Worry Thought Record

The Worry Thought Record is designed to help clients document and challenge worrying thoughts.

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Language

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.

Fillable version (PDF)

A fillable version of the resource. This can be edited and saved in Adobe Acrobat, or other PDF editing software.

Editable version (PPT)

An editable Microsoft PowerPoint version of the resource.

Editable version (DOC)

An editable Microsoft Word version of the resource.

Overview

Anxiety stems from negative predictions about the future (and also from assumptions that one will not be able to cope with the magnitude of the threat). The Worry Thought Record is a thought challenging record for worry. It encourages clients to record worries, predictions associated with worries, and then evidence for and against the prediction.

Why Use This Resource?

The Worry Thought Record is a useful tool for identifying and addressing anxious thought patterns.

Encourages clients to articulate their worrying thoughts.
Provides a structured approach to challenging worries.
Helps clients to develop a more balanced perspective.

Key Benefits

Awareness

Identifies situations that trigger worrisome thoughts.

Clarity

Helps clients articulate and challenge their anxious predictions.

Engagement

Encourages active participation in therapy.

Who is this for?

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Future-focused worries.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Anxious predictions about negative evaluation by others.

Health Anxiety

Worry about having or developing a serious illness.

Integrating it into your practice

Situation

Identify and describe the situation that triggered the worry.

Worry

Determine the specific thought contributing to the anxiety.

Prediction

Clearly define the prediction and rate its perceived likelihood.

Emotion

Note the emotional responses and their intensity.

Evidence

Explore the evidence supporting and contradicting the prediction.

Re-rate

Re-evaluate the likelihood of the prediction coming true.

Theoretical Background & Therapist Guidance

Worry is a particular form of thinking. Worry about the future often involves an implicit assumption, or prediction, about how the future will turn out. Anxiety stems from negative predictions about the future (and also from assumptions that one will not be able to cope with the magnitude of the threat). The Worry Thought Record is a thought challenging record for worry. It encourages clients to record worries, predictions associated with worries, and then evidence for and against the prediction. This thought record helps clients to make their future-oriented predictions explicit, which can be followed by reality-testing.

What's inside

An introduction to worry.
Therapist guidance for using the Worry Thought Record.
Key references and suggestions for further reading.

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FAQs

The Worry Thought Record specifically targets anticipatory anxiety and predictions about the future, rather than broad cognitive distortions.

Therapists can assist by prompting clients to consider past experiences or drawing parallels to similar situations with alternate outcomes.

Therapists should encourage consistent use and support clients in identifying and evaluating their anxious predictions.

How This Resource Improves Clinical Outcomes

The Worry Thought Record advances therapy by:

Enhancing self-awareness of worrisome thoughts and their emotional impact.
Providing a framework for identifying and challenging anxious predictions.
Encouraging client participation in therapy.

References And Further Reading

Beck, A.T., Rush, A.J., Shaw, B.F., & Emery, G. (1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. New York: Guilford.

Unified Protocol For Transdiagnostic Treatment Of Emotional Disorders In Adolescents