Taking the Escalator
Substance Use, Mental Health, Co-Occurring Therapy | Harm Reduction | Positive Change Tools
takingtheescalator.com Addiction and Substance Use Resources - Non 12 Step Motivational Harm Reduction Tools for Substance Use & Mental Health
Taking the Escalator Therapy Tools
(Same tools, but organized according to the Taking the Escalator Method)
NEW: Ideas, News and Suggestions for Counselors:
Click Here to View the Latest Taking the Escalator Blog
Click Here to View the Taking the Escalator FORUM page
(Brief therapy modules and icebreakers)
< To search by word anywhere on this page press: CTRL F >
Escalator Assessment and Sceening Tools
Click to view the Taking the Escalator Assessment and Screening Tools
Escalator Chapters 1 - 4: Essential Background Information
Taking Another Look at Addiction, Recovery, and Sobriety
Understanding Some Key Concepts in a New Light
Understanding the Escalator Method from a Theoretical Perspective
The 10 Principles of the Escalator Change Process
Escalator First Floor: Finding Your Way through the Escalator
Helpers - Identifying who is out there to help you with the change process
Assessing Your Change Initiative - Getting started learning about insight, internal motivation and external motivation
VIDEO LINK - "Understanding Insight and Motivation for Positive Change" - (Corresponds with Assessing Change Initiative)
FOR COUNSELORS - Read: Understanding the Key Roles of Insight & Motivation for Engagement in Counseling
The Ideal Vs. The Real in Substance Use Treatment
Escalator Second Floor: Acknowledge and Reinforce Strengths
BUILDING UP EXISTING INSIGHT
READ: What Exactly is Insight?
Insight Inventory Background Information
Simple Insight Inventory - Strengthening existing insight to build motivation
Simple Insight Inventory II - (External/Support) - Working on external motivators and supports
Insight: Keeping the Window Open
The Insight Game - Who knows the group?
Pick a Card - A variety of questions for insightful discussion
Confident or Cocky? - It Matters
Making Healthy Self -Investments
READ - Topping Out...Worse than Hitting Bottom?
READ - Accept - Cope - Adapt, Part One
Accept-Cope-Adapt - An approach for dealing with life struggles
Overreaction: Putting Things in Perspective with Gratitude
Overcoming Ignorance and Indifference for Positive Growth
An Interview with my Past and Future Self
Addiction and Mental Health Pictured
Major Life Aspects of the Disease of Addiction
READ - Unfollowing the Nonsense - A brief discussion on how media can influence perception
Why am I Here? - Getting honest about the real reasons for coming to treatment
Wisdom, Intelligence and Changing Your Paradigm
INTERNAL MOTIVATION - Increasing existing motivation further
READ: Internal Motivation
Dissecting the Heart - Enhanced internal motivation building
Positive Motivation - Building motivation by focusing on the positive
READ: Planning for Inspiration
Stay Inspired by Planning for Change (Activity)
14 Character Traits that are Essential for Sustaining Internal Motivation
13 Expectations and Aspirations
READ: To Control or Not to Control...Is that the Question?
Going the Distance: Sustaining Motivation
Outside In - Building yourself up on the inside by developing a solid plan
Pet Appreciation - Discussing how animals can help us cope
Systems Check - A checklist review of what is needed to move forward and upward
Motivation, Determination, & Habit in Recovery - (Submitted by Cassie Jewell)
Self-Assessment: Giving Yourself Credit Where Credit is Due
EXTERNAL MOTIVATION - Strengthening existing supports and outside motivators
READ: External Motivation Background Information
External Motivation - Looking at what pushes us to change and ways to increase support
Support Report - Assessing and maximizing exisiting potential support system
Healthy Families - Looking at positive family qualities
Family Match Game - An icebreaker discussion for multii-family therapy group
READ: Push Your Best Foot Forward
Podcast - Do You Have to Want to Change?
