Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR from Therapy Worksheets.

Thanks to everyone for the visits, the comments, the suggestions, the links, and the kind words. Very glad you found the site.

Best wishes for an excellent 2010.

Will

Therapy Worksheets


Sunday, December 27, 2009

New Year's Resolution Worksheet

Countdown to the New Year. Here's a four-page New Year's Resolution Worksheet. Made it myself.

Happy New Year.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Dealing with Depression Workbook (for Teens)

From comh.ca, here's a 67-page workbook, Dealing with Depression: Antidepressant Skills for Teens (and several others). Written for one group, but fine looks for others too.

New Twitter Account

Therapy Worksheets tweets moving to @willbaumlcsw. Hope to see you there.


Monday, December 14, 2009

"People and Problems" Worksheets

From an unlikely source, the Denver Mayor's Office of Employee Assistance, a series of worksheets and infosheets about a long list of addiction-related issues, from being Addicted to Love to Overcoming Workaholism. Dig in!

Job Interview Questions Worksheet

Here, from jjc.edu (Joliet Junior College), a very simple, but potentially very helpful Job Interview Questions Worksheet. Answer the questions, be prepared for an interview. Good luck!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Assertiveness Worksheet

From Cambridge University Hospital, here's a three-page Assertiveness Worksheet. Comes from their Back Pain Management program ("programme"). TMS lives!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Overeaters Anonymous Worksheet

From a workshop, posted at oanova.org, an Overeaters Anonymous Worksheet advocating abstinence vs. compulsive eating.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Subscribe to Therapy Worksheets

New to Therapy Worksheets, an email subscription option (here and on the sidebar).  Enter your email address, and feedburner.com will automatically email new TW posts when they go up.  

Enter your email address:



The old RSS feed, for more techy types, remains unchanged.  Enjoy.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Worksheets and Book Excerpts

From actmadesimple.com (site for the book ACT Made Simple), a resource page with a great collection of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy worksheets and book excerpts.  (Thanks to Julianne for the heads-up!)


Saturday, November 14, 2009

Good Medicine: Handouts, Relaxation Training, and Blog

Inbox item from Dr. James Hawkins at goodmedicine.org.uk:
There are several hundred other freely downloadable handouts and questionnaires on my site that your readers might find helpful. See:

http://goodmedicine.org.uk/goodknowledge/handouts-questionnaires-and-other-leaflets

And there’s also a freely available eight session relaxation course complete with handouts and eighteen downloadable relaxation MP3 files:

http://goodmedicine.org.uk/goodknowledge/autogenic-relaxation-training

And a pretty regular dozen or so monthly posts to the “Evidence-based blog on stress, health & wellbeing” that I write:

http://goodmedicine.org.uk/stressedtozest

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Mindfulness and Acceptance for Depression

At the Therapy Worksheets Bookstore, check out the Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Depression, by Kirk Strosahl and Patricia Robinson.  It's a "third wave" approach to tackling depression.  Instead of challenging and replacing negative thoughts as in o.g. CBT, clients are encouraged to acknowledge and accept their moods.  The concept being, depression and anxiety (covered in another workbook) are along for the ride, but you're in charge, you don't have to let them take the wheel.



Friday, November 6, 2009

Help for Helpers

From TW sister sites, help for helping professionals:

Building a private practice? Try Where the Client Is, an online blogzine about launching and growing a private practice. Promotion and marketing tips, interviews with experienced clinicians, etc. Also, offers inexpensive web design for therapists.

If you're working toward the social work licensing exam, look at Social Work Test Prep. Lots of useful stuff, including links to free practice exams around the web, flash cards, exam tutoring, and more.

And, for everyone, if you're in L.A. and thinking about therapy, contact Will Baum, LCSW. After a free 15-minute consultation you'll either have found your therapist or gotten a referral to one that's right for you.

