Thought challenging records are commonly used in CBT to help people to evaluate their negative automatic thoughts for accuracy and bias. This Compassionate Thought Challenging Record is designed to help clients develop self-compassionate responses to automatic negative thoughts.
Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
A fillable version of the resource. This can be edited and saved in Adobe Acrobat, or other PDF editing software.
An editable Microsoft PowerPoint version of the resource.
The Compassionate Thought Challenging Record is designed to help clients in bringing balance to automatic negative thoughts with the use of compassionate perspectives. By using compassion, clients learn to foster a mindset that encourages kindness and non-judgment towards themselves. This worksheet serves as a structured tool for recording situations, emotional responses, negative automatic thoughts, and developing compassion-driven alternative perspectives.
This resource helps clients to identify automatic negative thoughts and transform them into self-compassionate responses.
Clients can challenge self-critical thoughts.
Replace anxious predictions with kinder self-assessments.
Build self-compassion to counter a persistently negative self-view.
Foster resilience through compassionate thinking.
Encourage clients to note specific situations which trigger unwanted thoughts.
Have clients describe their emotional and physiological reactions in detail.
Guide clients to capture their automatic negative thoughts.
Assist clients in formulating a self-compassionate response. Use compassionate imagery and tone to solidify the new perspective.
Work with clients to understand the impact of compassionate responses.
Promote continuous use of this record for reinforcing compassionate thinking.
Compassionate mind training is a fundamental component of compassion-focused therapy (CFT). Developed by Paul Gilbert, CFT emphasizes developing skills in self-compassion as a means to alleviate emotional distress.
This thought record combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with insights from CFT, encouraging clients to transform their automatic thoughts by incorporating compassionate reasoning.
By encouraging clients to engage in compassionate imagery and self-reflection, therapists help facilitate a shift from harsh self-criticism to a nurturing self-view.
