Do you have editable CBT worksheets for your clients / patients? If not, download our CBT worksheets bundle below:
In this post, we will highlight 10 CBT worksheets that can help you deliver cognitive behavioral therapy more effectively to your clients.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a form of psychological treatment that has been demonstrated to be effective for a wide range of issues your clients face. Some of these conditions CBT treats include anxiety disorders, depression, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders, and other severe mental health conditions.
According to APA.org, CBT is based on 3 core principles:
- Psychological problems are based, in part, on faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking
- Psychological problems are based, in part, on learned patterns or unhelpful behavior
- People suffering from psych problems can learn better ways to cope, which can help relieve symptoms
How Does CBT Help Clients?
CBT is extremely effective type of treatment that can help your clients in a number of ways. With CBT treatment, your clients can:
- Learn to recognize distortions in thinking
- Gain a better understanding of the behavior and motivations of others
- Use problem solving skills to cope more effectively
- Develop a greater sense of confidence in their abilities
- Overcome fears by facing them instead of avoiding them
- Prepare for problematic interactions with others
- Learn to calm their mind and relax their body
Let’s review 10 CBT worksheets that can help your clients:
1. 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:
2. 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:
3. 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:
4. 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:
5. 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:
6. 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:
7. 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:
8. 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.
9. CBT ABC Model Worksheet
The ABC model is a common cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) technique used by mental health professionals in counseling. This framework assumes your beliefs about a specific event will affect how you react to that event.
Our CBT ABC Model Worksheet will help your clients challenge irrational thoughts and cognitive distortions:
10. CBT Behavioral Activation Worksheet.
Behavioral Activation Worksheets are an important tool used as a treatment for depression and other mood disorders. As individuals become depressed, they tend to increasingly engage in avoidance and isolate themselves.
Our CBT Behavioral Activation Worksheet was built as a weekly tool you can provide to your clients and review with them during your session if needed:
Conclusion on CBT Worksheets for your Practice
CBT Worksheets are a great way to help your clients using the powerful and proven CBT treatment method. Our worksheets are built to help mental health professionals streamline their practices by allowing you to collect information from your clients in an organized, safe way. Whether you’re just starting out in private practice, have an established practice, or work in a larger organization, our CBT worksheets can help you more easily treat your patients.
Want all the above CBT worksheets? 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.