Enjoy.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Big CBT Worksheet Page

From getselfhelp.co.uk, bunches of CBT worksheets. Lots of good stuff, including:
  • Anxiety, Depression, Assertiveness, Relaxation, Self-Esteem, Bipolar Disorder, Pain
Just to name a few.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Worksheets Aplenty

Posted at the ehcounseling.com (Christian counseling), a long page of worksheets. Topics include:

  • Addiction
  • Attachment
  • Boundaries
  • Communication
  • DBT
  • DV
  • Grief
  • Relationships
  • Spirituality
  • Stress Management
Dig in. Please let me know if anything is particularly good or great.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Bipolar Symptom Worksheets

Respotlighting the Centre for Clinical Interventions in Australia. Lots of amazing stuff posted there, including these resources for bipolar disorder:
Or--quicker--two single-page worksheets:

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

New Blog: Where the Client Is

Brought to you by your loyal Therapy Worksheets blogger, a site dedicated to putting together and growing a private practice: Where the Client Is. Includes posts about marketing, office space, business cards, clinician interviews, etc. Potentially helpful stuff. Come on over.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Sunday, September 27, 2009

OCD Guides

From ocdchicago.org, a set of OCD Guides--one each for adults, college students, teens, and parents of children with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Also, check out the site's recommended books list--includes The OCD Workbook.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Worksheets

From jamesdrew.net (site of a psychotherapist in Sugar Land, Tx) a collection of ACT worksheets mostly pulled from Acceptance & Commitment Therapy for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder & Trauma-Related Problems. Linked from the site:

  • Acceptance of Thoughts and Feelings Worksheet
  • Clarifying Values Worksheet
  • Creative Hopelessness Worksheet
  • Daily ACT Rating Form
  • Exploring Self-as-Context Assignment 1
  • Life Compass
  • Nonviolent Communication Model Handout
  • Self-as-Context: Assignment 2
  • Values and Goals Worksheet
  • What Have I Given Up for Anxiety This Week?

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Mind Body Syndrome Worksheet

From yourpainisreal.com, a worksheet: Deciding If You Have Mind Body Syndrome.

What's Mind Body Syndrome, you ask? Just what it sounds like--pain rooted in stress. Its aka/parent is TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome). Aches and pains? Check it out.

Worksheet Mega-Collection

A big collection of miscellaneous infopages, brochures, and worksheets once lived here, courtesy of the Canadian Mental Health Association. Categories include Relationships, Child and Youth, Personal Development, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, ADHD, etc. Lots to peruse...

Friday, August 14, 2009

Positive Psychology Surveys

Just read a copy of this primer on Positive Psychology (there's lots of material elsewhere that doesn't cost). One jump-out: People who complete Dr. Martin Seligman's giant couple-hundred-question happiness survey report increased happiness later on down the road. So, here you go: Many giant and not-so-giant happiness and happiness-related Seligman surveys live here at authentichappiness.com (requires email). Get happy.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic

Worth remembering, not all great worksheets are posted for free on the web. Sometimes, you've got to go workbook. One stand-out: Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic. Plenty of others, in a variety of categories, are available at the Therapy Worksheets Bookstore. Still more to suggest (or worksheets you'd like to share)? Write therapyworksheets [at] gmail.com.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Anxiety Triggers Worksheet

From Dr. Jane Bolton, here's a two-page Anxiety Triggers Worksheet which asks for ratings of anxiety triggers, responses, and coping. At scribd and on dr-jane-bolton.com.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Feelings Worksheets

At ESLprintables.com, dozens of pages of Feelings Worksheets, a catch-all which includes everything from pages of emo faces to crosswords to instructions about laughter yoga. Pages are helpfully rated by difficulty and target age-range. (Requires free registration.)

Worksheet Makers

For the word processor phobic, teach-nology.org has a collection of Free Worksheet Makers. Fill out quick forms to instantly create various rubrics, charts, Venn diagrams, and the like.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Mental Health Info Pages

From covenanthealth.org, a full bag of mental health info pages. Useful, cut-and-pasteable articles covering mental health topics from A (abuse, active listening, addiction) to...W (withdrawal).

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Valued Directions Worksheet

Direct from the pages of The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety, here's a Valued Directions Worksheet posted by integrativehealthpartners.org. On the worksheet, rate the importance, satisfaction, and your intentions in several areas: Work, Relationships, Health, Family, Spirituality, etc. It's ACT in action.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Worksheets

From dbsalliance.org, a wellness toolbox full of "tools to help you communicate better with your doctor, keep track of your symptoms and moods, record the progress you're making and help you reach recovery!" Among the posted pages and worksheets:
  • Wellness workbook
  • Creating a crisis plan
  • Trigger tracker
  • Staying healthy at work
  • Symptom management
Helpful material beyond worksheets on the site--signs and symptoms of various mood disorders, setting recovery goals, and on from there...

