Free Depression CBT Worksheets and Handouts Collection

Major depression is explained here as something more intense, longer lasting and more disruptive than everyday sadness, frustration or feeling down. The module covers depression as a syndrome, including mood changes, negative thinking, physical symptoms such as sleep, appetite, energy and sexual interest changes, and the impact depression can have on relationships and social contact.

A printable depressive symptoms worksheet helps clients sort their own experiences into somatic or physiological symptoms, cognitive and affective symptoms, and behavioural symptoms. The PDF also introduces common causes of depression, including biological factors such as genes, hormones and neurotransmitters, alongside psychological factors such as negative thinking patterns, loss and a sense of failure, making it useful for adults, CBT clients, counsellors, psychologists and mental health workers. Produced by the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

People can use the activity schedule to turn vague intentions into small, realistic steps when depression, low mood or lack of motivation make everyday life feel difficult. Back-from-the-Bluez—02—Behavioural-Strategies is a CBT behavioural activation PDF focused on increasing helpful activity, balancing enjoyable tasks with achievement-based tasks, and using simple planning rather than waiting to feel motivated first.

Inside are explanations of the depression and avoidance cycle, guidance on starting small, a large fun activities catalogue, prompts for choosing two or three activities, and worksheets for rating depression, pleasant feelings and sense of achievement before and after an activity. It is likely to suit adults experiencing depression, counsellors, psychologists, social workers and wellbeing practitioners looking for printable depression worksheets, activity scheduling tools, behavioural activation exercises or CBT self-help materials for use at home, in therapy sessions or as between-session practice. Produced by the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

Used in counselling sessions, CBT homework, guided self-help, or personal reflection, Back-from-the-Bluez—03—The-Thinking-Feeling-Connection helps adults recognise the link between situations, automatic thoughts and emotional responses. The module explains why feelings are not caused only by events, but by the meanings and beliefs people attach to them, using everyday examples such as meeting someone at a party and interpreting their behaviour in different ways.

The pages include a feelings vocabulary list, examples of neutral, positive and negative automatic thoughts, and exercises where clients identify possible feelings from self-statements or write the thoughts that could lead to anger, hurt, disappointment or concern. It is especially suited to adults experiencing low mood or depression, people using CBT for negative thinking, and practitioners looking for printable psychoeducation worksheets on thoughts, feelings, emotions and automatic thinking. Produced by the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

The ABC thought diary framework is laid out around Activating Event, Beliefs and Consequences, with prompts to capture the factual situation, list self-statements, underline the most distressing “hot thought”, and rate belief and emotion intensity from 0 to 100. The module also includes thought discovery questions such as “What is bad about that?” and “What does this say about me?”, plus examples involving anxiety at a party and feeling hurt when a partner behaves differently.

People using CBT for depression, low mood, anxiety or emotional distress could use the printable worksheet between therapy sessions, in counselling, mental health support work, supervision or personal self-help practice. It is likely to suit adults and older teenagers who are learning cognitive behavioural therapy skills, as well as practitioners looking for a clear ABC model handout, CBT thought record, cognitive restructuring worksheet or unhelpful thoughts diary. Produced by the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

The reflection tables invite readers to identify a real situation, write down the thoughts that went through their mind, and notice the feelings that followed. Alongside these prompts, the module explains common unhelpful thinking patterns and cognitive distortions in plain language, including mental filter, mind reading, predictive thinking, personalisation, catastrophising, black and white thinking, shoulding and musting, overgeneralisation, labelling, emotional reasoning, magnification and minimisation.

Adults working through low mood, depression or anxiety may find it useful for self-help, while counsellors, CBT therapists, mental health practitioners and wellbeing workers could use the pages in sessions or as printable homework. The examples are practical and familiar, such as worrying about what someone thinks, predicting a presentation will go badly, or blaming yourself for events outside your control. Produced by the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

Detective Work and Disputation are the core CBT skills taught in this module from Back from the Bluez. It explains how thoughts influence feelings and behaviour, then shows how to question unhelpful beliefs by looking for factual evidence for and against a “hot thought”. The pages include prompts for challenging negative thoughts, such as checking proof, considering alternative explanations, asking how someone else might view the situation, and judging whether a thought is realistic or helpful.

