MyLeoNes™

Spot the thinking traps — School Psychologist · Pretender

Before a fictional school sports day, students wrote worried thoughts on cards. In a group session, you help them see which thoughts are helpful and which are 'thinking traps'. Sort each thought: helpful, or a thinking trap?

💗 This is a game set in a fictional school. It is not therapy and never a diagnosis. If you or a friend ever feel unsafe or very sad, talk to a trusted adult — a parent, a teacher or the school counsellor — today.

Sort into groups · ~3 min

Your role

You're the school psychologist (in this game).

Your goal

Sort each thought: helpful, or a thinking trap?

What you know

• Common traps: all-or-nothing (“always”, “never”), mind-reading (“they think I'm…”) and fortune-telling (“it will be a disaster”).

Limits

• Worries are normal — the goal is not to stop feeling, but to think more fairly.

Success looks like

• All-or-nothing — You noticed “always” and “never”.
• Guessing minds and futures — You caught guesses dressed up as facts.
• Helpful thoughts — You recognised balanced, kind thoughts.

Skills you used

• Empathy — Understanding how others feel.
• Clear explaining — Making ideas easy to understand.

In real life

Psychologists often teach young people to notice and question unhelpful thoughts — a skill from cognitive behavioural approaches. It is a learning tool, not a diagnosis.

Keep exploring

Other languages

Loading MyLeoNes™…