Table 1.

Programme structure

Session number	Session outline	Homework tasks
1	Introduction to the group Exploration of self-esteem and self-confidence Introduction of the CBT model CBT works on the basis that our thoughts effect how we feel and in turn effect our behaviour	Antecedent-Behaviour-Consequence diary to identify thinking patterns, associated emotions and behaviours
2	Exploration of how low self-esteem can develop from a variety of negative early experiences Develop self-esteem formulation Formulation is the process of making sense of a person’s difficulties in the context of their relationships, social circumstances, life events and the meaning they have made of these experiences	Reflection on formulation and impact of low self-esteem
3	Introduction to negative automatic thoughts and thought biases Negative automatic thoughts influence the way an individual see’s themselves, others and their future Thought biases are faulty patterns of thinking that are self-defeating and often don’t match with reality Three column thoughts records Three column thought records identify situations, emotions and negative automatic thoughts and are used as a first step to the process of cognitive restructuring in CBT Problem solving and distraction techniques	Three column thought records Problem solving activity
4	Introduction to hot thoughts The hot thought is the negative automatic thought that causes the most distress and influences our feelings and behaviours the most Five column thought records Five column thought records identify situation, emotion, negative automatic thoughts, alternative response and outcomes and are used to support cognitive restructuring in CBT	Five column thought records
5	Introduction to rules for living Rules for living guide our behaviour and enable us to cope with our everyday lives Setting up behavioural experiments Behavioural experiments are an information gathering exercise, which is used to test the accuracy of an individual’s beliefs or to test out more adaptive beliefs	Behavioural experiment
6	Increasing self-acceptance and acknowledging positive qualities Positive data logging Positive data logging is a record of positive experiences to support development of more adaptive ways of thinking	Positive data logging