What is the theory behind this Therapy Homework Worksheet?
Homework assignments are an integral part of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that are used to reinforce and extend the strategies learned in the clinical settings to practical life. It is important that clients are consistent with completing these homework assignments for CBT to be successful for their concerned issues. The type of homework assigned can depend on the patients preferences and needs.
How will the worksheet help?
This worksheet is based on an important part of CBT homework assignments that is identification of automatic negative thoughts that arise after any unpleasant situation and significantly impact one’s subsequent thoughts and actions. Targeting and replacing these negative thoughts is at the core of any CBT treatment.
How to use the worksheet?
Instruct the client to first write the unpleasant situation or event that has occurred. Followed by what emotions they were feeling at the time and their intensity. Lastly they must list down all the immediate thoughts that run in their heads whether positive or negative and also give them a rating based on how much they believe in it.
Therapy Homework Worksheet
Use this worksheet after an unpleasant situation or event has occurred. Follow the table from left to right.
| Describe the unpleasant situation or event that has happened | What emotions did it bring up? How intense were these emotions? Rate the intensity on a scale of 1 – 10. | What were the thoughts that immediately followed that unpleasant event? Write down every thought. Rate how strongly you believe in it on a scale of 1 – 10. |
Reference
You can download this worksheet here.