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Self-Esteem Activites

Self-esteem-experts.com has updated their collection of self-esteem activities. Worksheets include:

  • Beliefs
  • Pleasure List
  • Confidence Builder
  • Think New Thoughts
  • Practice Loving Yourself

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

CBT Worksheet Set

Another site half-full of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy worksheets: Specialty Behavioral Health. Includes thought records, cognitive distortions...the works. Click on "Downloadable PDFs" in the left-hand column for links to additional pages about Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia, OCD, Substance Abuse...and Optimism.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Anger Control Workbook

Free online worksheets not enough for you? There's always the Therapy Worksheets Bookstore. For anger management, check out The Anger Control Workbook. Might be worth the $.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Survivor to Thriver Manual

From ascasupport.org, a phenomenal 21-stage, 124-page workbook/handbook/manual for adult survivors of child abuse. "The Survivor to Thriver Manual" combines the best of what has come before--12-step, cognitive, and psychodynamic. Geared toward survivors of childhood sexual abuse, but good for just about any type of recovery. Take a look.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Self-Help Worksheets

A long list of self-help worksheets from upliftcoach.com (via coachville.com)--Life Coach material. Topics include:
  • Motivation
  • Communication
  • Goals
  • Self-esteem
  • Stress Reduction

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Ten Days to Self-Esteem

Stats show a lot of searches for "self-esteem worksheets" leading people to these pages.  For folks who work their way through the offerings here, there's a small collection of self-esteem workbooks at the TW Bookstore.  One stand-out is David Burns' Ten Days to Self-Esteem.  Great for those who have self-esteem problems they want to tackle ASAP.  Ten days from now is just around the corner...


Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Depression Worksheet and Booklet

Posted at cdc.gov here's a seven-page depression booklet-slash-worksheet, "Understanding Depression - Yours and Theirs."

And, here, as a bonus, an National Institute of Mental Health depression info booklet. Other booklets (on Anxiety Disorders, Eating Disorders, and more) are in the drop-down menu here.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Worksheets Galore from Glasgow

A solid set of worksheets from glasgowsteps.com. Long enough to be called "booklets" (a dozen or dozens of pages), they cover a nice range of topics, including:
  • Agoraphobia
  • Anger
  • Bereavement
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  • Relaxation
  • Phobias
  • Self-Esteem
  • Sleep
  • Trauma
All of it is CBT based, all of it looks good. Thanks, Glasgow!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

COMPASS Worksheets

The folks at George Mason University have put together an elaborate website for their COMPASS program. The slow-to-load home page is here. But, patience--there are worksheets aplenty, with a "Looking Back Worksheet" and a "Moving Ahead Worksheet" for each of a load of topics, including:
  • Self-Esteem
  • Sexual Decision Making
  • Nutrition
  • Body Image
  • Assertiveness
  • Anger Management
In addition to worksheets, each topic is accompanied by an explanatory article, and sections on "professional commentary" and "student voices." Should keep you busy for some time.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Therapy Blogs

Therapy Worksheets shows up on a list of Top 50 Therapy Blogs here. Blogs are devided into groups: Mental, Physical, Academic/Informational (e.g., TW), First Hand Accounts, and Homeopathic.

We're described as "a treasure trove blog of downloadable therapeutic worksheets on anxiety, depression and personality disorders." Thanks, y'all!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Eureka: Therapy Worksheets!

A huge collection of therapy worksheets, Powerpoints, and more from Bradford VTS Online. Huge. The mental health section includes multiple pages on anxiety, depression, phobias, psychosis, PTSD, suicide assessment...




Monday, March 23, 2009

Sorting Out Signs of Anxiety and Depression

Posted here, the first chapter of The Anxiety and Depression Workbook for Dummies, "Sorting Out Signs of Anxiety and Depression." It's a ten-page assessment worksheet that includes:
  • A Negative Thinking Quiz
  • A Sad, Stressed Sensations Quiz
  • A Conflicted Connections Quiz
  • A Personal Problems Profile
Excessive alliteration aside, it's not a bad set of checklists. Check it out.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Sleep Hygiene Handouts

Some tips on sleeping from Tufts U. Sweet dreams.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Anxiety Assessment Worksheet

The Lutheran Church of Canada has been kind enough to post an 8-page anxiety assessment worksheet, partially lifted from David Burns's Feeling Good Handbook. Check in with yourself about:
  • Fatigue
  • Anxious Thoughts, Feelings, and Physical Symptoms
  • Physical Activity and Health
  • Life Changes (a rating scale--e.g., Divorce = 73/100)
If you like it, the Burns book keeps going from there...for hundreds of pages (cover links to TW Store at Amazon).