Adults experiencing depression, low mood, negative self-talk, or anxious rumination may find the thought diary format useful for home practice, counselling sessions, CBT therapy, psychology appointments, or supported self-help work. Practitioners can use it with clients to practise cognitive restructuring, identify cognitive distortions such as mental filtering and jumping to conclusions, and complete an ABC thought record with sections for activating events, beliefs, consequences, unhelpful thinking styles, evidence, and disputation questions. Produced by the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

Adults, older teenagers and clients in CBT, counselling or mental health support for depression may find this printable thought diary especially relevant when they are learning to challenge negative automatic thoughts. The module explains the “E: End Result” stage, where a person reviews evidence for and against a hot thought, considers alternative explanations, writes a balanced thought, and checks whether the intensity of the emotion has changed.

The pages include a worked Thought Diary example covering an activating event, beliefs, consequences, unhelpful thinking styles, detective work and disputation, followed by a blank thought record for practice. It can be used between therapy sessions, in guided self-help, or during one-to-one work with a psychologist, counsellor or wellbeing practitioner to support cognitive restructuring, mood management and depression recovery skills. Developed by the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

In everyday CBT practice and personal reflection, core beliefs often explain why some automatic thoughts feel especially hard to shift. Back-from-the-Bluez—08—Core-Beliefs is a depression self-help PDF focused on identifying unhelpful core beliefs, spotting repeated themes in thought diaries, and using prompts such as "What does that mean?" and "What does that say about me?" to reach the underlying belief.

The module includes a worked thought diary example, a core beliefs worksheet, space to list experiences that disprove a belief, and a behavioural experiment record for testing predictions in real life. It is likely to be most useful for adults using CBT for depression, counsellors or CBT practitioners supporting clients with negative beliefs such as being unlovable or inadequate, and mental health support workers looking for a clear printable worksheet for sessions or between-session homework.

In therapy sessions, relapse-prevention planning, or at home after completing CBT work, Back-from-the-Bluez—09—Self-Management helps adults consolidate gains made while working through depression and low mood strategies. The module explains the importance of continued practice, encourages people not to see setbacks as being “back to square one”, and includes guidance on using balanced thinking and trusted social support when mood dips occur.

The printable Healthy Me worksheet gives clear spaces for personal plans under balanced thoughts, social support, social activities, pleasant activities, exercise, self-care, relaxation and goals, making it practical for clients, counsellors, psychologists and mental health practitioners to use in sessions or as between-session homework. The module forms part of Back from the Bluez by Nathan, Rees, Lim and Correia (2003) and was created by clinical psychologists at the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

The “Depression as a Syndrome” section sets out how clinical depression differs from ordinary sadness, frustration or feeling down, with emphasis on intensity, duration and the effect on everyday functioning. The handout then breaks symptoms into practical areas, including mood, anxiety, pessimistic thoughts, guilt, low self-esteem, sleep changes, appetite and weight changes, reduced sexual interest, low motivation, lethargy, loneliness and difficulties interacting with other people.

Suited to adults, clients beginning therapy, mental health practitioners, counsellors, wellbeing workers and GP or clinic settings, it can be printed as a psychoeducation handout before or after a discussion about depressive symptoms. The wording may help people recognise common signs of major depression without feeling singled out, and it gives professionals a simple way to introduce terms such as diurnal variation, negative thinking patterns and the impact of depression on relationships.

In a therapy room, GP practice, school wellbeing office or family conversation, Depression-Information-Sheet—02—What-Causes-Depression gives a clear one-page explanation of the causes of depression, low mood and depressive illness. It is especially suited to adults, older teenagers, carers, students and mental health practitioners who want a simple psychoeducation handout covering why depression is rarely caused by one single event.

