Exercises
Many forms of psychological, such as CBT, are as much about 'doing' as they are about talking and reflecting. This means that key therapeutic interventions are exercises that introduce a new way of thinking, acting, and, ultimately, feeling. Exercises are tasks that you can try with your clients in-session, or tasks that your clients can complete outside session. Popular cognitive behavioral exercises include diaphragmatic breathing, interoceptive exposure, and worry postponement.
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Anger Decision Sheet
Individuals who have a problem with anger can benefit from considering and rehearsing different responses to triggering situations. The Anger Decision ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/anger-decision-sheet
Exercises
Assertive Responses
Being able to communicate assertively is an essential skill for developing and maintaining healthy relationships and positive self-esteem. Individuals ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/assertive-responses
Exercises
Attention Training Experiment
Self-focused attention can make people less likely to see their social performance in a positive light, and contributes to the maintenance of social a ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/attention-training-experiment
Exercises
Attention Training Practice Record
When people struggle to control the focus of their attention, they find it much harder to interrupt cycles of worry, rumination, and other forms of se ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/attention-training-practice-record
Exercises
Before I Blame Myself And Feel Guilty
Guilt is a common post-traumatic reaction and is often the result of cognitive bias. This CBT worksheet explores common cognitive biases that have bee ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/before-i-blame-myself-and-feel-guilty
Exercises
Checklist For Better Sleep
Some sleep experts recommend that sleep hygiene issues be attended to as one component of treatment for poor sleep. This sleep hygiene worksheet is in ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/checklist-for-better-sleep
Exercises
Coercive Methods For Enforcing Compliance
Individuals who have experienced abuse often focus on their own actions (or inactions) and blame themselves for their own abuse. This client informati ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/coercive-methods-for-enforcing-compliance
Exercises
Decatastrophizing
Catastrophic thinking (magnification) is characteristic of many anxiety problems. This CBT worksheet for decatastrophizing is a tool for cognitive res ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/decatastrophizing
Exercises
Drawing Your Feelings (CYP)
Enhancing a child’s vocabulary for their feelings is one way of helping them to understand and learn to manage their internal world. The Drawing You ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/drawing-your-feelings-cyp
Exercises
Embracing Uncertainty
Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) was first described in individuals suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Many behaviors associated with G ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/embracing-uncertainty
Exercises
Exposure And Response Prevention
Exposure And Response Prevention (ERP, EX/RP) is an effective treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). This CBT worksheet guides therapists ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/exposure-and-response-prevention
Exercises
Exposure Practice Form
Exposure is an effective treatment for many forms of anxiety. The Exposure Practice Form is a CBT worksheet which guides therapists and clients throug ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/exposure-practice-form
Exercises
Facing Your Fears (CYP)
Graded or graduated exposure is a traditional way of overcoming fears and phobias. The therapist helps the client to draw up a list of feared situatio ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/facing-your-fears-cyp
Exercises
Fact Or Opinion
One cognitive error which commonly results in distress is to act on our opinions as though they were facts. This CBT exercise helps clients to practic ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/fact-or-opinion
Exercises
Gratitude Journal
Cultivating gratitude is an evidence-based positive psychology technique. This information handout describes reasons to cultivate a grateful attitude ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/gratitude-journal
Exercises
Grounding Techniques
Individuals who have experienced trama often find it difficult to stay within the 'window of tolerance'. Grounding techniques (which can be sensory/pe ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/grounding-techniques
Exercises
How Does Emotion Affect Your Life?
By encouraging your clients to reflect upon the role of emotions in their life you can help them to discuss current difficulties. ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/how-does-emotion-affect-your-life
Exercises
Interoceptive Exposure
Misappraisals of body sensations trigger emotional and physiological reactions of fear and heightened arousal. These feelings motivate behavioral resp ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/interoceptive-exposure
Exercises
Intrusive Thoughts Images And Impulses
Intrusive Thoughts, Images, And Impulses that are experienced as distressing are a feature of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). They are also a com ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/intrusive-thoughts-images-and-impulses
Exercises
Learning To Relax (CYP)
Stress and tension are prevalent complaints amongst children and young people. Teaching relaxation exercises can engender a beneficial sense of contro ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/learning-to-relax-cyp
Exercises
Meaning In Tinnitus
The psychological approach to tinnitus proposes that it is the meaning attached to perceptions which gives rise to distress - this is similar to the a ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/meaning-in-tinnitus
Exercises
Motivation and Ambivalence
Motivation is a necessary precursor to change, yet many clients are ambivalent about the process of change. The Motivation And Ambivalence worksheets ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/motivation-and-ambivalence
Exercises
Nightmare Exposure And Rescripting
Imagery rescripting is an effective treatment for intrusive and unwanted memories. Nightmare Exposure And Rescripting employs similar techniques and c ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/nightmare-exposure-and-rescripting
Exercises
OCD Hierarchy
Part of traditional CBT treatment for OCD is exposure to situations which trigger obsessions (classically accompanied by the prevention of the associa ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/ocd-hierarchy
