Cognitive Distortions – Self-Monitoring Record

An accessible self-monitoring worksheet that helps clients identify automatic thoughts and common cognitive distortions.

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Professional version

Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.

Client version

Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.

Overview

Self-monitoring is a technique in which clients learn to systematically observe and record specific targets such as their own thoughts, body feelings, emotions, and behaviors. The aim is to improve clients’ awareness of their experiences and the contexts in which they occur to help them gain insight into their symptoms and difficulties. Self-monitoring supports collaboration between the therapist and client, creating opportunities to formulate and test hypotheses about these difficulties. It is usually introduced early in therapy, providing an inexpensive and continuous measure of problem symptoms and behaviors throughout treatment.

The Cognitive Distortions – Self-Monitoring Record is designed to help clients become more aware of their negative automatic thoughts, and any cognitive distortions (unhelpful thinking styles) which are present within them.

Key Benefits

Structure

Offers a systematic approach for recording and analyzing thought patterns.

Insight

Provides insight into how thoughts influence emotional and physiological responses.

Awareness

Enhances recognition of unhelpful thinking styles and their emotional impact.

Socialization

Reinforces key elements of the CBT model.

Who is this for?

Depression

Helps identify cognitive distortions that contribute to feelings of hopelessness.

Anxiety Disorders

Supports recognition of anxiety-provoking thinking patterns, such as catastrophizing.

Low Self-Esteem

Identifies self-critical thinking styles, such as labelling and personalization.

Perfectionism

Highlights cognitive distortions linked to perfectionism, such as “should” statements and all-or-nothing thinking.

Other Difficulties

Suitable for clients experiencing PTSD, OCD, and interpersonal difficulties.

Integrating it into your practice

01

Educate

Introduce clients to common cognitive distortions.

02

Target

Collaboratively agree a target event or emotional cue for initiating self-monitoring.

03

Record

Encourage clients to identify their automatic thoughts, associated emotions, and relevant cognitive distortions.

04

Reflect

Review clients' self-monitoring records and help them reflect on the content.

05

Reassess

Encourage ongoing monitoring to track changes during treatment.

Theoretical Background & Therapist Guidance

Self-monitoring serves as both an assessment method and an intervention in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), supporting various evidence-based treatments (Korotitsch & Nelson-Gray, 1999; Proudfoot & Nicholas, 2010). It involves two key components: discrimination (identifying key symptoms, thoughts, or feelings) and recording (documenting occurrences in writing, allowing clients to track when symptoms happen, their duration, and the context).

Self-monitoring can utilize various tools, such as diaries for events, logs for behavior frequency, and records for thoughts or symptoms. Encouraging self-monitoring helps clients actively engage in therapy, fostering autonomy and understanding of their challenges, which lays a foundation for effective intervention (Bornstein et al., 1986; Proudfoot & Nicholas, 2010). Self-monitoring also assists therapists in identifying influential factors that might not be visible during sessions (Korotitsch & Nelson-Gray, 1999).

A common technique in CBT involves teaching clients to recognize and evaluate automatic thoughts – the rapid, often unexamined cognitive content that arises in response to everyday events. Many of these thoughts are shaped by cognitive distortions such as catastophizing, personalization, all-or-nothing thinking, or overgeneralizing (Beck, 1963; Beck et al, 1979; Burns, 1980). By learning to spot these distortions in real-time, clients can begin to question the accuracy of their automatic thoughts and move towards more balanced, flexible thinking. 

The Cognitive Distortions – Self-Monitoring Record worksheet is designed to help clients identify cognitive distortions present in their automatic thoughts. It includes columns to record information about the client’s automatic thoughts and emotions in a particular situation. It also provides illustrated descriptions of common cognitive distortions and clients are encouraged to record distortions which might be present in their automatic thoughts.

What's inside

  • A comprehensive introduction to self-monitoring.
  • Guidance for introducing and using the resource with clients.
  • Key references and recommended further reading.
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FAQs

Cognitive distortions are habitual ways of thinking that are biased, inaccurate, and often unhelpful. They include patterns like catastrophizing, overgeneralization, and all-or-nothing thinking.
Begin with psychoeducation on automatic thoughts and cognitive distortions. Use examples to make concepts relatable and normalize these thinking styles.
Ideally, clients should use it when experiencing distress or strong emotional shifts. Regular use helps build skill and awareness.

How This Resource Improves Clinical Outcomes

This self-monitoring worksheet enhances therapy by helping clients:

  • Identify negative thought patterns.
  • Distance themselves from unhelpful and inaccurate ways of thinking.
  • Re-evaluate their thoughts.
  • Participate in therapy.

References And Further Reading

  • Beck, A. T. (1963). Thinking and depression: I. Idiosyncratic content and cognitive distortions. Archives of General Psychiatry, 9(4), 324–333.
  • Beck, A.T., Rush, A.J., Shaw, B.F., & Emery, G. (1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. New York: Guilford.
  • Bornstein, P.H., Hamilton, S.B. & Bornstein, M.T. (1986). Self-monitoring procedures. In A.R. Ciminero, K.S. Calhoun, & H.E. Adams (Eds), Handbook of behavioral assessment (2nd ed). New York: Wiley.
  • Burns, D. D. (1980). The new mood therapy. New York: William Morrow and Company.
  • Cohen, J.S., Edmunds, J.M., Brodman, D.M., Benjamin, C.L., Kendall, P.C. (2013). Using self-monitoring: implementation of collaborative empiricism in cognitive-behavioral therapy. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 20(4), 419–428.
  • Kennerley, H., Kirk, J., & Westbrook, D. (2017). An Introduction to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: Skills & Applications (3rd ed). Sage, London.
  • Korotitsch, W. J., & Nelson-Gray, R. O. (1999). An overview of self-monitoring research in assessment and treatment. Psychological Assessment, 11(4), 415.
  • Persons, J.B. (2008). The Case Formulation Approach to Cognitive-Behavior Therapy. Guilford Press, London.
  • Proudfoot, J., & Nicholas, J. (2010). Monitoring and evaluation in low intensity CBT interventions. In J. Bennett-Levy, D. Richards, P. Farrand, et al. (Eds.), Oxford guide to low intensity CBT interventions. Oxford University Press.