In everyday reflective practice, having a worked example can make it easier to talk through unhelpful thinking styles, automatic negative thoughts and the small steps involved in challenging them.
This Challenging Fortune Telling Thoughts CBT worksheet is a completed PDF example showing how to work through anxious predictions, “what if” thoughts and assumptions about the future. It uses a CBT thought record format to break the process into clear steps, including naming the unhelpful thinking style, writing down the automatic negative thought, identifying the situation, rating feelings, looking at evidence for and against the thought, and forming a more balanced response.
The worked example centres on a person preparing for a job interview who believes, “I will never get a new job.” This makes it suitable for exploring fear of failure, interview anxiety, low confidence and negative predictions in a realistic context. It can support adults and older teenagers, as well as counsellors, CBT practitioners, employment advisers, wellbeing workers and support staff who want a practical cognitive distortions worksheet or thought diary example.
You can use the resource in one-to-one sessions, group wellbeing work, guided self-help, home learning or personal reflection. It may also be useful as a printable handout when introducing CBT techniques, planning a session on automatic thoughts, or helping someone compare a feared outcome with a more realistic alternative.
View, download or print the PDF to use as a structured example during discussion, revision or independent practice. It can be revisited when practising similar situations. This resource was created by MindWell Leeds.
