

Exercise 24.C Filing a Complaint 346

Exercise 24.D If I Could Run My Family 351

Exercise 24.E Switching from Defense to Offense 354

Section 25: Overweight/Obesity 357

Exercise 25.A Developing and Implementing a Healthier Diet 358

Exercise 25.B Increasing My Physical Activity 363

Exercise 25.C My Eating and Exercise Journal 367

Section 26: Panic/Agoraphobia 370

Exercise 26.A Panic Attack Rating Form 371

Exercise 26.B Panic Survey 374

Section 27: Parenting 376

Exercise 27.A Evaluating the Strength of Your Parenting Team 377

Exercise 27.B One- On- One 380

Exercise 27.C Parenting Report Card 384

Exercise 27.D Parents Understand the Roots of Their Parenting Methods 387

Exercise 27.E Plan and Evaluate a Family Activity 391

Exercise 27.F Transitioning from Parenting a Child to Parenting a Teen 394

Section 28: Peer/Sibling Conflict 397

Exercise 28.A Cloning the Perfect Sibling 398

Exercise 28.B How Parents Respond to Sibling Rivalry 401

Exercise 28.C Negotiating a Peace Treaty 404

Exercise 28.D Why I Fight with My Peers 407

Section 29: Physical/Emotional Abuse Victim 411

Exercise 29.A Identify the Nature of the Abuse 412

Exercise 29.B Letter of Empowerment 416

Exercise 29.C My Thoughts and Feelings 420

Exercise 29.D Self- Esteem Before, During, and After Abuse 423

Exercise 29.E Take the First Step 426

Section 30: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 431

Exercise 30.A Describe the Trauma and Your Feelings 432

Exercise 30.B Describe Your PTSD Symptoms 435

Exercise 30.C Effects of Chronic or Long- Term Trauma/Stress 438

Exercise 30.D Impact of Frightening or Dangerous Event 441

Section 31: Runaway 443

Exercise 31.A Airing Your Grievances 444

Exercise 31.B Another Place to Live 447

Exercise 31.C Describe Life on the Run 450

Exercise 31.D Home by Another Name 453

Exercise 31.E Undercover Assignment 456

Section 32: Schizophrenia Spectrum 458

Exercise 32.A Describe Your Hallucinations 459

Exercise 32.B My Irrational Thoughts 463

Exercise 32.C Recognizing Early Warning Signs 466

Section 33: Sexual Abuse Perpetrator 468

Exercise 33.A Celebrity- Style Interview 469

Exercise 33.B Evaluating My Treatment Progress 473

Exercise 33.C Getting Started 477

Exercise 33.D Negative Effects of the Abuse 481

Exercise 33.E Your Feelings and Beyond 485

Section 34: Sexual Abuse Victim 489

Exercise 34.A Denial Within the Family 490

Exercise 34.B Letter of Forgiveness 493

Exercise 34.C My Story 497

Exercise 34.D Perpetrator Apology to the Victim 500

Exercise 34.E You Are Not Alone 505

Section 35: Sexual Orientation Confusion 509

Exercise 35.A Disclosing Same-Sex Orientation 510

Exercise 35.B Parents’ Thoughts and Feelings About Their Teen’s Sexual Orientation 514

Exercise 35.C Unsure 518

Section 36: Sexual Promiscuity 521

Exercise 36.A Connecting Sexual Behavior with Needs 522

Exercise 36.B Looking Closer at My Sexual Behavior 526

Exercise 36.C Pros and Cons of Having Sex 529

Section 37: Sleep Disturbance 531

Exercise 37.A Sleep Assessment 533

Exercise 37.B My Plan for Better Sleep 537

Section 38: Social Anxiety 540

Exercise 38.A Developing Conversational Skills 541

Exercise 38.B Greeting Peers 544

Exercise 38.C Observe Positive Social Behaviors 548

Exercise 38.D Show Your Strengths 552

Section 39: Specific Phobia 554

Exercise 39.A Finding a Strategy to Minimize My Fear 555

Exercise 39.B Gradual Exposure to Fear 558

Exercise 39.C School Fear Reduction 562

Section 40: Substance Use 565

Exercise 40.A Keeping Straight 566

Exercise 40.B Maintaining My Therapeutic Gains 571

Exercise 40.C Saying Goodbye to My Drug 575

Exercise 40.D Taking Your First Step 579

Exercise 40.E The Many Changes Necessary for Recovery 584

Exercise 40.F Welcome to Recovery 587

Section 41: Suicidal Ideation 590

Exercise 41.A No Self- Harm Contract 591

Exercise 41.B Painful Effects of Suicide 596

Exercise 41.C Past and Present Hurt— Hope for the Future 600

Exercise 41.D Symbols of Self- Worth 604

Appendix A: Alternate Assignments for Presenting Problems 607

Appendix B: Alphabetical Index of Exercises 631