35+ Powerful CBT Exercises & Techniques for Therapists

Key Insights

12 minute read
  • CBT exercises help clients identify & reframe unhelpful thoughts.
  • Tailoring interventions to individual needs boosts therapy effectiveness.
  • CBT techniques are versatile & effective across anxiety, depression, ADHD & more.

CBT ExercisesFor many clients, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been life changing, enhancing their psychological wellness, workplace performance, and relationships (Werson et al., 2022).

CBT’s widely researched and structured approach to addressing negative thought patterns and maladaptive behaviors has proven invaluable for helping clients overcome challenges, take control of their lives, and learn to flourish (Dobson & Dozois, 2021; Geschwind et al., 2019).

The challenge, however, is how to bridge theory and practice to help clients translate cognitive behavioral concepts into these meaningful life improvements.

As a positive and performance psychologist, I’ve collaborated with various mental health professionals in developing ways to overcome this challenge. In this article I will share powerful CBT exercises, techniques, and worksheets and offer actionable insights to foster resilience and lasting positive change.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive CBT Exercises for free. These science-based exercises will provide you with detailed insight into Positive CBT and give you the tools to apply it in your therapy or coaching.

What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

CBT has three foundational propositions (Dobson & Dozois, 2021):

  • Our thoughts (cognitive activity) influence our behavior.
  • We can observe and adjust our thought patterns.
  • Changing how we think can lead to desired behavioral changes.

While many very different interventions are built upon these foundational principles, they all share the idea that “cognition influences how an individual feels and behaves, and that cognition can be altered to mediate behavior change” (Dobson & Dozois, 2021, p. 6).

Many of the CBT tools and exercises that are effective in therapy can also be helpful in everyday life.

The nine techniques and tools listed below are some of the most common and powerful CBT practices.

Cognitive distortions

Many of the most popular and effective cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques are applied to what psychologists call cognitive distortions: “systematic information processing biases that distort incoming information to fit the pre‐existing schema” (Puri et al., 2021, p. 1974).

Inaccurate thoughts reinforce our negative thinking patterns and emotions in various forms, several of which are captured in the following infographic (Pittard et al., 2020).

Some of the tools and techniques found in cognitive behavioral therapy are intended to address or reverse cognitive distortions, such as catastrophizing, overgeneralization, and jumping to conclusions (Pittard et al., 2020).

The following CBT exercises can help restore the balance between reality and our inner mental landscape:

  • Decatastrophizing
    Identify the harmful and excessive worry associated with a problem or situation and focus on what will most likely happen.
  • Decatastrophizing Worksheet
    Examine a potential catastrophe causing you to become overwhelmed and capture the most reassuring or positive thing you would like to hear.
  • Cataloging Your Inner Rules
    Create a list of unhelpful or judgmental rules that impact you daily, then challenge and replace each one.
  • WDEP Questions Worksheet
    Build more clarity surrounding your inner thoughts by understanding what you want, what you are doing, and what your plan is.
  • Disputing Irrational Beliefs
    Recognize and challenge irrational beliefs by asking if they’re working for you.
  • Dysfunctional Thought Record
    Record and analyze negative thoughts in this seven-column worksheet to help identify cognitive distortions.
  • Challenging Catastrophic Thinking Worksheet
    Capture thought processes associated with catastrophic thinking to encourage a more balanced perspective.

Our article Cognitive Distortions: 22 Examples & Worksheets (& PDF) digs deeper into our tendency to make inaccurate connections from overly simplistic assumptions and offers CBT exercises and techniques to help.

3 Instantly calming CBT techniques for anxiety

Mark Tyrrell explores CBT’s value and limitations and three powerful approaches for gaining control over our thinking.

Cognitive distortions: Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques

This video shows how our mind can mislead us and shares steps to manage unhelpful thoughts that contribute to depression and mental illness.