Escalator Third Floor: Enhancing Areas of Need
Enhancing Insight From the Ground Up-
READ: Empathy without Agreement
READ: Enhancing Insight Part 1
READ: Enhancing Insight Part 2
Check In - A basic tool for checking in where you are today
Check In Cheat Sheet - A comprehensive list of information and ideas for the check in process in therapy
Taking a Trip to the Other Side - Again exploring insight and motivation building from new perspectives
Change Analysis - Examining the actual, the real and the ideal
Point of View Adjustment - Looking at other viewpoints to gain awareness
Shielding - Looking at how we may try to protect ourselves from incomfortable realities
A Journey Through Change - Looking at change from various perspectives
Life's Education: Breaking the pattern of repeated mistakes
Self-Ratings Scale (The Lanni Scale)
Remembering Me A.D. (After Death)
Tolerance...A Breakfast You Can Tolerate
Garbages and Gardens (Attitude Made Simple)
Using Fables to Overcome Foibles
Accountability and You - Are You Meeting the Challenge?
Accountability Self-Examination Worksheet
This is Your Brain on Drugs...(Fried Egg not Included)
What is Self-Honesty and Why is it So Important?
The Mirror of Awareness - Using the Group as a Mirror
Perspective Shifts for Positive Growth
Counting the Cost of THC (This has nothing to do with marijuana)
Start Where You Are, Use What You Have, Do What You Can
Surviving Challenges by Adjusting Your Attitude
Enhancing Internal Motivation - Stoking the flames of motivation
Flammable Areas - Early stage insight and motivation building
Decreasing the Negative & Increasing the Positive - (Love the Good, Hate the Bad)
READ: 5 and 5 for Change
Giving Yourself the Best Chance to Succeed
Living Up to Your Potential - Part 1 - Opening the Door
Living Up to Your Potential - Part 2 - Imagining Your Potential
Living Up to Your Potential - Part 3 - The Me I want to Be
"Must Haves" - Identifying and Discussing Basic Needs for Self-Improvement
Professing the Positive - Talking about what is going right
Simple Questions During Complex Challenges
Breaking the Cycle of Broken Promises
Starting and Staying on a Positive Note
Enhancing External Motivation and Support - Getting started with building a serviceable support system
Don't Just Set Goals; Keep Them Going
VIDEO for above Worksheet - Don't Just Set Goals Keep them Going
Goal Setting - Using goals to build motivation
Goal Setting Go Fish - Goal setting for motivation building in game format
Goal Setting Collective: Looking Forward to the Year Ahead - A collection of goal oriented activities
Four Year Prediction Time Capsule - An interactive exercise on long term goal setting
Hopeful Thoughts and Plans for the Year Ahead - Discussion questions for the upcoming year
Support Zones & Interpersonal Boundaries - Stepping outside of your comfort zone to build support
The Pendulum - Examining Common Family Issues - Examining some common family challenges
READ - (For Famlilies) - You Cant Nag Someone Sober
Addiction and Choice - More Food for Thought
Good Choices for Good Living - For Families
POWERPOINT SLIDES - Good Choices for Good Living - For Families
Stages of Change -A Guide for Families of Individuals with Substance Use Issues
Strategy List for Families Dealing with a Loved One's Substance Use Issue
The Power of Caring, Connection and Resilience
Podcast - Overcoming Stigma with Empathy
Escalator Fourth Floor: Overcoming Obstacles
Or READ - The Subterfuge Exclusion - (Similar to Circumventing Excuses in different format)
Obstacle Course - (Start Here) - This initial activity helps you identify which obstacles to work on below:
CONFIDENCE BUILDING - (Overcoming Fear of Failure)
Trusting that there are Alternatives
Social Relationships - Setting Priorities
Planning Ahead for Relationship Issues
Learning to Live within Normal Limits
Overcoming Fear of the Unknown
Are You Letting Fear Hold You Back? - Looking at some fears that can be obstacles to progress
Strengths and Weaknesses Examining strengths we have and weaknesses we need to work on in the change process
Escalator Fifth Floor: Global Challenges
For Counselors - READ: What are Coexisting Issues?
