Sharing a free resource with 30 simple, low-prep team-building ideas you can use in groups, staff meetings, trainings, or classrooms.
If you’re looking to:
Boost engagement
Break tension
Build cohesion
Shift negative energy
We’re sharing a free handout on Rolling with Resistance, a core skill in Motivational Interviewing that can completely shift the tone of difficult conversations.
Resistance shows up in many forms—defensiveness, side comments, distraction, arguing, “You don’t understand,” or “You can’t help me.” Instead of pushing harder, MI teaches us something different:
The more we argue for change, the more the other person argues against it.
This handout breaks down:
What resistance really is
Why it happens
Sharing a free resource that works incredibly well in adult groups — the classic “Lost at Sea” survival ranking exercise.
In this activity, participants imagine they’ve survived a shipwreck and must rank 15 salvaged items in order of importance for survival. First individually, then as a group, they work toward consensus.
On the surface, it’s a straightforward decision-making challenge. In practice, it naturally brings out problem-solving styles, leadership patterns, communication habits, and how people respond under pressure.
If you’re looking for something interactive, adult-appropriate, and easy to run in 30–45 minutes, this is a great addition to your group toolbox.
DOWNLOAD "Lost at Sea" FREE:
Love this as an available option when a group therapy session topic runs too quickly and there's lots of time left over!
This may seem simple — but it’s actually a very powerful clinical tool.
After 30+ years of counseling sessions, one of my favorite prompts for eliciting clearer, richer client material is:
“Give me an example.”
I know — it sounds almost too simple. But if you’re not using this prompt regularly, I strongly encourage you to try it.
When a client is struggling to describe something abstract, confusing, or emotionally loaded, instead of defaulting to:
“Tell me more about that…”
Thank you so much, I am a substance abuse therapist and I can adapt most of these to my groups, much appreciated :0)