Problem solving
Tool Overview
Problem solving is a skill that can be used any time a person is unsure about how to handle a situation.
It is important to PAUSE, STOP, THINK, PLAN.
The steps are designed to help you come up with a plan to achieve your goals. With practice, these steps tend to become more automatic and the process will become easier. In fact, most people have probably used these steps before, but may have been unaware of what they were doing.
When To Use This Tool
When you want to come up with a Plan
How To Use This Tool
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Define the problem
Be as specific as possible. Ask yourself some of the following questions:- What is the problem exactly?
- Do I recognise that a problem actually exists?
- Do I see the issue as a problem?
- Is it my problem or someone else’s problem?
- Do I need to act immediately on the problem, or can it wait?
- When does it usually happen?
- Who is involved?
- What time and day will it happen?
- What has usually happened?
- What are my usual thoughts and feelings in this situation?
- Is it within my control to do something about it?
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List all the things you could do
Brainstorm! Be as creative as possible. Write down every possible strategy. Don’t throw out any ideas yet. Don’t worry about whether it will work at this stage - just let yourself think of every possible option. Some important considerations for this step are to:- Come up with as many solutions to the problem as you can.
- Talk about solutions with friends, family and in a SMART group.
- Think outside the box!
- Keep an open mind and don’t be negative (e.g. ‘That won’t work’).
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Sift through your ideas
- Which ideas are plausible and achievable?
- Circle the ideas that are likely to work.
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Develop a strategy
- Write down a plan for 7 days - be specific and SMART!
Example Scenarios
Now you’ve come up with some ideas, ask yourself the following questions:
- Am I working on a solution?
- Is my plan working?
- Am I getting the outcome that I wanted
- How do I know if my plan has worked?
- Do I need to work on another solution?
Helpful Links
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When we slow down on a behaviour of concern, it can leave a gaping hole in our lives. Often, we find that we have a lot more free time, which used to be filled with activities related to our old behaviour. Also, we may no longer associate with the same group of friends.
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Setting SMART Goals
It’s important to make sure goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed.
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Weekly Planner
Once you have set some specific goals and broken them down into smaller, specific steps, the weekly planner can be useful for keeping these goals on track and ensuring that you are taking active steps towards achieving them.
Tool Overview
The ABC Model is a good way of understanding how we can help change our feelings and behaviour by challenging our thinking.
When to Use This Tool
The ABC Model is a good way of understanding how we can help change our feelings and behaviour by challenging our thinking. It helps us uncover beliefs that are not helping us /contributing to the behaviour we are trying to change.
This exercise may be done in the group setting but can also be very useful for participants to look at between meetings.
How To Use This Tool
When working with urges: To analyze a lapse/relapse or to develop coping statements for an anticipated lapse/relapse.
In the event of a lapse, the question to ask is not “What made me do that”, but rather, “How did I talk myself into it?” It is not the urge (A) that causes the lapse (C). It is our beliefs (B); our irrational self-talk.With emotional upset:
The ABC Model can also be used to work with emotional upset or frustrations that may occur at any point in the recovery journey. The ABCs allow us to discover our unhelpful beliefs which contribute to emotional upsets. Disputing helps us eliminate our irrational thinking so we can both feel better and do better. In SMART Recovery we teach that we feel the way we think; it’s not unpleasant events that disturb us, it’s the way we think of them. By changing our thinking, we change how we feel.Identifying and Disputing Unhelpful Thinking.
Disputing is a process of challenging the way we think about situations. It’s about trying to look at thoughts more accurately. Disputing unhelpful thinking can help us make more informed decisions about thoughts instead of just acting on them. Balanced thinking leads to effective new beliefs.
