PTSD cognitive restructuring 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 PTSD Cognitive Restructuring worksheet?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a serious mental condition that occurs after an individual experiences a direct or indirect traumatic event which was characterised by a threat to their physical, emotional or psychological health. Along with other symptoms, individuals with PTSD report intrusive thoughts about the traumatic event along with heightened arousal and negative emotional reactions when faced with their trauma triggers.
Cognitive Restructuring is an essential technique used in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CPT) to help individuals with PTSD identify, challenge and modify their problematic thought processes that are contributing to their symptoms. It aims to help them understand the impact of their negative thoughts on their symptoms and how addressing them can help alleviate distress.
How will the worksheet help?
The worksheet will help clients identify their automatic thoughts, assumptions and feelings in response to trauma triggers. It will help them challenge those thoughts and replace them with helpful alternatives. This technique also allows clients to feel in control of their thoughts and eventually their symptoms.
How to use the worksheet?
Instruct the client to fill the table from left to when they experience a negative mood after a trigger event. It is important to instruct them to use relaxation techniques to calm down first. As practice they can be guided to fill the worksheet in the therapy sessions before assigning it as a homework assignment.