Taking the Escalator Articles

This is self-awareness and group cohesion-building activity designed to encourage self-expression, connection, and personal sharing. It helps group members get to know one another while opening the door to meaningful reflection and healing through shared experiences. “Your life is your museum. Every moment you’ve survived is a piece of art in your unique and powerful story - one you continue to boldly write with courage, strength, and purpose, day by day” Opening up about you

When Coping Goes Off Course Sometimes it starts off harmless. A few drinks after work to unwind. A hit, a pill, or a line here and there to "take the edge off." A little something to push away the anxiety, the sadness, the thoughts we can’t shake even if just for a little while. It can just feel like escape from the grind and a relief from the stress and boredom of it all. It’s fun, and at first, it feels like it works, perhaps even looking like the answer we were always look

Our Most Popular Video Just Got Even Better Dr. Erin Zerbo’s powerful interview on addiction, recovery, and compassion has earned its place as the most-watched video we've ever released—and for good reason. Dr. Zerbo brings extraordinary insight, clarity, and heart to a complex topic, and her perspective continues to resonate with professionals and clients alike. Now, we're making this resource even more impactful with a brand-new, thoughtfully designed worksheet to guide dis

Seasons bring change: some welcome, some challenging. This worksheet helps explore how specific seasons may affect mental health, substance use, or overall well-being. Whether it's Winter's isolation, Summer's unstructured time, or the pressure and family drama that can be associated with the Holiday Season, every season has unique triggers, opportunities, stressors, and struggles. This exercise is designed to help identify seasonal patterns and prepare with proactive coping

These exclusive live Zoom seminars are part of the Taking the Escalator Premium Membership—designed to support your clinical growth with practical tools, real-world strategies, and engaging discussion. If you’re not yet a Premium Member, now’s a great time to join and gain access to these valuable learning opportunities. Premium Membership also includes access to recordings and outlines/PowerPoints Seminars begin conveniently at 6:00 PM EST—feel free to settle in with dinner

Understanding family dynamics is essential for effective clinical work, especially when addressing underlying patterns that contribute to mental health and substance use challenges. Two new worksheets are now available to help therapists and counselors explore these important themes with clients in an accessible, engaging way. These resources are ideal for group therapy, individual sessions, or supervision discussions. Each encourages meaningful insights into how clients rela

This Jeopardy-style game focuses on risk factors related to substance use, setbacks, and relapse prevention planning. These topics are essential for building skills that support long-term progress and positive change, especially when managing co-occurring mental health and substance use challenges. The goal of this game is to make learning these important concepts interactive, engaging, and applicable to real-life situations. Enjoy! First - Here is a free one page Setback/Rel

What is Radical Acceptance? - Radical acceptance is the practice of accepting life on life’s terms—completely, fully, and without resistance—even when it’s painful. It means choosing to stop fighting reality, letting go of bitterness, and allowing yourself to be present, without denying, avoiding, or wishing things were different. Credit: The concept of Radical Acceptance originates was developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan. It is a foundational skill for reducing suffering and inc

We are excited to invite Premium Members of the Taking the Escalator Learning Community to a LIVE Zoom seminar on June 20th at 11:00 AM EST ! This session, Elevating IOP: Engagement, Structure, and Strategy for Effective IOP Groups , is designed to help you tackle the challenges of Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) by exploring innovative ways to engage clients and optimize group therapy dynamics. Why Attend? Learn proven strategies to boost client participation. Enhance

An advanced group therapy worksheet to help challenge toxic beliefs and build a new, healthier identity Introduction Once we’ve have done some work identifying the guilt and shame we carry, the next step is often the hardest: changing the story we tell ourselves about who we are. People who struggle with addiction, trauma, and mental health challenges may carry labels — some given by others, some self-imposed. These labels can become prisons of shame, keeping us stuck in cycl

Exclusive Offer for Existing Taking the Escalator Members (From the old website version) This special offer is for people who previously subscribed to Taking the Escalator Unlock the full potential of Taking the Escalator with our Premium yearly plan that we offer at incredible 50% OFF just for you for the first year of subscription. Choose Premium at a yearly subscription and make sure to enter the promo code 50P at checkout in order to get the discount. (Basically you a

This worksheet is designed to go hand-in-hand with the video Addiction 101 from Taking the Escalator. Do not watch the video without this worksheet or a qualified counselor to guide discussion. Some topics—especially the conversation about relapse and setbacks—require context to avoid misunderstandings. Please note that the video is titled 'Addiction 101' to reflect its purpose as an introductory-level explanation of addiction, intended for those who are still exploring and u

Introduction: Everyone has ups and downs. It’s normal for your mood to change throughout the day or week. But when those moods get in the way of how you want to live your life, it helps to know what’s going on — and what to do about it. This worksheet is a simple 4-point way to check in with your mood , notice what affects it , and find better ways to deal with it . 1 - Basic Mood Check-In How are you feeling today? (Check all that apply or add your own) ☐ Calm ☐ Stressed ☐ S

Introduction: Distress tolerance is about getting through difficult emotional moments without making things worse. In life, we all face situations where the urge to react — impulsively, destructively, or avoidantly — can be overwhelming. Learning how to manage distress doesn’t mean pretending to be calm or ignoring emotions. Instead, it’s about recognizing emotional pain, accepting it as part of the human experience, and finding healthier ways to respond. In this group sessio

Intro: Grief is a natural emotional response to loss. Quite often people think of grief as the pain and sadness that follow the death of a loved one — and that is certainly one of the most profound and difficult forms of grief. However, grief can also arise from many other kinds of losses, both big and small, visible and invisible. Loss can take many forms: the end of a relationship, the loss of physical health, the loss of a role or identity, loss of opportunities, or major