Letter to my past self template
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based therapy that helps individuals overcome mental health challenges. This article provides therapists with CBT psychoeducation materials and cognitive model examples to use with clients.
We’ve also included a free downloadable CBT psychoeducation PDF that can be saved to your electronic health record (EHR).
What is CBT?
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a structured, goal-oriented intervention used by mental health therapists to treat a range of conditions, including:
Substance use problems
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Chronic pain and other physical conditions
CBT is one of the most common and well-studied therapy types, combining cognitive therapy with behavioral therapy.
The basic premise of CBT is illustrated by the cognitive triangle, which shows that our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are closely related.
For example, if someone believes that they will never succeed at losing weight, they may feel discouraged and avoid making healthier choices.
The process of CBT involves:
Providing clients with CBT psychoeducation to help them understand what CBT is, how it works, and the treatment process
Helping clients understand maladaptive beliefs and learn to restructure their thoughts into more helpful beliefs and behaviors
Teaching clients coping strategies, such as stress management and relaxation techniques, to help them cope more effectively
One of the benefits of CBT is that it is a short-term treatment that requires, on average, about 12 sessions.
You may also find our CBT triangle worksheet helpful in explaining CBT to clients further.
Cognitive model examples
Cognitive model worksheets explain how thoughts, emotions, and behaviors interact in different psychological states or conditions.
CBT model of depression
The CBT model of depression illustrates how negative automatic thoughts maintain depression.
In this state, individuals hold persistent negative beliefs influencing their perspective about themselves, the world, and their future.
For example, thoughts may look like:
The self: “I’m a failure.”
The world: “People don’t care about me.”
The future: “Things will never improve.”
In turn, these thoughts lead to low mood, poor self-esteem, and social isolation, which reinforces depression.
CBT helps individuals identify these beliefs, challenge their thoughts, and replace maladaptive thoughts with more balanced and helpful thoughts to improve their mood and behavior.
CBT model of anxiety
Another cognitive model example is the CBT model of anxiety, which explains how cognitive distortions and avoidance behaviors maintain feelings of anxiety.
The cycle involves:
Triggering event: A situation perceived as threatening (e.g., a public speaking event).
Unhelpful thought: "I will embarrass myself, forget my words, and everyone will judge me."
Emotional response: Anxiety, fear, or panic.
Avoidance behavior: Cancelling the event to reduce feelings of distress.
Avoidance only temporarily reduces anxiety, and when that relief subsides, it serves to reinforce long-term fear and anxiety.
CBT for anxiety worksheets may use techniques like cognitive restructuring to challenge unhelpful thoughts, exposure therapy (gradual facing of worries), and relaxation techniques, which can help clients reduce avoidant behaviors and more effectively manage anxiety.
ABC model: Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
The ABC model is a framework to understand how thoughts influence emotions and behaviors.
For example:
A (Activating event): A situation occurs (e.g., receiving feedback at work).
B (Belief or thought): "I am terrible at my job and will get fired.”
C (Consequence: emotion and behavior): Feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, and avoidance of work tasks and management.
CBT helps individuals recognize cognitive distortions (e.g., all-or-nothing thinking and catastrophizing) and practice thought-provoking activities to develop healthier responses. These activities might include challenging the validity of a thought, reflecting on how you might respond to a friend who had an unhelpful thought, and naming emotions related to the thought.
How to use the CBT psychoeducation worksheet
You can download and use the CBT psychoeducation worksheet in several ways.
Print or screen share the worksheet and use it as a session psychoeducational prompt, incorporating cognitive model examples to illustrate key concepts.
You can also give the worksheet to the client as CBT psychoeducation material to remind them of what you discussed during therapy, including the cognitive model examples you reviewed together.
Or, ask the client to reflect on the activity worksheet between sessions, identify maladaptive beliefs and thought patterns, and report their findings at their next therapy appointment.
Sources
Beck Institute. (n.d.). Understanding CBT.
Khoury, B., & Ammar, J. (2014). Cognitive behavioral therapy for treatment of primary care patients presenting with psychological disorders. Libyan Journal of Medicine.
Sokol, L., & Fox, M. G. (2020). The Comprehensive Clinician’s Guide to Cognitive Behavioral therapy. PESI.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2022, June 2). In brief: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). InformedHealth.org [Internet].
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