The sheet separates the topic into biological factors and psychological factors, with brief sections on genetic vulnerability, hormones, brain chemicals and neurotransmitters, negative thinking patterns, loss, a sense of failure and stressful life events. It can be used as a printable depression information sheet, a discussion starter in CBT or counselling, or a take-home handout after talking about medication, psychological therapy and ways to understand personal triggers.

Practitioners can use this one-page depression information sheet as a brief handout in therapy, counselling, mental health support, GP appointments, or wellbeing sessions with adults experiencing low mood or depressive symptoms. It explains that depression may be treated through medical options, while focusing on psychotherapy for depression and the evidence-based approaches of cognitive therapy and behaviour therapy.

The content outlines how cognitive therapy helps people identify and challenge negative thoughts, unhelpful assumptions and beliefs, and develop more balanced thinking. It also describes behaviour therapy for depression, including practical strategies such as goal setting, activity scheduling, social skills training and structured problem solving, making it a helpful printable CBT psychoeducation handout for clients, carers, counsellors, psychologists and mental health workers.

The central vicious cycle diagram shows how depression can lead to low energy, fatigue and reduced interest, which then reduces activity and increases avoidance, guilt, hopelessness and feelings of ineffectiveness. A second diagram shows the reverse cycle, where increased activity can support greater motivation, confidence and improved mood, making it a practical CBT depression handout for explaining behavioural activation in a simple visual way.

Alongside the diagrams, the sheet suggests manageable pleasurable activities such as walking, listening to uplifting music, gardening, seeing a comedy, going to the beach or planning a day trip, with a prompt to notice how the person feels before and after. It may suit adults with depression or low mood, people working on motivation and routine, and therapists, counsellors or wellbeing practitioners who want a concise psychoeducation sheet for individual sessions, homework, self-help packs or printed mental health resources.

Behavioural activation is the key focus, showing how reduced activity can keep depression going and how small actions can support mood, energy and clearer thinking. The sheet covers common depression symptoms such as lethargy, loss of interest, indecisiveness and avoidance, then explains why doing more, even in very small amounts, can create mastery, pleasure and a sense of control.

Sections include Increasing Your Activity Level, Fun & Achievement, and Start Simple, with practical examples such as getting out of bed for 10 minutes, washing a few plates, reading for five minutes, or doing household tasks in short timed blocks. It is likely to be useful for adults experiencing depression, counsellors, CBT therapists, mental health practitioners and support workers who want a simple psychoeducation handout for sessions, homework or home use. Produced by the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

Behavioural activation and pleasant activity scheduling are at the heart of this four-page PDF, which lists 365 possible activities that may feel enjoyable, meaningful, calming, social, creative, practical, or energising. The catalogue includes everyday options such as going for a walk, calling a friend, listening to music, gardening, cooking, reading, doing puzzles, spending time in nature, writing in a journal, volunteering, exercising, organising a space, and trying hobbies or outings.

People looking for a depression activity list, pleasurable activities worksheet, self-care ideas, mood-boosting activity planner, coping skills handout, or therapy activity menu may find it useful to print and keep nearby. It is likely to suit adults, older teenagers, counsellors, psychologists, mental health workers, and support staff who want a practical prompt for choosing small, realistic activities at home, in sessions, or as between-session therapy homework.

The “What Can I Do?” prompts ask readers to identify what they are feeling, notice the conclusions they are making, and then look for alternative explanations. It works well as a short CBT depression handout for adults or older teenagers dealing with low mood, anxiety, distress or negative thinking, and can be used by counsellors, psychologists, wellbeing practitioners or support workers during sessions.

