Shame 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 Shame Cycle Worksheet?
Shame refers to feelings of embarrassment or humiliation that occur as a result of having done something which goes against one’s values or counts as something immoral. It can result in excessive self-critical thoughts that can foster further negative feelings. Falling into an endless cycle of shame can devastate one’s mental health and personal, social, and professional life.
How will the worksheet help?
This worksheet can help individuals gain a deeper understanding of the difference between healthy and unhealthy shame. It can be used in therapy settings to help individuals differentiate between why their unhealthy shame is persistent and what they can do to use it as a driving force to try harder instead.
How to use the worksheet?
Therapists can use this worksheet to help individuals who are dealing with feelings of persistent shame. Use the worksheet in sessions to initiate discussion on how the healthy and unhealthy shame cycle works and ask the individual to reflect on their own situation.
