Welcome the student and set the tone. Explain that today they’ll be “Mind Detectives” exploring how thoughts influence feelings and learning tools to feel better.

Read each objective aloud. Emphasize that these goals will guide their detective work.

Quickly walk through the four parts of the session so the student knows what to expect.

Explain the detective theme. Ask: “What clues do our thoughts give us about how we feel?” Invite a quick student example.

Define cognitive distortions in simple terms. Use an example if needed.

Review each distortion with the student. Ask for real-life examples if possible.

Present each example and guide the student to underline or highlight which distortion matches. Discuss answers.

Hand out Thought Tracker Cards now. Encourage the student to think of a recent strong feeling and record details.

Display the Emotion Regulation Strategy Chart. Model one reframing example step by step, then let the student try.

Praise the student’s detective work. Encourage ongoing practice and remind them that they can use these tools any time.