5 Creative CBT Tools for Individual and Group Sessions

If you're a therapist, you may know that cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, can be a bit intimidating. Although important, worksheets full of charts and trackers aren't always the most practical solutions for new clients.

Fortunately, there are fun yet still effective activities therapists can use to enhance their healing practice. Creative techniques are consistent with CBT, especially when used strategically to address complex thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

So, if it's time to spice things up or think outside the box, add these creative activities and exercises to your CBT practice toolbox. They're great for individual, group, and family therapy sessions!

Countering unhelpful thoughts vision board

What if traditional CBT techniques could come to life? Turn the process of cognitive restructuring into a thoughtful memory, complete with a keepsake. Traditionally, vision boards are used to help with goal setting and manifestation. A restructuring vision board involves a similar method but focuses on reinforcing a new belief.

Here's an example. If Joey feels depressed because he believes he's not popular and no one likes him, his vision board can challenge that. Perhaps there's a picture of his best friend from camp, his loyal pup, and his family having fun together on vacation. When he starts to have negative thoughts about rejection, depression, anxiety, or loneliness, he can look at his vision board and reflect.

Clients can assemble a vision board the old-fashioned way, with recycled magazines and a little creativity. Ask them to flip through pages and tear out anything that speaks to them, especially their preferred belief. Once ready, they can choose specific images that bring positive reactions. Use a piece of poster board or a bulletin board as the base.

For those who aren't into the paper method, many digital options can help with creating vision boards. Clients can use Canva, PowerPoint, or various smartphone apps. Once the vision board is complete, it can be printed or picked up at a local printing service. With screen-sharing tools, you can work on one together in a virtual session!

Self-esteem playlists

Music itself is healing. Making and listening to it is an expressive act that allows the mind to process thoughts and emotions. Many of us have had moments where we found just the right song to match our mood. The opposite works as well.

What if you're feeling down and depressed right before you're about to go on a first date? Or you're completely overwhelmed and unsure if you can handle another day at work? There are moments in life when we need an immediate strategy to manage our emotions. A positive self-esteem playlist might be just the thing.

Many clients will already have ways to create a playlist through Spotify or Apple Music. For this activity, ask them to consider how they want to feel on a given day. They can also think about the mindset they want for a specific situation. Help clients create a playlist to reinforce how they want to feel.

Many people create a series of playlists. They might prepare one for anxiety, low energy, and motivation. When the time comes, they have easy access to the right song.

For example, maybe Maria has a big match coming up and feels nervous, afraid, or self-conscious. She can pull up her confidence-boosting playlist for support. It's harder to feel discouraged when your favorite artist belts out a ballad on self-love!

If you can't access a music streaming app, pull up YouTube during your therapy sessions and sample songs together. Musical activities are a great tool for healing in both individual and virtual sessions.

CBT board games

When you hear board games, you might think about a feisty evening of Monopoly or funny drawings in Pictionary. These common games can be turned into CBT techniques! All you have to do is add discussion prompts, and games become therapeutic strategies.

For example, create your own CBT prompt cards for Candyland or Taboo. Each time a client has a turn, they must also answer a prompt to move forward or gain points. You might be amazed at how intimidating topics become more client-friendly when gamified.

There are also therapy and CBT-based board games you can purchase, including many printable games, that have prompts built in. Examples include Feelopoly, Feel, Act, & Draw, or the card game Humans Against Stress. Look for activities that focus on CBT-related topics, such as negative thoughts or identifying emotions.

Mental health journal prompts

Journaling is another healing practice that's great for personal growth. Clients can increase their understanding of thoughts and emotions while responding to thoughtful questions. There's no such thing as a negative emotion since each has a purpose. However, you can process difficult or uncomfortable feelings through writing. The steps are similar to using an anxiety workbook. If you're unsure how journaling can incorporate CBT techniques, here are some prompts to get you started.

CBT and mental health journal prompts

1. Think about the stress signals your body sends when you're feeling anxious or angry. What do you usually notice? Are there any other physical sensations you experience with a strong emotion?
2. What are some common unhelpful thoughts you tend to have repeatedly? Do you notice any triggers that relate to these, or do they seem to come out of nowhere?
3. During times of stress, some people experience spiraling thoughts, when they think about the same thing repeatedly but don't come to any new conclusions. Have you experienced this before? What was going on?
4. Identify one potentially unhelpful thought you have, perhaps about yourself or a difficult situation. Once you have identified the thought, examine it. What evidence do you have for or against the thought being true?
5. Identify a belief you'd like to have. Perhaps it's a positive thought about others or an encouraging thought about yourself. Look for evidence that the belief is true. Write down at least 10 pieces of evidence to back it up. (For example, if you want to explore the belief "I am a good friend," create a list of positive experiences you've had with others. Could these support your new belief?)

Therapeutic quiz shows

Would you instead fill in a CBT worksheet or participate in a quiz show? Written activities have their place in therapy. However, you can make therapy sessions more engaging while still addressing depression and negative thought patterns with therapeutic quiz shows! Activities like Jeopardy or Family Feud are user-friendly and add great to your CBT toolbox.

Creating your Jeopardy-style game on a whiteboard or poster board is easy. Choose categories related to CBT, such as thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. Under each category, create 3 to 5 discussion prompts relating to areas you're working on with your client or group.

Rather than recalling facts, participants get points for responding to discussion questions about coping, stress, and mental health. You can also play just for fun if you would rather not have to focus on a competitive game.

If you don't have time to create your own game from scratch, you can find online ones created by other therapists. There are complete Jeopardy-style games based on CBT, DBT, emotions, and more!

Key takeaways

CBT is a somewhat technical process that involves breaking down thoughts and emotions. Clients often track thoughts and challenge them during talk therapy sessions. Incorporating creative CBT techniques builds upon and enhances such traditional strategies. It's a practical solution for clients who might struggle with more technical aspects of cognitive techniques. And for some individuals, it may just be the breakthrough they've been needing to interrupt old patterns. As a therapist, you can increase engagement while encouraging behavioral activation. All the while, you'll be adding new strategies to your CBT toolbox. The only limit is your imagination!

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