Relapse Prevention Planning Worksheet

Use our relapse prevention planning worksheet in your practice to ensure your client is on track to recovery. Click here to download a free template.

By Patricia Buenaventura on Aug 2, 2025.

Fact Checked by Ericka Pingol.

Use Template

What is a Relapse Prevention Planning Worksheet?

Relapse prevention planning worksheets are documents that therapists use to track their clients' recovery from their struggles with drug and/or alcohol addiction. By writing down answers and concerns with their recovery journey, clients can identify the possible challenges they’ll face and coping strategies to employ when at risk of relapsing.

The content and look of a relapse prevention planning worksheet may differ depending on the therapist. However, the purpose of the worksheets is similar, and they are to help the client reflect and empower them with the knowledge and information they need to prevent or manage relapse. Which planning worksheet the therapist will give the client boils down to preference.

If you’re a therapist and looking for a worksheet instead of starting from scratch or updating the one you have on hand, you’ve come to the right place. We have a template just for you!

On our template, you’ll find multiple sections that the patient must fill out:

Triggers
Coping Skills
Support System
Lifestyle Changes
Relapse Warning Signs
Outcomes of Relapsing
Outcomes of Staying Sober
Emergency Plan

At the bottom of the document, there’s a section dedicated to you, the practitioner, for tracking their progress and writing down additional notes if you have any.

Does this template meet the criteria of your ideal relapse prevention planning worksheet? Then read on to know more about accessing and downloading a copy of the template.

Relapse Prevention Planning Worksheet Template

Relapse Prevention Planning Worksheet PDF Template

Use Template

Download

Download PDF Template

How does it work?

Step One: Download the Template

To access and download a copy of our printable relapse prevention planning worksheet template, you can do either of the following:

Click the “Download Template” or “Use Template” button above
Search “Relapse Prevention Planning Worksheet” in Carepatron’s template library on our website or app

Step Two. Fill Out the Worksheet

Give your client a copy of the worksheet so they can write down their answers in the spaces in the sections dedicated to them. You may explain to your client how to fill it out or write down the answers they provide verbally during your session. During this time, it’s a good idea to remind them whatever they share will be kept confidential.

Step Three. Discuss the Worksheet with Patient

Once the worksheet is complete, you should review and process the clients during your session. We will leave it up to you how you will discuss the answers on the worksheet with the client.

Step Four. Add Additional Notes

If this isn’t your first session, you may provide a summary of their recovery journey, moments of relapse, significant moments, and any valuable information in the progress tracker and an additional notes section for future reference.

Step Five. Store Securely

After every session, remember to store the filled-out template in a secure physical location or a HIPAA-compliant EHR like Carepatron.

When would you use this Template?

Patients can use our relapse prevention planning worksheet as a reference or guide they can refer to whenever they feel like it or when they relapse or return to the same substance-abusing behavior. They may also use it as a tracker if the therapist believes that having the patient fill out the progress tracker themselves may strengthen the client's resolve toward recovery.

On the other hand, therapists can use the template as an additional resource or tool for other treatment plans such as CBT, group counseling, or lifestyle changes. They may also use it as a reference for the client’s progress and a basis for a change in treatment strategy if needed.

Benefits

Simple to Use

We designed the free relapse prevention planning worksheet to be intuitive, meaning anyone can use and understand it without further instructions. However should they need assistance, you may show the sample template we provided or guide them with the right questions.

Comprehensive

Even if our template is simple, it’s still comprehensive enough to include sections that aid clients in identifying triggers, developing coping strategies, and even formulating an emergency plan should things go south.

Tracking Progress

Make the most out of the template by using it to track progress beyond the section at the bottom. Whenever the patient changes their coping strategy, has a new treatment plan, or after an extended period, it’d be helpful if the therapist uses a new copy to compare, contrast, and check for any improvements to the previously filled-out worksheet.

Empowering

Particular sections in our template were intentionally added to empower patients by reminding them of their triggers, coping skills, support system, and warning signals so they know what to avoid or how to cope with a possible relapse.

Fully Digital and Accessible

Our relapse prevention planning worksheet template is fully digital and accessible on Carepatron or any local PDF editor on any device you have. With a digital file, it will be easier for the client to fill it out and for the therapist to store it in a secure EHR like Carepatron.

Research & Evidence

Relapse prevention planning has been a technique that therapists, counselors, and other medical professionals have applied to aid clients on the road to recovery from substance abuse. Its effectiveness as an additional tool during therapy has been proven repeatedly.

In fact, according to a study by Menon and Kandasamy, who took time to analyze studies that utilized relapse prevention, the technique has been effective with smoking, alcohol, and substance abuse. Despite its merits, one has to note that there are still limitations depending on the client’s diagnosis.

References

Menon, J., & Kandasamy, A. (2018). Relapse prevention. Indian journal of psychiatry, 60(Suppl 4), S473–S478. https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_36_18

Commonly asked questions

Clients and multiple medical practitioners like psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, counselors, addiction specialists, rehabilitation facilitators, social workers, and nurses will benefit from using relapse prevention planning worksheets.

Clients can use it whenever they need a guide or reference during their journey to recovery. On the other hand, therapists can use it during their therapy sessions. Please refer to the “When would you use this template?” section for more specific examples.

Once it’s filled out, therapists can use it to check if the current treatment plan is effective, and clients can use it as a reminder when there’s a risk of relapsing.