Psycho-educational Groups - Self-Esteem

You might have patients who don't have any self-esteem, or can't think of a single good thing about themselves. It happens on psych units.

If your patients can read and write (and you could help those who can't) here's something I've done. You write each patient's name at the top of a piece of paper (as well as any staff members who might be in the group). Sit in a circle, and everyone gets something to write with (inventory before and after). People pass the papers around the circle and each person writes something they see as nice, good, pretty, anything positive about the person who's name is at the top of the page. When the papers have made it all the way around the circle, everyone reads their own, and then picks one thing to read to the group about his or herself. This generally brings lots of smiles, and you can talk about self esteem during it. At the end, you make sure you got all the writing instruments back, and arrange to get the papers taped up where each patient can see his/her own to remind him about the good others see in him.