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Anxiety Worksheet

A 10-page anxiety worksheet hosted at freewebspace. Included, sections about:
  • Anxiety and Panic Responses
  • The Costs of Anxiety
  • My Worry Cycle
  • Catching Anxious Thoughts
  • An Anxiety Rating Scale
  • Goals
  • An Exposure Strategy List
It's unclear who authored it, but they did nice work.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Workbook Treasure Trove

A big bunch of free workbooks await you here (source of the self-esteem workbook in the previous post). Included:
  • Coping with Depression
  • Coping with Bipolar
  • Coping with Social Anxiety
  • Coping with Panic Attacks
  • Mastering Your Worries
  • Overcoming Procrastination
  • Improve Your Assertiveness
  • Overcoming Disordered Eating
Each of these info-filled, multi-module help-splosions. Great stuff.

Self-Esteem Worksheets

Free self-esteem worksheets await you all over the www. Here's a good one from Australia (a multi-module mega-workbook). Enjoy.

Friday, March 6, 2009

From Psychosis Sucks

Lots of free downloads from psychosissucks.ca. Areas covered include:
  • Symptom Relapse Prevention
  • Family Coping
  • Drugs, Alcohol, and Psychosis
  • Medication
  • Social Support
  • Stress Management
All offered in several languages. Beyond the downloads page, plenty of reading and resources about psychosis treatment and recovery (with a focus on early intervention). Dig in.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Kids' Stuff: Anger Management and More

Another solid collection of worksheets and handouts here via David Fulton Publishers. Much to explore, all for kids, most of it education related. Among the jump-off-the-page highlights, workbooks on:
  • Anger Management
  • Behavior Mod
  • Autism

Monday, March 2, 2009

Health Handouts

A ginormous collection of handouts from a health center at University of Illinois covering hundreds of medical questions, A-Z (acne to jock itch to nutrition to warts).

Also find, filed under stress, handouts about anger management, relaxation techniques, sleep, and more.

Knowledge is good.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Smart Recovery Worksheets

Another worksheet motherlode, this time at smartrecovery.org. Sections include...
  • Self-Acceptance
  • Stages of Change
  • Rational Thinking (aka CBT)
Pages about Core Beliefs, Cognitive Distortions, REBT, Family Systems, and more.

What's Smart Recovery? Had to look it up. Says wikipedia:
SMART Recovery (Self Management and Recovery Training) is an international non-profit organization which provides assistance to individuals seeking abstinence from addictive behaviors. The approach used is secular and science-based using non-confrontational motivational, behavioral and cognitive methods. Substance/activity dependence is viewed by the organization as a dysfunctional habit (rather than a disease), while allowing that it is possible that certain people have a predisposition towards addictive behavior.
Not the Twelve Steps. CBT, not HP. Enjoy.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Mid-Ohio Worksheet Cornucopia

Mid-Ohio Psychological Services has posted a long list of recovery-related worksheets. Awaiting you there...
  • A 129-page Relapse Prevention workbook
  • A long list of handouts about Relationship Issues
  • A long list of handouts about Sexual Abuse
Lots of good stuff. Will try to sort through it for you at a later date. For now...enjoy.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Stress Reduction Worksheets

A series of free stress management worksheets designed for use with a not-free CD from stresscds.co.uk. You may find yourself able to stumble through without the audio. On the site, four CBT-infused printables:
  • Stress Diary
  • Thought Record
  • Key Questions
  • Facing Up to Your Fears
Meanwhile, remember to breathe.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

DBT Extras

More DBT help at--where else?--dbtselfhelp.com. These DBT Extras include:
  • Diary Cards
  • Flow Charts
  • Cognitive Distortions
  • Behavior Chain Analysis
...among other items. Again, the Skills Training Manual is your best bet for figuring out what to do with these. Make Marsha Linehan smile. But, then, that costs.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

ADHD Resources

Not worksheets, but helpful nonetheless--here are two government-produced booklets about ADHD, posted at ed.gov.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Building Self-Esteem


