Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most widely used forms of therapy, and for good reason. Many mental health professionals use this therapy technique for a wide range of conditions, including different forms of anxiety. Having the right tools is an important part of providing effective treatment. In this post, we will highlight 13 CBT worksheets for anxiety that can help you deliver cognitive behavioral therapy more effectively to your clients:
Why CBT for Anxiety
According to the National Institute of Health,
“Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective for a wide variety of mental health disorders,1 including anxiety disorders.2–6 CBT has also been associated with improvements in quality of life in anxiety patients.7 CBT is typically conceptualized as a short-term, skills-focused treatment aimed at altering maladaptive emotional responses by changing the patient’s thoughts, behaviors, or both.”
CBT is one of the most widely used types of therapy for anxiety disorders with a goal of:
- Lowering a sufferer’s anxiety levels
- Calming the mind
- Overcome fears
- Teach ways to cope
- Change negative thinking patterns
The next sections will outline 13 different CBT worksheets for anxiety that you can use with your clients:
1. CBT Triangle Worksheet
Thinking negatively is a common human trait. We actively search for problems so that we can be prepared for them. However, This negative thinking typically does the opposite of helping us.
Our CBT Triangle Worksheet is designed to help your clients change negative patterns of thought.
2. CBT Thought Record Worksheet
The purpose of a thought record is to get you into the habit of paying attention to your thoughts and working to change them. This CBT tool can help your clients recognize and change unhelpful thought patterns and help them get into a habit of paying attention to their thoughts while working to change them.
Our CBT Thought Record Worksheet is an effective tool to help your clients become aware of their negative thought patterns:
3. CBT Continuum Worksheet
The Continuum Technique is a tool used in CBT to help people challenge irrational beliefs about themselves or the world around them. This simple worksheet tool acts as a contrast to your clients potentially harmful beliefs that they may simply accept as truth or allow to remain unchallenged.
Our CBT Continuum Worksheet is an effective tool to challenge negative beliefs your clients have about themselves:
4. CBT Behavioral Experiment Worksheet
According to J Bennett-Levy, Behavioral experiments are collaborative endeavors in which therapists and patients work together to identify a potentially negative or harmful belief, then to either confirm or disprove it by designing an experiment that tests the belief. Like thought records, they are most often used in CBT. Behavioral experiments are an information gathering exercise to test an individual’s beliefs or to test new beliefs.
Our worksheet can be very helpful to test your client’s beliefs (about themselves, others, and the world in general) and new beliefs. This CBT Behavioral Experiment Worksheet will help test your client’s predictions about how you cope in challenging or stressful situations:
5. Cognitive Distortions Worksheet
People experiencing anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions often have unhealthy thinking patterns. Everyone experiences negative thoughts, but when they become more frequent and stronger, they can create problems. According to VeryWellMind.com, “Cognitive distortions are negative or irrational patterns of thinking. These negative thought patterns can play a role in diminishing your motivation, lowering your self-esteem, and contributing to problems like anxiety, depression, and substance use.”
Our Cognitive Distortions Worksheet can help your clients recognize irrational thought patterns that may be harming them:
6. CBT Problem Solving Worksheet
Problem solving is an important intervention whenever we are presented with difficulties problems, and repetitive thoughts or worry. Effective problem solving will help clients generate solutions when they are feeling “stuck.”
Our CBT Problem Solving Worksheet is a helpful tool to help your clients think through their problem and come up with effective solutions:
7. Challenging Negative Thoughts Worksheet
Negative thoughts or beliefs can pop into our head at any time. They can take hold and cause us long-term pain.
Our Challenging Negative Thoughts worksheet can teach your clients to challenge their negative thoughts and beliefs:
8. Cognitive Restructuring Worksheet
Also known as cognitive reframing, cognitive restructuring is a helpful process that allows your clients to identify and understand unhelpful thoughts they may be having and then challenge and replace their automatic thoughts (cognitive distortions).
Our Cognitive Restructuring Worksheet will help your clients challenge their irrational thoughts and replace them with more helpful thoughts:
9. Belief Driven Formulation Worksheet
CBT teaches that our behaviors, feelings, and thoughts are determined by what we believe and assume at our core. This Belief Driven Formulation worksheet will help you to explore what influences your behaviors, feelings, and thoughts.
Our Belief Driven Formulation Worksheet will help your clients explore what influences their anxious thoughts:
10. Decatastrophizing Worksheet
When we are struggling with anxious thoughts, it’s easy to think of the worst. Thinking the worst will happen is called catastrophizing. This behavior can cause us to act irrationally and make our situations worse than they are. This decatastrophizing worksheet will help your clients think differently about their situation.
Our Decatastrophizing Worksheet will help your clients think differently about the situation they’re in:
11. Socratic Questions Worksheet
Our thoughts come and go. Because our thoughts can control our emotions and the way we act, it’s important to challenge any thoughts that can cause us harm, such as those that increase anxiety. Socratic questioning is a technique for exploring ideas, emotions, and thoughts.
Our Socratic Questions Worksheet will help your clients explore their thoughts to help them reduce thoughts that cause anxiety:
12. Thinking Errors Worksheet
How we think and what we believe plays a major role in affecting our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. When a person has a pattern of negative thinking, it can skew how they see and understand a situation.
Our Thinking Errors Worksheet will help your clients practice balanced thoughts when presented with an example you create:
13. Mindfulness Worksheets Bundle
Practicing mindfulness is a powerful way to stay grounded in the present moment while lessoning negative feelings like anxiety and worry. For your clients, mindfulness can help regulate emotions and decrease, stress, anxiety, and depression.
Our Mindfulness Worksheets Bundle will help your clients lessen negative thoughts that can cause anxiety:
Conclusion on CBT Worksheets for Anxiety
CBT Worksheets are a great way to help your clients who struggle with anxious thoughts. Our CBT Worksheets for anxiety are built to help mental health professionals streamline their practices by allowing you to collect information from your clients in an organize, safe way.
Want all the above CBT worksheets plus more? Download our CBT Worksheets bundle:
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Author: Anthony Bart
Anthony Bart is a huge mental health advocate. He has primarily positioned his marketing expertise to work with mental health professionals so that they can help as many patients as possible. He is currently the owner of BartX, TherapistX, and TherapyByPro.
