CBT worksheets for bipolar disorder
Summary
Use these evidence-based SMART Recovery worksheets to help clients build motivation and manage triggers through proven CBT and REBT techniques.
Guide participants in mastering essential SMART Recovery topics such as the ABC exercise, cost-benefit analysis, and the Lifestyle Balance Wheel for a holistic recovery.
Empower clients to overcome cravings by teaching them to externalize urges and use the "DENTS" method to maintain long-term sobriety.
Implement these tools within clinical sessions or as homework to provide a structured alternative to traditional 12-step programs.
SMART Recovery is an evidence-based approach to recovery that leads to positive outcomes, reducing the severity of dependence and improving overall well-being.
Being well-informed about other pathways of recovery can make a difference, especially if a client wants a non-spiritual alternative to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
This article provides an overview of this pathway, including the SMART Recovery topics that are part of its program.
We’ve included free downloadable SMART Recovery worksheets that you can save to your electronic health record (EHR) and use in your practice.
Note: This article and its associated worksheets are not affiliated with or endorsed by SMART Recovery.
What is SMART Recovery?
Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART Recovery) is a global, evidence-based pathway of recovery.
Like other peer support meetings, such as AA, SMART Recovery is available both in person and online, and its program is used in substance use treatment facilities.
While AA is founded on spiritual and religious principles and run by people in recovery, SMART Recovery is based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and led by trained facilitators.
Their 4-Point Program helps people recover from substance use disorders and process addictions by helping participants:
Build and maintain motivation to strengthen the desire to change.
Cope with urges and cravings for substances and addictive behaviors.
Manage thoughts, feelings, and behaviors by challenging unhelpful thoughts, improving emotional regulation, and developing more helpful coping strategies.
Live a balanced life through building meaningful relationships, setting goals, and creating a fulfilling lifestyle that promotes well-being and personal growth.
SMART Recovery topics
SMART Recovery topics, as outlined in the SMART Recovery worksheets, focus on a combination of cognitive approaches, including changing and managing participants' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, as well as activities designed to address the four components of their program.
Topics and exercises that may be included in SMART Recovery worksheets include:
ABC exercise: This tool uses Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) to identify the relationship between activating events, beliefs, and consequences. It helps participants identify and challenge unhelpful beliefs, enabling them to change their responses to situations.
Cost-benefit analysis worksheet: Helps participants identify the pros and cons of substance-related behaviors versus maintaining recovery.
Change plan worksheet: Provides participants with a roadmap to identify their goals and the steps to achieve change.
Defining values: By providing a hierarchy of values, this worksheet helps participants to identify and prioritize their core values.
Disputing unhelpful beliefs: This SMART Recovery worksheet helps participants identify and challenge underlying assumptions that may hinder their recovery, replacing them with more helpful ones.
Explore new pursuits: This tool helps participants discover or reengage with activities that are fulfilling, reducing the temptation to return to old habits.
Five questions: This worksheet helps participants reflect on their goals, focus their decision-making, and align their behaviors with their objectives.
Goal setting: This tool helps to set priorities using a SMART framework for goal setting.
Lifestyle balance wheel: This worksheet helps participants to assess the core areas of their life, including health, relationships, work, and recreation, and identify areas that require more balance.
Personify and disarm: This tool helps participants create distance between their urges by externalizing and personifying them.
Put DENTS in your urges: This tool uses an acronym to manage urges that involves denying or delaying the urge, escaping the trigger, neutralizing the urge, tasking yourself with something to do, and swapping your thinking to get through the urge.
Role-playing: Helps participants rehearse or role-play situations in which they may feel tempted to use, promoting confidence and practicing how they’ll respond.
Unconditional acceptance: This worksheet teaches how to accept things as they are without judgment.
Urge log: This SMART Recovery topic helps participants track their urges to identify patterns to increase awareness of their triggers, responses, and strengths.
How to use the SMART Recovery worksheets
You can download and use our interpretation of SMART worksheets in several ways.
For example, use the worksheets as a prompt to provide psychoeducation about substance use disorder recovery options.
You can also work with the client to complete the worksheet collaboratively in session and give them a copy to take home. Ask the client to reflect on the SMART Recovery worksheets and complete an activity between sessions, then report their progress at the next therapy appointment.
Combine this worksheet with other recovery worksheets, such as our relapse prevention worksheet, urge surfing, substance use assessment form, money management in recovery worksheets, and substance use disorder group topics for recovery.
Lastly, share the worksheet with coworkers or use it to provide training to interns or supervisees.
Sources
Kelly, J. F., Levy, S. A., & Hoeppner, B. B. (2023). An investigation of SMART Recovery: protocol for a longitudinal cohort study of individuals making a new recovery attempt from alcohol use disorder. BMJ open.
Manning, V., Roxburgh, A., & Savic, M. (2023). Piloting the integration of SMART Recovery into outpatient alcohol and other drug treatment programs. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice.
SMART Recovery. (n.d.). SMART Recovery programs.
Zemore, S. E., Lui, C., Mericle, A., Hemberg, J., & Kaskutas, L. A. (2018). A longitudinal study of the comparative efficacy of Women for Sobriety, LifeRing, SMART Recovery, and 12-step groups for those with AUD. Journal of substance abuse treatment.
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