7 Best CBT Techniques for Therapists

Recent and ongoing research confirms the value of CBT, behavioral therapy, and cognitive therapy for treating anxiety and mood disorders such as depression, and is often considered the treatment of choice (Yarwood et al., 2024; Dobson & Dozois, 2021).

Several CBT exercises are included below:

For anxiety

For depression

  • Activity Schedule
    Depression can make planning and performing even the simplest tasks challenging. Create a schedule to establish a baseline of meaningful and enjoyable tasks and activities and build in new ones.
  • Behavior Contract
    Create a contract with trusted and supportive friends, colleagues, and family members that commits to healthy behaviors and limits unhealthy ones.
  • Recognizing Rumination
    Persistent negative thinking is a key risk factor for depression (Yarwood et al., 2024). Identify recurring unhelpful thoughts and when they happen to change the narrative.
  • Challenging Unhelpful Thoughts Arising from Grief Worksheet
    Working through grief can be overwhelming and, if not dealt with, lead to longer-term mood disorders. Help clients replace destructive thoughts with more constructive alternatives.
Cognitive behavioral therapy exercises (FEEL Better!)

Barbara Heffernan’s valuable video provides an excellent starting point for understanding key activities for overcoming anxiety and depression.

9 Powerful CBT Exercises & Interventions

CBT-inspired exercises and techniques can be valid in many different contexts and various populations, including supporting those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), phobias, and anger management issues (Pan et al., 2019; Dobson & Dozois, 2021; MacMahon et al., 2015).

The following CBT exercises may have more than one use:

For ADHD

CBT exposure exercises

  • Imagery-Based Exposure Worksheet
    Practice recalling difficult memories and accepting them to reduce avoidance behaviors.
  • Interoceptive Exposure
    Expose yourself to panic-related physiological symptoms and thoughts and learn how to become more comfortable with them.
  • Event Visualization Worksheet
    Use visualization as a flexible, safe, and controlled environment to explore future challenges or situations that heighten fears.

For anger management

Download 3 Free Positive CBT Exercises (PDF)

These detailed, science-based exercises will equip you or your clients with tools to find new pathways to reduce suffering and more effectively cope with life stressors.

6 Evidence-Based CBT Worksheets

CBT’s cognitive restructuring is one of the most vital techniques for behavioral and cognitive transformation (Dobson & Dozois, 2021).

Cognitive restructuring

Once you identify the distortions you hold, you can explore how they took root and why you came to believe them. When you discover a destructive or harmful belief, you can begin challenging it — known as cognitive restructuring (Dobson & Dozois, 2021).

CBT exercises that directly or indirectly support cognitive restructuring include:

6 More Cognitive Behavioral Activities for Your Clients

Problem SolvingCBT has evolved over the years to meet the needs of various groups and support multiple issues. However, despite their broad applicability, CBT interventions typically fit into one or more of the following (Dobson & Dozois, 2021):

  1. Cognitive restructuring
  2. Coping skills
  3. Problem-solving

The following CBT exercises are helpful as standalone activities and in conjunction with other therapeutic approaches and expand on coping and problem-solving:

  • Coping Styles Formulation Worksheet
    Help clients and therapists reach a shared understanding of the presenting problem and develop more adaptive coping strategies.
  • Coping With Stress
    Identify the life situations that leave you stressed and find more adaptive, helpful coping mechanisms.
  • I Will Survive
    Focus on past events to understand personal coping skills and support systems that can help future challenges.
  • Reverse the Rabbit Hole Worksheet
    Problem-solving with positive outcomes rather than focusing on what can go wrong can help manage and avoid worry and anxiety.
  • Problem-Solving Worksheet for Adults
    Clearly describing problems, weighing their potential consequences, and capturing possible solutions is a powerful approach for managing and controlling unhelpful thinking.
  • Core Beliefs Suitcases Worksheet
    Understanding core beliefs supports coping and problem-solving in existing and new situations.

