Session 2: Problem-Solving Skills

Abstract

Building on the stress and stress management information from the last session, Session 2 introduces two specific forms of coping with stress: “Solving the Problem,” which involves you engaging in actions that instrumentally reduce the stressors to which you are exposed (active problem-solving), and “Managing the Impact” coping, i.e., those skills that reduce the effects of stressors on you physically and emotionally (relaxation and cognitive-behavioral strategies). This session describes these two forms of coping and the “when” and “how” of applying each. In this session problem-solving skills are introduced as a strategy that can reduce stress by addressing and altering the situation, and specific steps in the problem-solving process are described and illustrated.