School

Counselor: Chelsea Marrs

Activity: Coping with Stress

Grades: Middle School

ASCA Domain: Social/Emotional Development

ASCA Mindset and Behavior Standards:
Mindset Standard- Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental,
social/emotional and physical wellbeing.

Behavior Standard- Self-Management: 7. Demonstrate effective coping skills when faced with a problem.

Learning Objective:
The student will discover and practice progressive muscle relaxation to assist in coping with stress.

Materials: PowerPoint presentation outlining the effects of progressive muscle relaxation, PMR Script
and calming music via YouTube.

Procedure:
Students will first be given information about progressive muscle relaxation and its effects. This
includes techniques, when to use it, and how to do it. PowerPoint presentation is attached.
After learning the information about PMR, students will practice it.
The script for a brief PMR session is attached.
After the PMR session, an exit slip will be given out to each student to complete.

Process Data: This lesson will be done in a classroom setting with 25-35 students. This lesson is planned
for middle school grades but can be modified to fit any grade level.

Perception Data: An exit ticket will be provided at the end of the lesson. The exit ticket questions
include:
What did you learn about progressive muscle relaxation?
When do you think you will use progressive muscle relaxation?
How did progressive muscle relaxation make you feel?

Outcome Data: Ideally this lesson will be implemented before standardized testing, which is stress-
inducing for many students. The goal is for students to develop this one coping strategy to use before,
after, or during a stressful situation.

Follow Up: I will follow up casually with students asking if they still use the strategy, how they are
feeling with stress, and if they need other skills.

Resources: http://www.therapistaid.com for the script of PMR.