Not-too-pricey and not-too-shabby for a self-esteem workout:  The Self-Esteem Workbook (link goes to TW Bookstore).  Also, again from SAMHSA, here's a free list of self-esteem building activities--affirmations, lists, and exercises.  Because you're worth it!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

PTSD How-Tos

These aren't exactly worksheets--they're "how-to" pages from about.com.  But they're easily cut & pasted.  Soon you'll have more PTSD worksheets than you know what to do with, among them:
Worth noting:  These skills aren't necessarily PTSD-specific and about.com isn't a therapist.  But try 'em out.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Introduction to Mindfulness

Here's a six-page Introduction to Mindfulness from scribd.com which includes several exercises, among them "Mindfulness in Your Morning Routine," "Mindfulness of Domestic Chores," "Take Ten Breaths," "Notice Five Things." All good and helpful for a whole raft of different symptoms. Try 'em out.

Monday, February 16, 2009

SAMHSA Manuals

Several SAMHSA manuals live here. Links include "Substance Abuse Relapse Prevention for Older Adults," "Brief Counseling for Marijuana Dependence," and several others. Your tax dollars at work.

Speech Therapy Link Avalanche

Judith Maginnis Kuster has collected an enormous list of speech therapy links--resources, worksheets, games, and more. Gigantic.

REBT Resource

Stressgroup.com has several pages of info and worksheets about Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) posted here (requires cutting and pasting).

Pain Mangement Powerpoint

Next up, a Powerpoint pres about pain management from healthskills. Feel better.

Five Mindfulness Worksheets

From stillmind.com, here is a series of mindfulness worksheets imported from the sidebar. The doc/pdfs include "Introduction to Mindfulness," "Mindfulness of the Breath," "Step Out of Automatic Pilot," "Body Scan," and a "Mini-Mindfulness Exercise."

Just what is mindfulness, you ask? From the intro worksheet, a brief answer:
Mindfulness means to deliberately pay attention to whatever you are doing, right now. These pages can be read mindfully or with a mind not fully focused and aware that you are reading an article. Everything except sleep can be done mindfully. We can eat mindfully or we can think about past or future event without paying attention to our eating.
Now, mindfully click that link!

Anger Management Manual

A 54-page Anger Management manual here, SAMHSA's "Anger Management--A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Manual for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Clients." Fifty-four pages! That'll keep you busy (and maybe even help).

Post Flurry

Happy President's Day. Heads up to regulars: I'm about to grab the old "Worksheets on the Web" sidebar listings and give them each their own post. That'll make them accessible, along with all other posts, via Labels. If the links look familiar to you, that'd be why. Enjoy.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Five Misc Therapy Worksheets

At counselingworksheets.com, free samples designed to entice you to purchase their $30/90 worksheet pack. Samples include four worksheets intended for groups: Anger, Feelings, Relapse Prevention, and Step One (of the Twelve Steps). The last is a "Thinking Report Form" which looks--like the others--as if it would work with groups and individuals just fine. It's basically CBT-lite. As ever, let us know how they work if you try 'em. Enjoy.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Self-Help Worksheet Bonanza

Check out the Synergy Institute's long page of forms, worksheets, and assessments tracking, exploring, and quantifying all manner of life problems and solutions, from a Smart Grocery List to a Life Purpose Statement Worksheet to a Life Balance Assessment form. Love them and maybe you'll find yourself subscribing to Self-Improvement Magazine, published by the institute.

(Please remember the disclaimer at right--self-help and therapy are not necessarily the same thing. Need help? There are helpers.)

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Sunday, February 8, 2009

For Therapists: Treatment Planners


New at the TW Bookstore, a collection of Treatment Planners covering just about anything therapists are up to out there: Treatment Planners for adults, children, couples, families, groups, anxiety, depression, addiction...and on and on.

Also opening its virtual doors, a general For Therapists section. Check it out. Suggest additions, if you have them. Happy browsing.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

ACT Now


Helpful Acceptance and Commitment Therapy resources linked on site co-managed by Jason Luomo, one of the authors of Learning ACT. Especially great are the linked illustrations of ACT principles--useful for ACT-ers and a simple introduction to some basics for the uninitiated.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Share Your Worksheets!

Share worksheets you've put together with others who may put them to good and great use. Email a .doc or .pdf to therapyworksheets [at] gmail.com. Please consider including a brief note explaining how you've used the worksheets (type of clients, setting, etc.) and any helpful hints you have about getting the most out of the material.

