Adapting Response Patterns
Adapting Response Patterns is a workshop in which participants analyse an automatic, self-defeating reaction to pressure with the ABCDE model and then rehearse a more supportive response in a short role simulation. It was written by Femma Roschar for the Transition Makers Toolbox at the University of Amsterdam and builds on Albert Ellis's ABC model from rational emotive behaviour therapy. Each person gives their inner 'saboteur' and 'supporter' a character, and peers then voice both sides while the case owner practises listening to the supportive one.
Facilitation script
- 1
Warm-up with eyes closed and the announcement that tapped people will sing; tap nobody. Debrief the thoughts, beliefs, feelings and body reactions, admit the set-up openly, and introduce the ABCDE model from what people reported.
20 min - 2
Individual work on the sabotaging pattern: describe one recurring situation with the worksheet and give the pattern a name, a look and typical sentences.
15 min - 3
Individual work on the supportive pattern: the same situation from a supportive stance, second worksheet, and a character for the supporter.
20 min - 4
Plenary demonstration with one volunteer: saboteurs behind the left shoulder, supporters behind the right, whispering for at most two minutes. Debrief the case owner first, then the voices, then the observers.
25 min - 5
Small-group simulations in groups of four to six, one case per group. Walk between groups, keep time and check on each case owner afterwards.
30 min - 6
Individual written reflection on what changed between the two patterns and what the person will try next time the situation occurs.
25 min - 7
Sharing in pairs, followed by a short closing round of one insight per person for those who want to speak.
15 min
Tips
Ask for situations of moderate weight, such as freezing in a presentation or over-preparing for a meeting, and say explicitly that deep personal history is not the material for today.
Keep each simulation to the two-minute limit and stop it early if the case owner looks overwhelmed.
Always brief the saboteur voices to use the case owner's own sentences and not to improvise harsher ones.
End every simulation by letting the supporters speak last.
Common pitfalls
Not owning up to the warm-up trick: participants who felt real dread at the idea of singing can feel manipulated, and trust drops before the personal work begins
Saboteur voices improvising cruel lines of their own: the case owner hears new attacks from colleagues and the exercise does harm instead of building distance from the pattern
Letting a simulation run past two minutes: the case owner tires, the saboteur side gains ground and the rehearsal of the supportive response gets lost
Skipping the supportive-pattern worksheet to save time: the simulation then only replays the problem, and people leave with a sharper picture of the saboteur and no alternative
Cutting the written reflection: the simulation is intense but short, and without the harvest most participants cannot say afterwards what they will do differently
Variations
If the simulation is too much for the group, stop after the two worksheets and have people present their saboteur and supporter characters to a partner; the analysis alone is useful. In intervision or peer-support groups that meet regularly, run one case per meeting instead of several in one session. Online, the case owner turns away from the screen or closes their eyes while the voices speak with cameras off, and the written reflection happens offline. With only four people, run a single simulation and rotate the case owner if time allows.
Where it fits
When to use it
A coaching or development group has built enough trust that people will name a real unhelpful reaction in front of peers
Participants understand their stress reactions intellectually but still fall into them, and need rehearsal as well as analysis
You have two and a half to three hours and a room where small groups can stand and speak without being overheard
The group will meet again, so the patterns and characters can be referred back to in later sessions
An experienced facilitator or coach is available who can contain strong emotion and stop a simulation when needed
When not to use it
The group is new or mixed across reporting lines: the personal material is too exposed, so use a lighter reflection such as Guided Journaling or a Peer Coaching Circle
A participant's pattern is tied to trauma, a clinical condition or acute distress: this is a workshop, not therapy, and they should be pointed to professional support
You have less than two hours: teach the ABCDE analysis on its own, or use Challenge Your Beliefs, which fits in 80 minutes
Participants did not choose to attend: hearing their own self-critical sentences whispered by colleagues can feel like an attack when consent is not real
The facilitator has no experience with role-based or psychodramatic work: run a plain Role Playing exercise on an external scenario first
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Adapting Response Patterns?▾
Adapting Response Patterns is a workshop of roughly two and a half hours from the Transition Makers Toolbox at the University of Amsterdam, written by Femma Roschar. Participants analyse a recurring unhelpful reaction with the ABCDE model, personify the sabotaging and the supportive side of it, and act the situation out with peers voicing both sides. The aim is to notice the automatic reaction sooner and practise a response that serves the person better.
What does ABCDE stand for?▾
A is the activating event, B the belief about it, and C the emotional and behavioural consequence. D stands for disputing the belief and E for the effective new belief that replaces it. The ABC core comes from Albert Ellis's rational emotive behaviour therapy; the saboteur and supporter staging is an addition by the toolbox author.
Is this a form of therapy?▾
No. It borrows a model from cognitive therapy and a staging idea similar to role-based group work, but it is a learning workshop for everyday stress reactions. Facilitators should steer participants toward moderate, work-related or study-related situations and refer anyone dealing with heavier material to qualified support.
How large should the simulation groups be?▾
Four to six people per group. Each simulation needs one case owner, at least two people voicing the saboteur and at least one voicing the supporter. Anyone left over observes and reports what they saw in the debrief.
Why does the warm-up threaten people with singing?▾
The announcement is an activating event that produces immediate thoughts, emotions and physical reactions in almost everyone, even though nobody is tapped. That gives the group fresh, shared material for introducing the model. Explain the purpose straight afterwards and acknowledge that the reactions it caused were real.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Femma Roschar, Transition Makers Toolbox (University of Amsterdam); ABC model by Albert Ellis.