Chapters 21-22
Practice Makes Progress
Key Learning Points
Summarize and review all CBT learning from the novel: As the book ends, we have learned about a) why people get distressed and how that manifests, b) thinking errors and ways to combat them, c) fear hierarchies and avoidance, d) behavioural activation and activities that give a sense of mastery and pleasure, e) how to handle setbacks, f) putting skills into practice and g) core beliefs. These concepts should be briefly reviewed again with students and any last questions about them addressed.
2. Introduce the idea of planning for the future by “fixing” the past: Life experience is the best teacher and CBT acknowledges this. One useful technique, once a person has learned CBT skills, is to imagine a situation in the past that did not have a good outcome and consider how you could have used your CBT skills, if you’d had them at the time, to achieve a better outcome. This consolidates learning and is exactly the format of the ending of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Students can also discuss how the skills Harry has learned may help him master crises in future books.
3. Introduce the concept of being your own “CBT Wizard”: A central notion of CBT is that its principles are not rocket science and can be learned by anyone. At the end of CBT therapy, patients graduate to be their own therapists. The idea is that they have acquired enough skills to be able to apply CBT on their own. The concept that students are now “CBT Wizards” and should be capable of trying out these skills in their lives should be introduced as well as the notion that the teacher believes in their abilities (just as Lupin believes in Harry).
4. Introduce an approach if CBT skills fail: Both Harry and the students are ready to take on life with the help of a bit of CBT. Even though Lupin is leaving with confidence in him, Harry will still experience cognitive distortions from time to time and will sometimes need support. He is skilled but even the most skilled of us can be overwhelmed at times. As the books progress, Harry does reach out when he needs help. Students should be encouraged to follow his example and, when needed, to reach out as well. The end of this curriculum offers an opportunity to share school, local community and healthcare-based resources for getting help if students are in distress and think their CBT skills are not working. This is also a good opportunity to remind them that J.K. Rowling reached out to a therapist in her community (at least twice by public accounts) and the evidence suggests that was a good choice. Without seeking help, it would have been much harder for her to be resilient in the face of depression and the world may never have gotten to enjoy Harry Potter.
CBT Foundations
Consolidating skills and “fixing” the past
CBT is a treatment which emphasizes the development of skills. At this point both Harry and the students have learned many CBT skills and have practiced them. Towards the end of CBT, some versions emphasize a thought experiment in which a person “goes back in time” to a difficult moment before CBT and thinks about how he or she would use the CBT skills learned to have arrived at a different outcome.
As you will see below, this is essentially the format of the final chapters of the novel. Although we don’t have “Time-Turners” in real-life, we are able to learn from our previous experiences by reflecting about them. The next step is then to imagine a future crisis (e.g. you get a bad grade, your parents fight with you, your boyfriend breaks up with you) and think about how you would use your CBT skills to successfully manage your distress. Students should be encouraged to think about this while reading these last two chapters.
Being your own “CBT Wizard”
Like many modern talk therapy treatments, CBT is “time limited”. It is not meant to last forever, but instead to impart and practice skills over a period of a few months with the ultimate goal of “patients” becoming their own “therapists”. We see this dynamic with Lupin and Harry. Harry needs Lupin throughout the book but, as the story winds to a close, Harry is quite effective at deploying his skills without Lupin’s help. The goal of this curriculum has similarly been to make students their own “CBT Wizards”. Like Harry, they may not have the full hang of these skills, but they know enough to be able to try practicing them on their own. Hopefully at this point they will also feel comfortable trying – with the awareness that there is help if they run into trouble (see below).
What to do if CBT fails
Nothing in life is foolproof including CBT and distress comes in many forms, some of which overwhelm even the most skilled people. Students need to be made aware that the CBT skills they have learned should help them to cope with most forms of distress but not all of them. If their skills stop working, they should be instructed to seek help and be provided with a list of resources which will vary depending on where this curriculum is being taught.
