Instead of Losing It, your students will learn Conflict Resolution and how to “talk themselves out of it”.

Module 1 is designed to teach students how to use the cognitive processes of imagining consequences and rational self-talk to manage their feelings and behavior, especially angry feelings and destructive behavior related to experiencing disrespect from others.

In each vignette, the protagonist is presented with a potentially provocative person or situation that could result in our hero losing it. Before doing anything, our leading character takes a moment to imagine what losing it might look like and how it could lead to doing something regrettable. Since Losing It always leads to doing something unfavorable, our hero decides it’s better to be smart and “talk him/herself out of it by modeling the use of BeCool Self-Talk.

In the first story, Billy faces the disrespect of two classmates who decide to use him for spit wad target practice. After allowing his fantasies of retaliation to run their course, Billy realizes that by losing it (losing control, acting out), he would only be turning a problem he could handle into one he couldn’t. Instead, Billy chooses to use BeCool self-talk strategies to maintain his dignity and his cool. Modeled after actual school shootings, the second vignette illustrates the ultimate form of losing it. Josh and Ryan have been brought to the breaking point by the relentless bullying from two bullies. We see how irrational self-talk encourages them to violence and self-destruction, while rational self-talk helps them keep their perspective and find an appropriate response. This is powerful material that will move your students and encourage thoughtful discussion in your classroom.

The BeCool Paradigm is research based and truly works.