Module 5: Doing Mission Plans

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 t-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!