Sharing is caring. Thanks in advance.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

DBT Collection

A collection of client-written DBT worksheets lives here, covering the essentials--Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotional Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness. For the originals, go to the book.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Mindfulness MP3s

While these don't strictly qualify as "worksheets," mindfulness-seekers will find a good collection of mindfulness mp3s (and mindfulness news and info) at Live Mindfully. I like, for starters, the collection of short, guided meditations posted at MARC.

"Skills for Healthy Living"

Site put together by Bronwyn Thompson, an occupational therapist, collects words of wisdom and variety of worksheets--especially strong on pain management. Check it out here:

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Thoughts and Moods Worksheets

Another good CBT collection here, a 12-page pack including six worksheets.
  1. Three-Column Mood Monitor
  2. Thought Change Record
  3. Negative Communication Behaviors
  4. Realistic Counter Thoughts
  5. Examining Automatic Thoughts Evidence
  6. Moving Toward My Goals
Directions included!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Yalom Threes

Here, as promised, are a few examples of the three-question worksheets suggested in Irvin Yalom's Inpatient Group Therapy. If you have more and better variations, don't hesitate to send them to me for posting: socialworkprep [at] gmail.com

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Three Simple Questions


In his Inpatient Group Therapy, Irvin Yalom has some simple recommendations about group with crisis clients.  They boil down to this:  Keep it simple and keep it structured.  Let clients know up top what you're planning for group, then do it.  

Yalom suggests using a set of three simple, relevant questions.  Have clients write down their answers, then pair off and interview each other.  Clients share with the group what they've learned from their partner.  

I've seen this approach work nicely with dually diagnosed clients.  One favorite, asking about jobs--best past job, worst past job, hoped-for future job.  Usually makes for a lively group.

Depending upon group members general level of functioning, you may consider skipping the clients-interviewing-clients part and just have clients share their answers with the group directly.  But the interviewing offers some good skills practice--listening, remembering, etc.  

Generating sets of three questions is easy enough.  I'll post some examples soon.


Sunday, January 25, 2009

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy


Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a rarity in that it may be more easily understood via a workbook than by its more wordy, academese-heavy basic texts. Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life, by Steven Hayes is a nice intertwining of text and exercises, a solid example of the emerging "third wave" cognitive behavioral tradition.

For those who want to dig deeper into ACT (and its foundation, Relational Frame Theory), try joining the ACT Yahoo Group. Also, ACT workshops, I'm told, are among the most wrenching/satisfying out there. Enjoy.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Cognitive Distortions Handouts

Many have taken a stab at a clean, simple, and easily understood cognitive distortions handout--some are listed below.

I'll add links as I come across them. Feel free to submit your own: therapyworksheets [at] gmail.com.

CBT Collection

Just added to the "Worksheets on the Web" sidebar, a nice collection of Cognitive Behavioral handouts, courtesy of Lynn Martin, a Berkeley psych department prof.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

My Support System

Linked here, "My Support System - Today and In the Future." Worksheet takes clients through their current and future, hoped-for support system in four areas: Family, Friends, Professionals, Others. Works well in dual diagnosis group--especially with clients with little-to-no current support (provided you normalize having little-to-no support).

Therapist may want to let each group member read answer, then prompt clients re how they might go about getting the wanted support--What are the steps? What are you looking for in a friend, sponsor, psychiatrist...? What are you looking to avoid?

DBT not just for BPD?


Running groups in a short-term inpatient site, I've gotten a lot of milage out of Marsha Linehan's Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder. Intended for clients with Borderline Personality Disorder, many, if not most, of the concepts and worksheets in the DBT manual work with clients with a wide array of diagnoses.

Particularly valuable are the Distress Tolerance Handouts, which offer simple, client-friendly coping skills for crisis situations, some mindfulness-based, some not. One example that lightens the mood: Using "opposite emotion" in a crisis by singing Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman." Hear clients roar.

Helen Reddy - I Am Woman


Found at skreemr.com

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Welcome to Therapy Worksheets

Coming soon, a full-service therapy worksheet sharing site. For now, here and below, a collection of published therapy workbooks covering the gamut: group, individual (adults, children, and teens), family, couples, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, stress reduction, anger management, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness...and more.

Please come back soon. And, in the meantime, if you have worksheets you want to share with others, email them and we'll post them soon: therapyworksheets [at] gmail.com

Thanks and enjoy.

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