In recent years, CBT has increasingly been combined with multiple aspects of positive psychology. The following infographic compares and contrasts the two approaches (Vazquez et al., 2018):

6 Common Challenges & Tips to Overcome Them

As with all therapy, CBT has its challenges.

Building a solid therapeutic alliance

A strong therapeutic alliance is vital to successful client outcomes and overcoming challenges such as (Ardito & Rabellino, 2011; DeAngelis, 2019):

  • Clients who do not wish to engage in therapy, either because they lack motivation or trust
  • Barriers to communication that prevent a collaborative relationship

Tips

  • Patiently build a solid alliance based on transparency, clarity, and trust.
  • Share the rationale behind interventions to increase client understanding and confidence.
  • Work together to identify therapeutic objectives, fostering an open partnership.
  • Obtain and act upon feedback from the client.

Overcoming resistance

Clients aren’t always ready for the therapeutic process and may display signs of resistance, for example (Clay, 2017; Dobson & Dozois, 2021):

  • They may be unwilling to open up during sessions.
  • Communication may be abrupt or argumentative.
  • Clients may not complete homework assignments.

Tips

  • Spend time building rapport and trust.
  • Engage in active listening and display empathy.
  • Openly discuss any fears or concerns the client may have.
  • Repair any ruptures or breakdowns in the alliance.

Tailoring exercises to fit clients’ needs

CBT exercises and tools must be specific to the situation and the client to maximize their effectiveness. Otherwise, clients may struggle to change unhelpful thoughts and beliefs (Dobson & Dozois, 2021).

Tips

  • Tailor interventions and CBT exercises to the clients’ needs and make them appropriate to their situation.
  • Listen to what the clients say and remain flexible with the techniques adopted.
  • Educate and involve the clients in the therapy process, explaining the purpose of each activity.

World’s Largest Positive Psychology Resource – Save 18% For a Limited Time.

The Positive Psychology Toolkit© is a groundbreaking practitioner resource containing over 600 science-based exercises, activities, interventions, questionnaires, and assessments created by experts using the latest positive psychology research.

Updated monthly. 100% Science-based.

“The best positive psychology resource out there!”
Emiliya Zhivotovskaya, Flourishing Center CEO

Helpful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Manuals & Workbooks

There are many manuals and workbooks that help therapists apply cognitive behavioral therapy exercises in their work. The following are three of our favorites of the most popular resources available:

1. Handbook of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies – Keith Dobson and David Dozois (Editors)

Handbook of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies

This is a vital resource for students and mental health practitioners wishing to understand CBT, adopt its key principles, and introduce related interventions to therapy sessions.

The editors have collated essential chapters that explain CBT alongside related therapies and how to apply them to specific populations.

Find the book on Amazon.


2. The Comprehensive Clinician’s Guide to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – Leslie Sokol and Marci Fox

The Comprehensive Clinician’s Guide to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This vast knowledge base captured in a spiral-bound form provides comprehensive and up-to-date information on CBT and its exercises.

The authors have packed the manual with worksheets, plans, and exercises covering various issues, including anger management, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and psychosis.

Find the book on Amazon.


3. The CBT Toolbox – Jeff Riggenbach

The CBT Toolbox

In this book, Jeff Riggenbach turns his 20 years of clinical practice into a valuable collection of 185 CBT-based tools.

This practical book offers a vital resource for counselors and therapists helping clients address unhelpful thinking patterns.

Find the book on Amazon.

 

For other resources, see our article 12+ Best CBT Books to Master Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

17 Science-Based Ways To Apply Positive CBT

These 17 Positive CBT & Cognitive Therapy Exercises [PDF] include our top-rated, ready-made templates for helping others develop more helpful thoughts and behaviors in response to challenges, while broadening the scope of traditional CBT.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Resources From PositivePsychology.com

We have many CBT exercises available for therapists wishing to support individuals and groups facing emotional and behavioral challenges.

More extensive versions of the following tools are available with a paid subscription to the Positive Psychology Toolkit©, but they are described briefly below.