Typical options would be:
a) a school counsellor, social worker or psychologist
b) a community/spiritual leader
c) a pediatrician or family doctor
d) a community psychologist or psychiatrist
e) a youth or general crisis hotline, or
f) a hospital emergency department
These options may seem frightening to students. But they should be reminded that Harry was reluctant to share his problems with others initially but doing so was very helpful to him (and to J.K. Rowling among many others). People working in the above areas are generally kind and friendly, contrary to what some students may imagine.
How are Chapters 21-22 Related to CBT?
Chapter 21 introduces the “Time-Turner’. While the availability of time travel may be somewhat problematic for our understanding of the Harry Potter universe, it is an absolutely vital inclusion for the end of Harry’s CBT lessons. He needs to prove to himself that with a full understanding of the facts and having practiced his skills, he will be able to achieve a more positive outcome.
After saving Buckbeak, Harry and Hermione take a moment to consider that a “really powerful wizard” must have protected Sirius from the dementors. Harry thinks it was his father whom he resembles and idolizes. But he then has a moment of realization. Now, he is also a powerful wizard, as strong as his father, and he can produce a “blinding, dazzling” Patronus. His Patronus takes the form of his father’s – a stag – reaffirming his learning from the last chapter that he is loved, remains connected to his parents, and is not alone. When Hermione is surprised that Harry could produce such advanced magic, he replies that “I knew I could do it this time…because I’d already done it…Does that make sense?” This is a double entendre, referring both to the fact he had already seen himself produce the Patronus and also the fact that his CBT skills have become much easier with practice. When Harry then saves Black, his godfather looks at him and reinforces all of his learning: “You are – truly your father’s son, Harry…”. The moment and that assessment underscore that Harry is neither alone nor incompetent. His negative core beliefs have been effectively neutralized.
In Chapter 22, Lupin must leave (like any good CBT therapist) and allow Harry to work on developing confidence in using his skills on his own. In a nod to his success in imparting CBT to Harry, Lupin says “If I’m proud of anything I’ve done this year, it’s how much you’ve learned…”. Like previous ones, this chapter reinforces that thoughts do not equate to facts. Harry still retains some doubts because Peter Pettigrew has escaped but Dumbledore notes, “The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed”. He also reiterates what Harry learned in the previous chapter – that his father lives on within him.
Harry has grown considerably throughout the novel. He has a much better understanding of himself and the world around him. So even though he has to return to live with his aunt and uncle until the next school year, when he sees them at the train station, he is able to crack a joke with confidence and anticipate “what looked like a much better summer than the last”.
Core Lesson Plan - Practice Makes Progress
Character Analysis
Duration: Ongoing
LESSON OBJECTIVES
To briefly review and summarize all CBT skills learned to date including core CBT principles
To introduce the concept of “fixing” the past with your new skills and imagining/planning for a future crisis
To promote students to the rank of “CBT Wizard”
To provide a list of local school, community and crisis resources which they can access if they run into distress that does not improve when the use their skills
SUMMARY OF TASKS/ACTIONS
Lesson Planning:
This lesson would ideally bring the class together for a group discussion of the above principles.
Teachers should prepare a list of mental health resources to be distributed to the class for use in case of distress that does not respond to their CBT skills.
You can distribute a parchment “CBT Wizard” diploma for each student
Entire Lesson Plan
Teacher Answer Key
Guiding Questions
Unit 11: See under Core lesson 2
Core Lesson Plan - Practice Makes Progress
On the Mend
Duration: 15 min
LESSON OBJECTIVES
Students will recognize what to expect when difficult situations and/or moods begin to improve.
SUMMARY OF TASKS/ACTIONS
Lesson Planning:
Provide the students with the attached worksheet.
Entire Lesson Plan
Teacher Answer Key
Guiding Questions
Optional Lesson Plan and Activities
The following lessons and activities are optional. You may download the full set of optional lesson plans, activities, and chapter questions. Alternatively, you can download each activity or worksheet separately.
Entire Set of Optional Activities