Support system worksheet
If you’re a therapist looking for a worksheet that includes positive belief examples to help clients create a positive belief record, you’re in the right place.
This article provides an overview of developing a positive belief system and how to create a positive belief record with clients.
We’ve also included a free downloadable positive belief record worksheet to save to your electronic health record (EHR) and share with clients.
What is a positive belief record?
A positive belief record is a tool used in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to restructure negative core beliefs.
To better understand how to reframe these unhelpful beliefs, it’s helpful to know how these beliefs can influence a person’s life and exacerbate symptoms of mental health conditions, like anxiety and depression.
Negative beliefs, also known as self-doubt labels, are often learned early in life or through negative experiences. Typically, they are rigid and overgeneralized.
Examples of negative beliefs include:
“I’m unlovable.”
“People can’t be trusted.”
“I’m unlikable.”
“I’m a failure.”
“I’m powerless.”
“I’m weak.”
“I’m stupid.”
“The world is dangerous.”
The problem with these doubt labels is that they influence our perceptions of ourselves, others, and the world around us.
In the cognitive behavioral model, these beliefs shape unhelpful thoughts (automatic thoughts), which can lead to distorted thinking patterns (called cognitive distortions).
The example below illustrates how this negative belief system might look in a work situation:
Negative core belief: “I’m a failure.”
Triggering situation: Submitting a report for a project at work, and receiving both constructive and positive feedback from a supervisor.
Automatic thought: “I mess everything up. I’m terrible at this job. My boss must think I’m stupid.”
Cognitive distortions:
All-or-nothing thinking: Extreme thinking that you are doomed to fail, or that everybody hates you.
Labeling: Thinking that an isolated event will shape your supervisor's view of all future interactions.
Mental filtering: Focusing on failures and disqualifying positive feedback.
Emotions: Sadness, rejection, shame, embarrassment.
Behavior: Withdrawal and avoiding volunteering for other projects, which in turn, can exacerbate symptoms of depression.
However, it is possible to challenge these negative beliefs and reframe them into positive beliefs, which can improve mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.
The way to do this is through creating a positive belief record, which we illustrate below and in the attached positive belief record worksheet.
Positive belief examples
Example 1: “I can do hard things.”
Supporting evidence:
I completed graduate school despite losing a family member and going through a divorce.
I still walked my dog every day, even when it felt like there was no hope.
My therapist tells me that I am one of the most resilient people she knows.
Example 2: “I am worthy of love and respect.”
Supporting evidence:
I set and maintain boundaries.
I follow through with the consequences of someone violating my boundaries.
My friends and loved ones value and respect my boundaries.
Example 3: “I can ask for my needs to be met.”
Supporting evidence:
I have reached out to my therapist for an additional session when I am having a hard time.
I've asked my partner to discuss a difficult situation, and they’ve responded positively to how I asked to be supported.
My friends pick up their phones when I tell them I need to talk.
How to use the positive belief record worksheet
You can download and use the positive belief record worksheet in several ways.
For example, use the worksheet in session as a psychoeducational prompt to describe the CBT model and how to use positive belief records.
You can give the worksheet to the client to remind them of what you discussed during therapy.
Then, ask the client to reflect on the positive belief record worksheet between sessions, complete some examples of reframing negative thoughts into a positive belief, and share their progress at their next therapy appointment.
You can also share the worksheet with coworkers, or print copies of the positive belief record worksheet to have on hand in your office.
Lastly, you can combine the positive belief record worksheet with other CBT-related worksheets, such as our cognitive distortions worksheet, examining core beliefs worksheet, CBT for anxiety worksheet, thought record worksheet, and behavioral activation worksheet.
Sources
Sokol, L., & Fox, M. G. (2020). The Comprehensive Clinician’s Guide to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. PESI.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2022). In brief: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). InformedHealth.org [Internet].
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