Brush Away Stress Lesson Plan Brush Away Stress
Individual Tier 3 Support Session
Duration: 25 Minutes
Audience: High School
Why This Matters
Teaching emotional regulation and coping skills empowers teens to manage stress, build self-awareness, and foster resilience.
Prep (5 Mins)
Gather art supplies (paper, paints, brushes) on a small tray.
Print Emotion Wheel Handout .
Print Coping Strategy Reflection Sheet .
Set up a timer or visible clock.
Review basic ACT concepts (acceptance, defusion, values).
Materials
Art Supplies
Emotion Wheel Handout
Reflection Sheet
Timer/Clock
Session Flow
3m
1. Welcome & Overview
Greet the student and explain the focus: identifying emotions, learning ACT tools, and creative expression. Briefly outline steps to ensure comfort.
5m
2. Emotion Identification
Provide the Emotion Wheel Handout . Ask the student to scan and point out up to three emotions experienced recently. Discuss triggers.
7m
3. ACT Coping Strategies
Explain: Acceptance (allow feelings), Defusion (observe without judgment), and Values-Based Action (choose meaningful response). Guide the student to list personal examples on the Reflection Sheet .
8m
4. Art Expression Activity
Invite the student to visually represent one emotion and a coping strategy using colors, shapes, or symbols. Offer quiet support and ask open questions about their choices.
2m
5. Reflection & Wrap-Up
Student shares artwork. Reinforce that they can visualize this art when emotions arise. Remind them to keep the reflection sheet for daily practice.
Brush Away Stress Slides Brush Away Stress
Identifying emotions, practicing ACT strategies, and expressing feelings through art.
Individual Session
Emotion Identification
1
Review the Emotion Wheel Handout.
2
Choose up to three emotions you've felt recently.
3
Discuss what events or thoughts triggered each one.
"Naming it is the first step to taming it."
ACT-Based Coping Tools
Acceptance
Notice and allow feelings without fighting them. Give them space to exist.
Defusion
Observe thoughts without judgment. "I'm having the thought that..." instead of "I am..."
Values-Based Action
Choose responses aligned with what matters most to you, even when things are hard.
Art Expression Activity
Select one emotion from your wheel to focus on.
Create a visual (color, shape, symbol) showing that emotion.
Incorporate imagery of your chosen coping strategy.
Work freely for 8 minutes.
Use your brush to express what words can't say.
Reflection & Next Steps
Share
Explain your artwork and the strategy you chose to depict.
Practice
Keep your reflection sheet and use these tools daily.
You have the tools. You have the strength.
Emotion Wheel Handout Worksheet Emotion Wheel Handout
Name: _________________________________
Date: ________________
Below is a guide to primary emotions. Use this wheel to help you notice and name what you’re feeling. There are no "bad" emotions—only information.
JOY
TRUST
FEAR
SURPRISE
SADNESS
DISGUST
ANGER
ANTICIPATION
Name the
1. Identify Recent Emotions
Look at the wheel above. Circle up to three emotions you’ve experienced recently.
2. Reflect & Dig Deeper
Emotion #1:
What triggered this emotion? What thoughts or events were happening?
Intensity (1-10):
Emotion #2:
What triggered this emotion?
Intensity (1-10):
Focus Point: Choose one emotion from above to explore in your art activity. Think about what colors or shapes represent this feeling to you.
Coping Strategy Reflection Worksheet Coping Strategy Reflection
Name: _________________________________
Date: ________________
ACT helps us relate differently to our difficult experiences. Use this sheet to explore three powerful coping tools and build your own plan.
1. Acceptance
ALLOW
Definition: Notice and allow feelings without fighting them. Give them a seat at the table.
Describe a recent moment when you allowed yourself to feel an emotion instead of pushing it away:
How did accepting it help you cope?
A phrase I can use next time:
2. Defusion
OBSERVE
Definition: Observe thoughts without getting tangled in them. You are the sky, thoughts are the clouds.
Identify a recurring thought you often find yourself "fusing" with (e.g., "I'm not good enough"):
Write a "defusion phrase" to step back (e.g., "I notice I'm having the thought that..."):
3. Values-Based Action
CHOOSE
Definition: Choose responses aligned with what matters most to you, even when things are tough.
One personal value that guides me:
Action I can take when stressed:
Steps to commit to this value during challenging moments:
My Personalized Coping Plan
Using acceptance, defusion, and values, write a brief plan for the next time you face strong emotions:
Session Reflection Cool Down Session Reflection
Name: _________________________________
Date: ________________
Take a few minutes to consolidate what you’ve learned today. This helps turn ideas into lasting tools.
1
Which emotion did you explore and express in your artwork?
2
Which ACT coping strategy felt most meaningful to you today, and why?
3
How can you use your artwork as a visual reminder to practice this strategy when you feel stressed?
4
What is one specific action you will take this week to follow your personalized coping plan?
Great work today!
Keep this reflection as a quick check-in whenever you need to brush away stress .
