Welcome to Club Courage!
Hi! My name is Lucia and I am excited to join Club Courage this September. Club Courage is a fun space for teens to connect, learn, and practice being brave with other peers. Each group will have a different fun activity that will help you learn to manage your anxiety. You can come every week or only once a month. I hope to see you Wednesday nights at 5pm!
— Lucia
Club Courage – Dates
9/20 – Skills Lab: Learn CBT skills and activities
9/27 – Brave Challenge: Fun group exposures with other kids
10/4 – Peer Connection: Share with peers about life with anxiety
10/11 – Skill Lab: Learn CBT skills and activities
10/18 – Brave Challenge: Fun group exposures with other kids
10/25 – Peer Connection: Share with peers about life with anxiety
This Month’s Theme is Imperfect and Brave
- Does it take you longer than necessary to finish an assignment because it is not perfect?
- Do you avoid or put off doing activities because of fears it will not be good enough?
- Are you your own worst critic?
You are not alone! A significant amount of people with high anxiety also struggle with perfectionism. This can lead to more distress and more problems in daily life. The activities at Club Courage will focus on learning how to be imperfect and brave. Club members will also have opportunities to talk with peers who struggle with perfectionism. They will highlight that it takes time and practice to change perfectionistic behaviors. Below are book recommendations and home practice ideas to help learn that it is okay to be imperfect!
Book Recommendations
- The Anxious Perfectionist: How to Manage Perfectionism-Driven Anxiety Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Clarissa W. Ong (former CBTeamer) and Michael P. Twohig
- The CBT Workbook for Perfectionism: Evidence-Based Skills to Help You Let Go of Self-Criticism, Build Self-Esteem, and Find Balance by Sharon Martin
- The Perfectionism Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Reduce Anxiety and Get Things Done by Ann Marie Dobosz
Home Practice Tips
- Plan Ahead
- Set specific and realistic goals
- Break down and prioritize tasks
- Set time limits on tasks
- Flexible Fridays
- Every Friday do something different – wear two different socks or brush your teeth after getting dressed or brush your hair a different way.
- Be Kind to Yourself
- Take a break
- What would you say to a friend who had a similar fear? Practice saying that to yourself
- Celebrate Mistakes
- Share a mistake at the dinner table
- Write your mistakes on Post-it notes
Staff Moments of Imperfection
“I forgot to complete a take home final exam.” — Moselle
“I got a 28% on a science test.” — Theresa
“I wore my shirt backwards for the whole day.” — Jackie
“I once bought a bunch of expensive watercoloring materials but not the right paper, so I painted on printer paper and dissolved all of it! Since I didn’t have watercolor paper, I used pastels instead and they ended up becoming my favorite way to do art!”— Remy
“I was asked on hole 2 out of 18 to stop trying out for my high school golf team because I was so bad. I was the only person who wasn’t allowed to complete the tryout, let alone make the team. I ended up doing tennis instead and met my best friend to this day.” — Adam
