Taking the Escalator Articles

I’ve been running a lot of groups myself these days, and of course my favorite website for group activities is Taking the Escalator! It is great to provide education in group and to give group members opportunities to open up and really process emotions, trauma, recovery, and other important therapeutic issues. However, there are also times when the best thing we can do is simply give everyone an opportunity to feel comfortable, interact, share, and maybe even have some fun t

Why do people continue making choices they know work against their long-term goals? The answer usually isn't a lack of motivation. More often, it's that two competing desires are pulling in different directions. One side wants immediate relief, comfort, or gratification. The other wants something bigger; a healthier future, stronger relationships, personal growth, or lasting recovery. Tipping the Scales: Understanding Internal Motivation uses a simple balance scale metaphor t

Social media has changed the way the world communicates. Every day, people share updates, opinions, celebrations, frustrations, and struggles with the click of a button. Behind those posts are real people with real emotions, making social media an interesting and relevant topic for group therapy and a great format for generating group interaction. The Group Feed is a new interactive worksheet from Taking the Escalator that transforms the familiar experience of social media in

Life is often described as a journey, and for good reason. Along the way, we all carry things that make the climb more difficult. Stress, loss, trauma, addiction, anxiety, guilt, and self-doubt can become emotional baggage that weighs us down. At the same time, we also have people, strengths, and resources that help us continue moving forward. The Weight of the Journey is a new interactive group worksheet that uses this familiar metaphor to encourage self-reflection, meaningf

Using Values to Build Motivation Through Meaningful Discussion What would someone have to offer you to give up your favorite hobby? Lie to protect a stranger? Walk away from your biggest dream? Betray someone you love? Questions like these are at the heart of the new What's Your Price? group activity. At first, the activity starts like a game. Participants compete in a reverse auction by lowering the amount of money they would accept to do a series of funny, uncomfortable, an

All-or-nothing thinking is one of the most common cognitive patterns seen in substance use, mental health, and co-occurring treatment. It can lead people to believe that one mistake erases all of their progress, that setbacks mean failure, or that recovery only "counts" if it's perfect. The reality is very different. Recovery is rarely all or nothing. People can be struggling and making progress. They can have difficult days and continue moving forward. Learning to recognize

Every group includes participants with different personalities, comfort levels, life experiences, and readiness to share. Some enjoy speaking openly, while others need more time before they feel comfortable participating. One of the challenges of group facilitation is creating meaningful conversations without making participants feel pressured to disclose more than they are ready to share. Choose Your Depth was created to address that challenge. CLICK FOR VIDEO INTRODUCTION R

A counselor once asked a group a simple question: "What is the difference between going for a walk when you're stressed and having a drink when you're stressed?" The group quickly pointed out the obvious answer: one is healthy and one is unhealthy. But there was another answer hiding underneath. Both are distractions. Both help a person temporarily escape emotional discomfort. The real difference is what happens afterward. When people feel anxious, angry, lonely, stressed, bo

Trouble sleeping. Difficulty concentrating. Feeling overwhelmed. Low motivation. Many symptoms can have more than one cause. Click for Video Introduction For example, trouble sleeping might be related to anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, stress, or something else entirely. The symptom may look the same, but the story behind it can be very different. Understanding the difference has become increasingly important. As awareness of mental health, trauma, addiction, and

What would you be willing to pay for the life you want? Imagine you are given the opportunity to bid on some of life's biggest dreams and desires. A guaranteed soulmate. Perfect health. A long life. Fame. Financial wealth. A happy family. A meaningful purpose. You cannot buy everything. You must choose. That is the premise behind Dreams for Sale, a new interactive group activity designed to help participants explore what matters most to them while having fun in the process. A

One of the most important lessons we learn in behavioral health is that appearances can be deceiving. The person who seems calm may be battling severe anxiety. The person who looks successful may be carrying overwhelming shame. The individual who appears strong and independent may be struggling with loneliness, grief, depression, cravings, trauma, or self-doubt. Many of life's hardest battles are invisible - CLICK FOR VIDEO INTRO People often become remarkably skilled at hidi

At Taking the Escalator, some of our favorite ideas come directly from the creativity and feedback of our members. Recently, a member reached out looking for more art therapy-style activities that could still connect meaningfully to emotional insight, recovery, mental health, and group discussion. We appreciated the suggestion and decided to challenge ourselves to create something original in response. That led to the development of The Mansion of Emotion. CLICK FOR VIDEO INT

Sometimes the best group discussions do not start with the words addiction, mental health, or treatment. Sometimes they start with something much more relatable: Staying up too late Buying something you never use Saying “starting Monday” for the tenth time Feeling emotionally exhausted That is the idea behind “Been There, Done That” which is an interactive early intervention group activity designed to gently increase self-awareness while reducing defensiveness and shame Why

Most people only see part of who we are. They see the version we show publicly, how we act around others, what we post online, our routines, personality, humor, appearance, or the role we play in everyday life. But behind the scenes, many people carry stress, insecurities, fears, painful memories, pressure, loneliness, or emotions that others may never fully understand. VIDEO INTRO LINK - https://youtube.com/shorts/vDQY8X-B1mE?si=Rg5HnUXLoy1fxpl4 This worksheet uses the relat

While it is important not to push clients too hard or too fast, meaningful change and deeper conversations also do not usually happen through complete passivity. Sometimes progress requires gently moving the conversation forward and carefully exploring areas clients may naturally avoid. In this video, Ken uses a boxing analogy to explain this balance. Instead of going for the “knockout punch” too early, effective engagement often involves gentle “jabs”, small, thoughtful step