What's Covered in Module 5
Now that you know how to create mission plans, this week we will talk about executing them! Most of the remaining weeks in LUNA will focus on completing mission plans and providing more guidance on how to make them successful. If you have trouble with your mission plans, the last section will help you troubleshoot common problems.
This module will take about 30 minutes to complete readings and do activities this week.
Previously on LUNA…
Since beginning LUNA, you and your child have learned about anxiety, set specific and measurable goals for the program, and developed a rewards plan to increase motivation.
Most recently, you learned all about mission plans, which is a strategy for helping your child overcome their fears by gradually facing them. You also learned and completed the steps for creating a mission plan:
- Create a list of fears and worries
- Choose a target fear
- Choose a specific, straightforward, and achievable goal for the mission plan
- Brainstorm different steps for the mission plan
- Order the steps from least to most scary
- Make a rewards plan
Executing Mission Plans
Last time, you read about Sally's first mission plan about being around other people. This week, Sally and her mom decided to work on their mission plan around germs. Find out how Sally and her mom have been working on their mission plan by watching this video below!
So far during LUNA, we have learned that Sally has a fear of germs. This fear sometimes causes her to wash her hands frequently, and even makes it hard for her to touch things around her home and at school. But we also learned that Sally can overcome these fears by creating mission plans, so she and her mom are going to do just that!
Mission plans are a list of things we can do to face our fears, starting with easier ideas and working up to scarier ideas later. Remember to start with something you feel ready to do and then keep trying different mission plan activities until you get to the hardest one.
To try and challenge her fear of germs, Sally and her mom have decided to practice not washing her hands immediately after touching something she thinks is dirty. The first step is for Sally to touch something that her anxiety tells her is dirty, so she decides to try touching a shirt from the laundry hamper. Sally takes one deep breath, and then reaches for a shirt that she wore yesterday.
Sally was successfully able to touch the dirty shirt, but she tells her mom that she feels “dirty and gross”. Sally’s mom then provides her with a lot of praise and congratulates her for challenging her fear of germs. Sally’s mom then sets a timer for 5 minutes, and the goal is for Sally to not wash her hands during that period of time. Usually, Sally would immediately run to the sink to wash her hands after touching something dirty, but now she is facing her fears.
Finally, the alarm goes off! Sally successfully went 5 minutes without washing her hands after touching something dirty. Her mom then rewards her with a brave buck. Sally is now one step closer to earning her big reward at the end of the week!