CBT Vicious Cycle Worksheet
By
HappierTherapy
Author bio
The Happier Therapy editorial team is made up of Masters and PhD counselling psychologists. Each worksheet is created by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The worksheet then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
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What is the theory behind this CBT Vicious Cycle worksheet?
Cognitive behavioural therapy seeks to help individuals identify their negative automatic thoughts and modify them with the aim of improving subsequent distressing emotions and unhelpful behaviours. For conditions such as anxiety CBT explains how an individual’s cognitive, emotional, physiological and behavioural aspects work in a vicious cycle to maintain their anxiety.
How will the worksheet help?
This worksheet will provide a model of the vicious cycle of anxiety according to Cognitive Behavioral principles.It will help clients understand what factors contribute to maintaining their anxiety overtime and make it difficult for them to overcome it. It will help them understand the factors that are within their control giving them a sense of empowerment to be able to manage their distressing condition.
How to use the worksheet?
This worksheet can be used in the initial psychoeducation sessions of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for clients struggling with anxiety. They can use the model as a reminder of identifying and modifying their negative thoughts if they want to overcome their anxiety. The therapist can also use the worksheet to take down important related notes or help clients understand a related point within sessions.
