This week's Free Find comes from the CDC

Facts & Feels is a free conversation card game designed to get people talking about mental health, substance use, and other important life issues.

The game appears to be designed primarily with kids and teens in mind, but don't let that stop you! Many of the questions could also be useful with adults in counseling and group settings.

This can be a fun, low-pressure way to break the ice, encourage participation, and get some meaningful discussions going.

I'm sharing two ways to use it:

• Printable PDF: Download the attached PDF at the end of this entry to use in your groups or sessions.

  
  

I’ve found that a lot of clients in groups have difficulty maintaining attention, especially during longer discussions. Sometimes giving someone something simple to do while listening can actually help them stay focused and engaged.

This site has a FREE collection of Mental Health Word Searches covering topics like coping skills, emotions, anxiety, self-care, stress, communication, and more.

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These could be useful to have on hand during group for clients who focus better when they’re keeping busy, or they could be used as an easy warm-up or low-pressure activity.

Nothing complicated. Just another free tool for the group facilitator toolbox!

🔗 Check them out here:

This week’s free find comes from Icarus Behavioral Health, which offers several free music-based therapeutic worksheets. I gathered five of their activities together into one convenient file to make them easier to use.

These activities use music and sound to get people talking and thinking about mood, gratitude, personal experiences, recovery, stress, coping, and hope for the future. There is a nice variety here, so clinicians can use one activity on its own or select different pages depending on the needs of the group.

Included in the collection: Musical Gratitude • Build a Mood Playlist • Lyrics That Speak to Me • Soundtrack of My Life • Trigger and Soothing Sounds.

As always, Ken’s Free Find of the Week highlights useful resources created by others that are available free online. Full credit for these worksheets goes to Icarus Behavioral Health. I simply combined their music-related activities into one file for convenience.

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We all carry things.

Some things help us grow: hope, support, humor, courage, patience.

Other things can make the load a whole lot heavier: regret, shame, fear, anger, guilt, resentment.

This simple visual activity asks an important question:

What are you carrying that helps you...and what might you be ready to put down?

Use What’s in Your Backpack? as a quick group activity, discussion starter, check-in, or individual reflection.