Exercises
Pacing For Pain And Fatigue
Pacing is an evidence-based approach to increasing activity and fitness, and in reducing overall pain and fatigue. It is designed to prevent 'boom and ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/pacing-for-pain-and-fatigue
Exercises
Pie Charts
A common cognitive bias is to take an egocentric approach to events. When applied to negative events this can result in an exaggerated sense of respon ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/pie-charts
Exercises
Play The Script Till The End
Fears and worries can operate at different levels. Underlying one fear (e.g. "he won't turn up") can be deeper fears (e.g. "nobody will ever love me") ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/play-the-script-till-the-end
Exercises
Problem Grid
The Problem Grid is a worksheet for exploring a problem from multiple angles: self, other, and detached third party. ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/problem-grid
Exercises
Problem List
An important task during the assessment phase of therapy is to identify client difficulties. The Problem List worksheet is a helpful way of gatherin ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/problem-list
Exercises
Problem Solving
Problem Solving is a structured worksheet which encourages solution-focused thinking. Clients are encouraged to identify a problem, identify multiple ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/problem-solving
Exercises
Problem Solving (CYP)
Effective problem solving is an essential life skill and this Problem Solving worksheet is designed to guide children and adolescents through steps wh ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/problem-solving-cyp
Exercises
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive relaxation training originated in the 1930’s as a treatment for tension and anxiety. Edmund Jacobsen developed a systematic and lengthy ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/progressive-muscle-relaxation
Exercises
Prompts For Challenging Negative Thinking
The CBT model proposes that how we think affects the way we feel. Challenging our unhelpful thoughts (cognitive restructuring) is an essential skill w ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/prompts-for-challenging-negative-thinking
Exercises
Relaxed Breathing
Practising Relaxed Breathing serves to reduce physiological arousal and can be an excellent grounding technique. This client information handout descr ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/relaxed-breathing
Exercises
Safety Plan
The collaborative development of a safety plan is a brief psychosocial intervention for suicidal patients. The intent of a safety plan is to help ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/safety-plan
Exercises
Sleep Restriction
Sleep restriction is behavioral intervention used in the treatment of insomnia. It is an evidence based treatment for insomnia, both as a standalone t ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/sleep-restriction
Exercises
Stimulus Discrimination
Stimulus discrimination is a component of cognitive behavioral treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Clients are guided to deliberately ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/stimulus-discrimination
Exercises
Supervision Preparation
A common CBT approach to supervision is to frame discussion around a supervisee's question. This worksheet can guide supervisee's reflections around w ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/supervision-preparation
Exercises
SWOT Analysis
SWOT Analysis is a tool, originally from management theory, which can help to guide action in the face of uncertainty or ambivalence. Clients can be a ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/swot-analysis
Exercises
Taking Panic Out Of The Body
A critical driver of panic reactions is catastrophic misinterpretation of body sensations. This worksheet helps therapists to teach clients about the ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/taking-panic-out-of-the-body
Exercises
Thoughts Or Feelings
Differentiating between thoughts and feelings (emotions and body sensations) is an essential skill in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Thoughts Or ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/thoughts-or-feelings
Exercises
TRAP TRAC
TRAP & TRAC worksheets can be usefully used as part of a behavioral activation programme as a way of overcoming responses which result in avoidanc ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/trap-trac
Exercises
Treatment Planning Checklist
Some clients find it difficult to generate treatment goals for therapy. This simple handout presents problems that some people bring to therapy. It ca ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/treatment-planning-checklist
Exercises
Values
Meaningful activity is value-driven. This ACT-informed worksheet explores the key domains of values and encourages clients to reflect upon what is imp ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/values
Exercises
VAS Scale
Visual analogue scales (VAS's) can be used for subjective ratings of emotion or other sensations such as pain. This is a handy VAS scale in the style ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/vas-scale
Exercises
Vertical Arrow Down Arrow Vertical Descent
Vertical Arrow / Downward Arrow / Vertical Descent is a form of Socratic questioning in which the therapist asks a succession of questions to uncover ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/vertical-arrow-down-arrow-vertical-descent
Exercises
Vicious Flower Formulation
Case conceptualizations (formulations) are designed to help clients and therapists come to a shared understanding of a problem. The 'vicious flower' a ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/vicious-flower-formulation
Exercises
What Do People Think About Themselves (CYP)?
People are not born with low self-esteem. Instead, we develop ideas about ourselves and our place in the world as a result of our life experiences. Pe ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-do-people-think-about-themselves-cyp
Exercises
What If
"What if...?" questions are a powerful way in which anxious individuals generate or maintain anxious states, particularly in generalized anxiety disor ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-if
Exercises
Worry Decision Tree
Worry is a cognitive process that involves thinking about problems that might happen in a way that can leave you feeling anxious or apprehensive. Not ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/worry-decision-tree
Exercises
Worry Postponement
Worry postponement ("worry time") is often prescribed as an exploratory or standalone intervention relatively early in the treatment of GAD, but ...
https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/worry-postponement
Exercises