Thought Record – Courtroom Trial
This worksheet helps clients evaluate negative automatic thoughts using an engaging courtroom trial metaphor.
Thought Record – Courtroom Trial
Everyone has hundreds of ‘automatic’ thoughts each day. They can be positive (leading to positive emotions like joy or excitement), negative (leading to negative emotions like sadness or anxiety), or neutral (they don’t make you feel much at all).
These thoughts can also be biased: not every thought is 100% true, and biased thinking can contribute to difficulties like anxiety or depression.
Keeping a record can help you evaluate whether your automatic thoughts are accurate or useful. The Thought Record – Courtroom Trial offers a step-by-step process for putting your negative thoughts ‘on trial’ and examining the evidence that supports and does not support them.
Complete this record whenever you feel distressed or notice a negative automatic thought, or as your therapist has instructed.
Overview
Grounded in Beck’s cognitive model, this worksheet supports clients in re-evaluating their negative automatic thoughts (NATs). It uses a courtroom metaphor which helps clients to externalize their negative automatic thought (NAT) and scaffolds the process of cognitive restructuring. This format can be particularly helpful when clients are able to identify their negative automatic thoughts (NATs) but struggle to identify counter-evidence and develop a balanced, more realistic alternative thought.
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