  • Behavioral Activation
    Behavioral activation offers an effective technique for decreasing depressive symptoms by encouraging clients to embrace activities that provide them with experiences of pleasure or a sense of mastery. Try out the following four steps:

    • Step one – Log existing activity levels.
    • Step two – Categorize each one as energy giving or draining.
    • Step three – Identify which activities offer pleasure or a sense of mastery.
    • Step four – Find opportunities to engage in more energy-giving activities throughout the week.
  • Daily Exceptions Journal
    This exercise combines traditional CBT with positive psychology by encouraging clients to focus on what is right, rather than wrong, in their lives.

The technique enables the client and therapist to better understand the problems the client faces and the contexts in which they occur.

Complete a daily exceptions journal by answering a series of questions, including:

What has improved today, even if just a little bit?
What did I do differently to improve things?
When didn’t I experience the problem today?
When was the problem less of a problem?
What could I continue to do to make improvements?

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others through CBT, this collection contains 17 validated positive CBT tools for practitioners. Use them to help others overcome unhelpful thoughts and feelings and develop more positive behaviors.

A Take-Home Message

Therapists, clients, and researchers confirm the value of CBT for supporting individuals, couples, and families wishing to move away from unhelpful or even harmful feelings and behaviors.

CBT is diverse and evolving. It represents a convergence of behavioral strategies and cognitive processes continually integrating insights from neuroscience, positive psychology, and mindfulness-based interventions to enhance its effectiveness and adaptability.

The ongoing transformation enables CBT to address various mental health challenges while working alongside and complementing other therapeutic approaches (Dobson & Dozois, 2021).

Such versatility and broad applicability mean it is highly valued in various populations, including those facing depression, mood disorders, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, and anxiety.

CBT exercises and techniques take many forms and have a range of purposes, including managing stress, replacing unhelpful thoughts, goal setting, boosting performance and self-esteem, and improving resilience (Riggenbach, 2021).

But like other therapies, it has its challenges. Ultimately, the therapeutic alliance is vital. The therapist and client must see the work as a partnership built on trust where open dialogue is essential.

Whether you are a trained cognitive behavioral therapist or other mental health practitioner, it is vital to understand the potentially damaging impact of clients’ unhelpful thoughts. Once recognized, it is possible to bridge theory and practice by designing practical CBT exercises that help clients overcome these unwanted thoughts and make meaningful life improvements.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. For more information, don’t forget to download our three Positive CBT Exercises for free.

ED: Rewrite Apr 2025

Frequently Asked Questions

CBT techniques include journaling to track thoughts and emotions, cognitive restructuring to challenge negative beliefs, and exposure therapy to reduce fear responses. Other methods like progressive muscle relaxation and interoceptive exposure are used for anxiety management.

Common examples of CBT exercises include ABC functional analysis, dysfunctional thought records, graded exposure, progressive muscle relaxation, and cognitive restructuring. They are all helpful for identifying and challenging harmful thoughts.

Yes, CBT exercises are practical and impactful in helping individuals manage and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. ​Techniques such as cognitive restructuring and graded exposure are particularly beneficial (Yarwood et al., 2024).