READ: Beyond People, Places and Things
Associations - Honestly considering how your choice of associations affect you
Coping with Cravings - An essential list of tools for understanding and managing cravings and urges
Win, Lose or Indifferent: Positive Qualities for Positive Gains
Learning to Say "No" Effectively
Flipping the Script on Addiction
Decision-Making and Ethics - Examining what is behind making the right choices
Lost - When you don't know which way to turn
Challenging Choices Checklist - For life's more difficult decisions
The Space Between - Effectively using the space between feelings and words/actions
Red Flags for Decision Making – Warning Signs for Productive Living
Ethical Decision-Making 2 - Using insight and ethics to make tough choices
The Five Basic Elements of Effective Decision Making
The River of Choices: Coping with Stigma
Responsibility Road - Looking at the critical concept of increasing responsibility
6 Shoulds and Should Nots for Responsibility
Making the Right Choice - Another look at making decisions starting from good solutions
Powerlessness and Willpower - Looking beyond powerlessness to examine where we can build willpower
The Table of Trust - Building trust
Managing the Mind:
Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment Overview
Change the Channel: The TV Mind Analogy
Coping Tool Box - Warmup Exercise
Brainspace: Strategies for Coping with Negative Thoughts
Two Way Coping Strategies for Mental Health and Substance Use Issues
Thoughts and Feelings - Gaining an improved understanding how our thoughts and feelings affect us
Thinking, Feeling and Coping in Challenging Scenarios
Thinking About Thinking - Thinking, feeling and behaving
Thinking Styles Quiz - Self assessment tool for looking at how we think
CBT and Me Part 1: Starting with Thinking
CBT and Me Part 2: Feeling our Feelings
CBT and Me Part 3: Changing Behaviors
Feeling Under the Weather - A brief true-false list to open an honest discussion about feelings
REBT - Overview of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy skills for group
Dealing with Feelings - Coping with feelings from three viewpoints
Five Key Aspects of Appropriately Managing Feelings
Positive Self Statements Coping Collection
READ: Please Dont Feed the Monster - An illustration about negative thoughts and feelings
The IDEA Technique - A tool for coping with challenging thoughts and feelings
Guilt and Shame - Understanding and learning to cope with these challenging feelings
Keeping it Positive: "I Love it When a Plan Comes Together"
Maintaining a Balanced Ego - Looking at a balanced view of self
The Truth about Self Esteem - An in depth look at Self Esteem from a realistic perspective
Self Esteem II - More self esteem, continued...
Self Esteem Boost: Building Self Esteem and Increasing a Sense of Self Worth
Insecurity - Everyone has them, is the group ready to share them?
Difficult Feelings: Dissect and Deal
Forgiveness - Part 1 : Forgive, Live and Love - Part 2: Divisions of Forgiveness - Part 3: Some Thoughts to Help Cope
Drop the Rocks - Resentment activity
READ: Nicole Tierney on Forgiveness
READ: Emotional Self-Prevention - Looking at sensitive areas
Adverse Childhood Experiences Podcast -
Mind on Mental Health (Podcast), has an engaging host and knowledgeable speakers on MH topics
Coexisting Mental Heath Issues - A checklist for starting to look at mental health
Anger Styles - What is your anger style?
