Managing Mood — a skills approach
Everyone experiences times when emotions feel overwhelming. While emotional pain is a normal part of life, managing distressing feelings can sometimes be difficult. When we don’t handle these emotions well, it can create problems for ourselves and those around us.
In moments of anxiety, anger, or despair, we often rely on unhelpful coping habits.
This group offers an alternative: learning healthier ways to relate to painful emotions and developing practical skills to manage challenging situations.
Our programme draws on proven approaches, including Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Padesky’s Five-Part Model, and Marsha Linehan’s Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). We also use Eric Karpman’s Drama Triangle to explore interpersonal effectiveness, Russ Harris’s work to guide values and goal setting, and place a strong emphasis on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
These skills have been successfully used by clients in New Zealand and internationally. They are valuable tools for anyone experiencing emotional distress — which, at some point, includes all of us.
Skills Taught in This Group
Mindfulness Skills
Mindfulness helps us stay present and focus on what truly matters. These skills support:
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Managing each moment effectively
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Making the most of each day
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Improving decision-making
Emotion Regulation Skills
These skills build awareness and understanding of our emotions, enabling us to:
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Identify and work with feelings
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Manage anxiety, stress, and other difficult emotions more effectively
Distress Tolerance Skills
Practical strategies for coping with crises and tolerating painful emotions without making situations worse.
Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills
Cognitive and behavioural strategies that strengthen relationships and self-care, including:
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Communicating and managing conflict effectively
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Setting boundaries and prioritising self-care
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Clarifying values and setting meaningful goals
Managing Mood Group
Learn new skills to manage painful emotions and difficult situations
Comprehensive Care’s psychological services offer a Managing Mood Group service that is focused on helping people learn and build skills to help manage their moods and distress tolerance. Our approach is about supporting people to develop ways of recognising unhelpful patterns and find new ways to approach life and problem solve.
Participants develop positive coping strategies that aim to help make everyday life a little easier, lessening the effects of the past, improving the present and making the future brighter.
Over the 13 week course, the best outcomes are achieved if people are able to attend all the sessions and build on their learning each week.
* This group has proven popular and there may be a waiting list. This group is accessed free through a referral
Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our communities is a priority for Comprehensive Care. In
Partnership with our network of GP practices and other strategic collaborations, we offer a variety of services to meet different needs for mental wellbeing support
Mental Health Services
Comprehensive Care offers world class Mental Health support services to help the people in our community who are experiencing depression or anxiety as a result of life issues, including the diagnosis of a long-term medical condition.
Lifestyle options
The Lifestyle Options programme offers up to four free sessions of brief intervention counselling for people with mild to moderate mental health issues. A doctor’s referral is needed for this service.
(* Free, spaces are limited and waitlist applies)
The Lifestyle Options programme offers up to four free sessions of brief intervention counselling for people with mild to moderate mental health issues.
Support is offered in the following areas:
• Depression and anxiety
• Making healthy change
• Stress
• Adjusting to illness
• Communication issues
• Work relates stress
• Grief
• Sleep issues
• Physical abuse and violence (will refer to appropriate service)
A very important focus is on practising these skills, including between sessions as best you can. This will involve some written information and record keeping.
We also focus on the development of your own Coping Plan. This will help you tailor what you learn to your individual preferences and life.
To get the most out of this course it is recommended you attend all 13 sessions of the group.