Across the sheet, examples show how the same situation can lead to different emotions depending on the thought attached to it, including a social example involving someone at a party. It also explains the difference between feelings and thoughts, describes unhelpful thinking styles, and encourages replacing an original unhelpful belief with a balanced and helpful one. Produced by the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

Automatic thoughts are the central theme of this one-page depression information sheet, with a clear explanation of how emotions are shaped by the way a person interprets events rather than by events alone. It uses everyday examples, including a party conversation, to show how different thoughts can lead to different feelings such as anxiety, anger, hurt or concern.

The sheet includes short sections on how thoughts influence feelings, recognising and naming emotions, the difference between thoughts and feelings, and three types of automatic thoughts: neutral, positive and negative. It would suit adults using CBT, people looking for a printable depression handout, and counsellors, therapists or mental health workers introducing cognitive behavioural therapy concepts in sessions. Produced by the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

In everyday reflection or CBT practice, noticing the exact thoughts behind a strong mood can make it easier to understand depression, anxiety, guilt, anger or distress. Depression Information Sheet 09: Analysing Your Thinking explains how thoughts influence feelings, then walks through an ABC analysis using Activating Event, Consequences and Beliefs. It shows how to record the situation as facts, rate emotion intensity from 0 to 100, list automatic negative thoughts, choose the main “hot thought”, and rate how strongly it is believed.

The sheet is likely to suit adults working on depression or anxious thoughts, as well as counsellors, CBT therapists, mental health practitioners and support workers who want a concise psychoeducation handout for sessions or homework. It includes a relatable party example and thought discovery prompts such as “What is bad about that?”, “What am I concluding about myself or others?” and “What does this say about me?”, making it useful for thought records, mood management, cognitive restructuring preparation and discussion in therapy or guided self-help.

When a hot thought is driving distress, low mood or self-critical thinking, this CBT depression handout shows how to question it rather than accept it as fact. It explains the link between thoughts, feelings and behaviour, then builds on the ABC analysis by focusing on Detective Work and Disputation: looking for evidence, checking whether beliefs are true, considering overlooked facts, and asking how someone else might view the same situation.

The sheet is most suited to adults experiencing depression, people using cognitive behavioural therapy, and therapists or counsellors who want a clear printable prompt for sessions or between-session practice. It walks the reader towards the “End Result”, where an unhelpful hot thought is revised into a more balanced thought, followed by re-rating the intensity of the emotion and the strength of belief in the original thought.

Adults, older teenagers, counselling clients and people using CBT self-help materials are the most likely audience for this printable depression information sheet. It explains how unhelpful emotions such as depression or anxiety can be preceded by automatic self-statements and thinking habits, then sets out common cognitive distortions including mental filtering, jumping to conclusions, personalisation, catastrophising, black and white thinking, shoulding and musting, overgeneralisation, labelling, emotional reasoning, and magnification and minimisation.

The layout is a brief psychoeducation handout rather than an exercise worksheet, making it useful for therapy sessions, wellbeing appointments, mental health groups, or home reflection after a difficult situation. Practitioners can use it to help clients name patterns in negative thoughts, while individuals can print it as a quick reference when reviewing thought records, challenging anxious predictions, or noticing self-critical thinking linked with low mood.

People can use the prompts in this CBT depression information sheet to trace stubborn negative thoughts back to the deeper core beliefs that may be keeping them going. It explains how core beliefs develop, why they can feel rigid and hard to challenge, and how themes in thought diaries can reveal repeated ideas such as being unlikeable, unlovable, not good enough, or unsafe.

The sheet is especially suited to adults using cognitive behavioural therapy for depression, clients completing thought records between sessions, and mental health practitioners who want a printable psychoeducation handout about core beliefs, balanced beliefs, behavioural experiments, and challenging negative self-talk. It includes practical questions such as “If that’s true, what does that mean?”, guidance on gathering evidence against an unhelpful belief, and suggestions for carrying balanced core belief cards into everyday situations.

A clear step-by-step plan helps people move from feeling stuck to taking manageable action, especially when depression makes everyday decisions feel harder. The printable problem solving worksheet includes sections for defining the problem, identifying maintaining factors, setting goals, listing possible solutions, ranking preferred options, and evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of the top choices.