Anger Attitude Check - Attitude is everything when it comes to expressing feelings
Anger Memories: Family - Looking at what we learned about anger from our family of origin
Anger Discussion Sentence Completion - Simple questions for opening up discussion on anger
Ways People Express Anger - An analysis of different ways people handle anger
Owning and Discharging Anger - Taking responsibility for your feelings and actions
Owning Anger Using "I" Statements - A basic but effective tool for expressing feelings
Anger Management: Digging Deeper and Using Basic AM Skills - Understanding and coping with anger triggers
Three P's for Coping with Anxiety in the Moment - Quick easy to remember way to cope during sudden anxiety or stress
Alcohol and Depression Quiz - A very basic quiz focused on opening up a basic discussion on this topic
Coping with Stress - A comprehensive list of effective coping skills
Killer Bs – The Effects of Stress and the Body, Brain and Behavior
Use Your Brain and Not Your Pain - Another simple but effective strategy for coping with challenging emotions
How Do You Heal? - A look at the healing process for trauma
HP Squared: Hurt People, Hurt People
Unforeseen Circumstances: Adapt or Collapse
Creating an Emotional Self Care Plan
Relationships
READ: The Relationship Analogy
Readjusting Your Relationship Radar - Adjusting the way you choose relationships
The Ideal Partner - Looking at what you want out of relationships
Healthy Life - Healthy Relationships
VIDEO - Healthy Life - Healthy Relationships - Corresponding video for above worksheet
"I Feel Like No One Understands" - Exploring empathy to help build interpersonal relationships
Guilt and Relationships - Coping with the challenges of guilt in relationships
Rules of "Fighting Fairly" - Some basic rules for conflict resolution in relationships
READ - Is Tough Love Too Tough?
READ - Six Qualities of Healthy Couples that Stay Together
R-E-S-P-E-C-T (Find out what it means to me)
Resolving Conflicts without Anger
The Cycle of Over-functioning, Guilt, and Resentment
Escalator Sixth Floor: Managing and Avoiding Setbacks
For Counselors READ: Managing Setbacks Using the Escalator
Also: Setbacks and Engagement- A Guide for Counselors
READ: IF - Intensity and Frequency
Managing Setbacks: Group Introduction
Setback Prevention Skills for Success
Getting Over the Hump - An activity for those who have been at this a long time
UNG- Unnecessary Grief - Thinking and planning ahead to avoid trouble later
Stability and Setback Prevention Checklist
FOMO - How to Identify, Prevent and Overcome the “Fear of Missing Out”
Triggered: A Discussion on Coping with Mental Health and Substance Use
The Setback-Motivation Guide - Start here to determine what areas you need to work on below:
Event Planning to Prevent Setbacks
Weekend Plan - A basic planning tool for surviving weekends
Holiday Survival Plan - Planning ahead to get through any holiday without setbacks or relapse -
Escalator Seventh Floor: Supplemental Suggestions and Considerations
Meaning and Purpose in the Change Process
Coping with Death and Dying - A simple outline for discussing coping with a recent loss without abusing substances
Values, Honesty and Integrity
FOR COUNSELORS READ: Engagement Tool - Values and Values and CBT
VIDEO LINK - Values - What's Important - (Corresponds to the above worksheet)
Lifeboat Activity - Lifeboat exercises are nothing new but this one has had good success
It's Easy to Be Honest When You Have Nothing to Lie About
Values: Past, Present and Future
Personality Issues and Manipulation
READ - Personality Issues: The Honest Truth
READ - Slices of Truth
Getting Your Needs Met: Manipulation vs. Persuasion
Harm Reduction Specific -
(The Escalator method is a harm reduction approach overall however the following info specifically addresses harm reduction issues and topics)
Understanding Harm Reduction and Medication Assisted Treatment -The Basics
Understanding Harm Reduction - The Podcast - (Based on the above outline - click title to listen)
Taking an Honest Look at Abstinence, Harm Reduction, Substitution & Cross Addiction
READ - A Realistic Look at Substitution
READ - Straight D's -A Simple Harm Reduction and MAT Illustration
Adolescent/Young Adult Specific Worksheets and Information
For Counselors: READ: Working with Adolescents and Young People
Adolescent Substance Use - A basic educational outline for those working with adolescents and parents
Adolescent Substance Use Group (Multiple Choice) - This is a kahoot activity for adolescent substance use groups
ADOLESCENTS: RISK FACTORS - Exploring risk factors for substance use issues with young people
Three Paths: A Discussion of Marijuana
Smoking Cessation Specific Worksheets:
