Cognitive Distortions Worksheets
Check out our Cognitive Distortion Worksheets, where you can investigate and challenge the client's negative thought habits. With our evidence-based tools and strategies, you can improve your client's mental health and resilience in no time.
Fact Checked by Nate Lacson.
What Is A Cognitive Distortions Worksheet?
Cognitive distortions are unconscious thought patterns that point towards unhealthy biases, and can often result in negative emotions and feelings. Essentially, these distortions are warped perceptions of reality, that can lead to a multitude of mental health issues. With our worksheet, clients can work towards rewiring these cognitive distortions to challenge negative thoughts and develop more positive and healthier mindsets. These worksheets promote higher self-esteem, self-respect, and less stress, as well as reduced anxiety and depression, and are a great supplementary tool to introduce within your therapy appointments. Correcting cognitive distortions is absolutely essential for personal growth and well-being, which is why our worksheets help guide clients to recognize and address these thought patterns that are causing havoc in their day-to-day functioning. Elevate client connections, without invading their personal space, and work towards higher clinical outcomes that are sure to boost the quality of your services. These worksheets are intuitively designed and can be incorporated within your healthcare practice right away.
Printable Cognitive Distortions Worksheets
Download these Cognitive Distortions Worksheets to improve your client's mental health journey and therapy outcomes.
How To Use This Cognitive Distortions Worksheet
To successfully utilize this cognitive distortions therapy worksheet, you will need to follow these simple steps. Even if you've used worksheets before, it is always good practice to review these three tasks.
Step 1: Download the cognitive distortion worksheet
Click the links on this page to download the cognitive distortion worksheet in seconds. It is free, and the worksheet should open up within your designated PDF reader for you to review, and edit if you wish. We recommend that you print the worksheet out, however, you can also send it electronically.
Step 2: Distribute the worksheet to your client
Once you have printed the worksheet, you can work through it with your client during your session. Alternatively, you can give the worksheet to your client to complete as part of a homework exercise, whichever is easiest. Make sure to complete all of the sections to receive the most value from the worksheet, and help support the client in answering all questions.
Step 3: Store the worksheet safely
Sometimes overlooked, it is very important that you store the worksheet within a HIPAA-compliant platform to ensure that only authorized users have access. Of course, if the patient wishes to keep the worksheet then that is completely fine, however, if you are going to have access, ensure that you have appropriate safeguarding measures in place to protect sensitive information.
Cognitive Distortions Worksheet Example (Sample)
If you would like to see what an example of a completed cognitive distortion worksheet looks like, then look no further. We have created a high-quality cognitive distortion worksheet that you can download right away, as well as a template of a client who has filled out all of the sections. Keep in mind that this is a fictitious case and that you should never share client information without their permission. Both worksheets are free, and only take a few seconds to download.
Download these Cognitive Distortions Examples (Sample) here:
.png)
Who Can Use these Printable Cognitive Distortions Worksheets (PDF)?
Cognitive distortions and cognitive processing are core components of many psychological practices, as they provide insight into the client's upbringing, state of mind, as well as their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. It is an extremely valuable aspect of therapy, and as a result, it is used across a multitude of mental healthcare services. It is an incredibly versatile tool that can supplement your services, so we would be remiss to limit this worksheet to just one type of professional. Regardless of the number of clients that you see, or how long you've been in the healthcare industry, if you wish to identify client distortions and help them overcome negative thought patterns, then this worksheet is for you. Here's a list of professionals who may especially benefit from these worksheets:
- Counselors
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Therapists
- Psychotherapists
- Life coaches
- Mental health specialists
Why Is This Form Useful For Therapists?
This worksheet has various practical uses for therapists, including the following:
- Identify negative thought patterns - Naturally, these worksheets are excellent for helping clients identify negative thought patterns. Clients are likely coming to you because they are experiencing distress and a decline in mental health, however, the reasons may not be so obvious to them as it is to you. Utilizing these worksheets allows clients to recognize and acknowledge specific thought patterns and why they are negative, as well as help confront clients with the damaging consequences of such beliefs.
- Correct cognitive biases - Once the negative thought patterns have been identified, then these worksheets work towards correcting these beliefs and thoughts. Clients can transform negative feelings into positive ones, and essentially rewire their thinking as a whole.
- Enhance organization - With this worksheet, you can cover all essential bases without compiling multiple documents in one place. Access all the information you need, and streamline your workload to achieve high results in a shorter timeframe.
.png)
Why Use Carepatron For Cognitive Distortions Worksheet Software?
Consider implementing Carepatron to elevate the patient experience, improve efficiency across business practices, and grow your services to ensure longevity. With Carepatron, you can automate administrative tasks to work towards more effective appointment scheduling, appointment booking, consultations, clinical document storage and creation, online payments, as well as many other sophisticated features. With 24/7 customer support and HIPAA-compliant servers, you can ensure that you have the right resources at your fingertips without compromising patient confidentiality and privacy. Boost your level of care without cutting corners, and at no additional cost. We understand that healthcare is complex enough as it is, which is why we at Carepatron want to simplify things for you. Streamline all your business processes, and build a robust business that consistently prioritizes client needs.
Commonly asked questions
There are numerous types of cognitive distortions, including over ten! However, there are some main ones that you should be aware of, which include overgeneralizations, clients jumping to conclusions, black-and-white binary thinking, the magnification and minimization of experiences, and should statements. This is in addition to mental filters, where clients focus on negative events while ignoring the positive, as well as disqualifications of positive events entirely, emotional reasoning, personalization, or the blame of oneself for events that are beyond one’s control.
Cognitive distortion worksheets are completed by the client. It's perfectly acceptable for the mental health practitioner to transcribe the document for them, however, it is important that the client has the majority of the input.
This is a relative question, and for some clients, it may take longer to complete the worksheet than others. However, as a general rule of thumb, the worksheets should take anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour. If you choose to incorporate the worksheets within your appointments, then you may choose to focus on them for the majority of your time.