  • Ardito, R. B., & Rabellino, D. (2011). Therapeutic alliance and outcome of Psychotherapy: Historical excursus, measurements, and prospects for research. Frontiers in Psychology, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00270
  • Clay, R. A. (n.d.). Coping with challenging clients. APA Monitor on Psychology. Retrieved January 16, 2025, from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/07-08/challenging-clients
  • DeAngelis, T. (2019). Better relationships with patients lead to better outcomes. APA Monitor on Psychology, 50(10). Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/11/ce-corner-relationships
  • Dobson, K. S., & Dozois, D. J. (2021). Handbook of cognitive-behavioral therapies. The Guilford Press.
  • Geschwind, N., Arntz, A., Bannink, F., & Peeters, F. (2019). Positive cognitive behavior therapy in the treatment of depression: A randomized order within-subject comparison with traditional cognitive behavior therapy. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 116, 119–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2019.03.005
  • MacMahon, P., Stenfert Kroese, B., Jahoda, A., Stimpson, A., Rose, N., Rose, J., Townson, J., Hood, K., & Willner, P. (2015). “It’s made all of us bond since that course…” – a qualitative study of service users’ experiences of a CBT anger management group intervention. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 59(4), 342–352. https://doi.org/10.1111/jir.12144
  • Pan, M.-R., Huang, F., Zhao, M.-J., Wang, Y.-F., Wang, Y.-F., & Qian, Q.-J. (2019). A comparison of efficacy between cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and CBT combined with medication in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Psychiatry Research, 279, 23–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2019.06.040
  • Pittard, C. M. & Pössel, P. (2020). Cognitive distortions. In T.K. Shackelford & V. Zeigler-Hill (Eds.), Encyclopedia of personality and individual differences (pp. 706–708). Springer International Publishing.
  • Puri, P., Kumar, D., Muralidharan, K., & Kishore, M. T. (2021). Evaluating schema modes and cognitive distortions in borderline personality disorder: A mixed‐method approach. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(9), 1973–1984. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23126
  • Riggenbach, J. (2021). The CBT toolbox, second edition: 185 tools to manage anxiety, depression, anger, behaviors and stress (2nd ed.). PESI.
  • Vazquez, C., Duque, A., Blanco, I., Pascual, T., Poyato, N., Lopez‐Gomez, I., & Chaves, C. (2018). CBT and positive psychology interventions for clinical depression promote healthy attentional biases: An eye‐tracking study. Depression and Anxiety, 35(10), 966–973. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22786
  • Werson, A. D., Meiser-Stedman, R., & Laidlaw, K. (2022). A meta-analysis of CBT efficacy for depression comparing adults and older adults. Journal of Affective Disorders, 319, 189–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.09.020
  • Yarwood, B., Taylor, R., & Angelakis, I. (2024). User experiences of CBT for anxiety and depression: A qualitative systematic review and meta-synthesis. Community Mental Health Journal, 60(4), 662–671. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-023-01196-w
Comments

What our readers think

  1. Mike

    Very well-written, insightful and useful!

    Reply
  2. Dr. Shireen Abuhatoum

    Such a valuable resource! The practical CBT techniques and worksheets shared here are incredibly helpful for both practitioners and individuals looking to better understand their thoughts and behaviors. Thanks for putting this together!

    Reply
  3. Elena

    Thanks for providing in-depth information on cognitive behavioral therapy techniques.

    Reply
  4. Tora

    Loved the article. This was very useful, and very much appreciate all the free resources you included. Mahalo!

    Reply
  5. Leticia N. Parris BSN RN CHLC

    I am a nurse and a holistic life coach and these resources were very helpful to revise and improve my practice!

    Reply
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    This is ridiculous. More ad than content. Misleading title.It is not a free website that you flood the viewers with so many ads. And if you are making so much money through ads then make the entire content free , since it is for the betterment of patients with mental health

    Reply
    • Julia Poernbacher

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      Reply
  7. Susan Jaros, LCSW

    Thank you for the work put into this amazing article! It encompasses every bit of CBT that is so useful for clients increasing their understanding of how “this” works in a very well-written tone. Well done!

    Reply
  8. Carmen

    Thank you for the useful material that is free of charge. It will come in handy especially the providers guidebook “activities and your mood” for my client who has been diagnosed with depression.

    Reply
    • Prem Ghai

      The subject CBT is well covered with comprehensive suggestions for the candidates. The aspect of voluntary access by the Therapist to the mentally challenged/deppressed people , needs to be stressed upon,as majority won’t open up..
      Thnx educating on a high value subject.

      Reply
  9. Priscilla Ladi Venantius

    It is very informative, keep up the good work

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