Cravings and Smoking: Basic Principles
Cravings and Smoking: Skills List
Icebreakers and Group Cohesion Building -
(These are less about education and more about building up the group in a positive manner which can be equally important)
Group Glue - This one has a little bit of education because it explains the power and value of group cohesion
Brief Group Module and Icebreaker Collection 1 - Multiple shorter activities to choose from in this collection
Brief Group Module and Icebreaker Collection 2 - More
Making the Most out of Substance Use Treatment - This one is different because it is an interactive Kahoot activity
Telehealth Specific Group Cohesion Building Activities - Ideas specifically for virtual video groups
Declare-Disclose-Display - A variety of ways to get the group talking and interacting
Social Media Icebreaker - Exercise for self expression based on social media
Grading the Group - Interactive group report card
Grab Bag - A great list of interesting, questions and other situations to get people talking
Giving Activities - There is more happiness in giving than receiving
Give the Gift of Kindness and Hope
Fill in the Blanks Discussion Generator
Fun Facts - Group Cohesion Building with some substance use and mental health info
Group Member Fill In the Blank - A great exercise to have fun and make group interactive
Describe - Draw - Describe - Get group sharing thoughts and feelings with art
Deep and Personal - Some in depth personal questions for opening people up
Slips of Paper - A quick and easy icebreaker that gets a group talking with no prep time
Unique - Discussing what you would and wouldnt do
Care or Don't Care Icebreaker - Another basic tool for starting group discussion
Majority - Interactive exercise, better for an established group than a new one
Choose or Lose Icebreaker - Some basic multiple choice questions for opening up discussion
3A's - Appreciation, Assessment & Advice
Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks
"Roll Play"...This May Get Dicey
Icebreakers for Break Time - Short but interesting group assignments for breaks in between groups
Sophisticated Debates - Communicating your viewpoint in a respectful way
Pointless Pursuits - (Warning: only try this if you and the group members have established a degree of comfort with one another)
The League of Just Us - A basic activity about superheroes just for fun
Escalator Jeopardy - A comprehensive educational review in relaxed game format
Group Topics, Ideas and Worksheets for Closing Group
Discussion Outline for Speakers or Video
Weekend Relapse Prevention Plan
Goodbye Group - An outline for group when someone is leaving, graduating or moving on
VIDEO: Life Story Video - LB HEARS Episode 1 - Nikki Tierney - (Click to view)
Long Branch HEARS is an organization in Monmouth County, New Jersey, the same area where Taking the Escalator got its start. Long Branch HEARS is a community based group working to do their part to help the substance use epidemic in this area.
Nicole "Nikki" Tierney is a close friend of Taking the Escalator as she has worked closely with Taking the Escalator clinicians during her personal journey of recovery. Nikki's story is engaging and motivating and this video can be used as group therapy tool as your clients will surely be inspired by her story
Additional Submissions by Taking the Escalator
Cross Addiction - Education and exercise on substituting addictive behaviors
How High was I..How Low did I Go? Assessing highs and lows of getting high
Labels - For lower insight levels, comparing what is using, abusing and addiction
Progress Report - Basic progress report worksheet for getting relevant discussion started
Understanding and Coping with Guilt and Shame - Similar to the other but in a different format
COD - Co Occurring Disorders - An older outline about COD's and addiction some people (LH) still like to use (Updated version on About page)
Group Roles - Outline of different ways individuals may protect themselves in group settings
The Disease Concept of Addiction - Review of "symptoms" of addiction
Podcast - A Story of Recovery and Hope: Nicole Tierney
Podcast - Melissa Mackolin's Recovery Journey
Podcast - Megan Reeves "Hold On Pain Ends" with discussion questions
Guest Submissions - Please email takingtheescaltor@gmail.com if you would like to submit an activity for the website
Submitted by Lesley SanFilippo, LCSW:
Submitted by Caitlin Kennedy LCSW, LCADC:
Self Esteem and Affirmation Development -
Submitted by Laura Hennessey, LCSW, LCADC
Submitted by Melissa Lecik, M.Ed, NCC
Submitted by Joseph R. Ginelli:
The 5 W's and H of Negative Thoughts
Reason or Excuse: Product of Your Environment
Submitted by Katie Tracy, LCSW