Use it during CBT sessions, supervision, or personal reflection to map everyday negative thoughts back to the rules, assumptions and core beliefs that may be driving them. The worksheet is a practical fit for adults, older teenagers, therapists, counsellors and wellbeing practitioners wanting a clear cognitive restructuring prompt for anxiety, low mood, stress or self-esteem work.
When a client keeps noticing thoughts such as “I can’t cope”, “they don’t like me” or “I always mess up”, this five-page CBT exercise helps organise those cognitions into a more useful formulation. It separates negative automatic thoughts, rigid rules, conditional assumptions and negative core beliefs so patterns can be seen more clearly.
The worksheet starts with a short explanation of the four layers of cognition and how they influence views of the self, other people, the world and the future. A simple layered diagram shows negative core beliefs at the centre, with rigid rules, conditional assumptions and negative automatic thoughts around them.
Each following page focuses on one layer. There are examples of NATs, “must” and “should” rules, if-then assumptions, and core beliefs linked with helplessness, unlovability and worthlessness. Large writing boxes invite the user to record their own thoughts, making it suitable as a printable therapy worksheet or between-session CBT homework.
Practitioners may find it useful for adult CBT clients, older teens who can reflect on thinking patterns, and people working on perfectionism, social anxiety, depression, shame or low self-worth. It can also support thought records, case formulation, schema work and cognitive restructuring by giving language to thoughts that often feel vague or automatic.
Produced by Think CBT, the exercise is structured enough for guided therapy while still being simple enough for reflective self-help use.