Adults experiencing depression, CBT practitioners, counsellors, psychologists, mental health support workers, and wellbeing practitioners could use it in therapy sessions, recovery planning, self-help work, or at home between appointments. The action steps table prompts users to decide what will be done, who will do it, and when, before reviewing whether the chosen solution worked or needs adjusting. Produced by the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

Print it for the end of therapy, a relapse prevention appointment, or a personal wellbeing folder so the person can record what helps them stay steady after depression treatment. The sheet covers maintaining gains from medication or psychotherapy, keeping a balanced routine, protecting sleep, eating and exercise habits, building social support, using professional support, and expecting normal slip-ups or low days without seeing them as failure.

Most suited to adults and older teenagers who have been working on depression recovery, low mood, mental health maintenance or CBT self-help skills, it can also be used by counsellors, psychologists, social workers and GPs when planning after-care. The layout includes brief guidance plus a simple “Healthy Me” planning activity with boxes for thinking, social activities, pleasant activities, exercise, relaxation, professional support and social support. Prepared by the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

In practice, it can be printed or shared during counselling, GP appointments, bereavement support, mental health sessions, or used at home by adults who want a straightforward explanation of grief after loss. The handout covers uncomplicated grief, including poor sleep, low appetite, low mood, anxiety, numbness, disbelief, guilt, tearfulness, anger, sadness, reminders of the person who died, and gradual return to everyday life.

The sheet also outlines complicated grief and bereavement warning signs, such as avoiding painful feelings, refusing reminders, missing the funeral, using distraction to block grief, alcohol or drug misuse, physical complaints, ongoing isolation, mood swings, and neglecting self-care. It briefly explains coping options including support, routine, diet, physical activity, counselling, bereavement groups, psychological therapy, relaxation, positive activities, challenging negative thoughts, and the possible role of antidepressant medication.

A quick printable handout helps people understand safer ways to use artificial intelligence for mental health learning, planning and self-help without treating it as therapy, diagnosis or crisis support. It explains what AI is, how tools such as ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot work in broad terms, and why AI can sound human while still being unable to think, feel or provide genuine care.

Sections cover helpful uses such as practical problem solving, breaking tasks into smaller steps, exposure planning, routines, journalling prompts and simplifying therapy notes or self-help material. It also flags common risks, including hallucinations, inaccurate answers, bias, reassurance seeking, over-reliance, privacy concerns and using AI for emotional validation. It is likely to suit adults, young people, therapy clients, counsellors, psychologists, GPs, support workers and educators who want a clear AI mental health handout to discuss in sessions, groups, clinics or at home. Produced by the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

Use it in a counselling, CBT or wellbeing session to help someone map their depression symptoms into four areas: physiological, cognitive, affective and behavioural. The page explains each category with examples such as insomnia, poor appetite, low energy, suicidal thoughts, negative self-talk, sadness, hopelessness, staying in bed, avoiding people and not going out.

Adults, older teenagers, therapists, mental health practitioners and support workers may find it useful as a printable depression worksheet, mood reflection activity or symptom awareness exercise. The prompt asks, “What do YOU experience, when you are depressed?” and provides lined spaces under each heading, making it suitable for individual work, guided discussion, assessment preparation or tracking personal warning signs.

The activity log asks people to choose a simple enjoyable activity or achievable task, write down the activity and date, then rate depression, pleasure and achievement before and after completing it. It includes a 0 to 8 rating scale, with labels from absolutely none through to extreme, plus space for four separate activities and a reflection prompt asking what the person noticed about themselves.

Designed for behavioural activation work in depression, low mood and CBT sessions, the sheet is likely to suit adults and older teenagers who are finding it hard to get started with routine, hobbies, self-care or neglected responsibilities. Counsellors, psychologists, therapists, mental health practitioners and support workers could use it in sessions or as homework, while individuals may print it for home use to test how small actions affect motivation, mood, enjoyment and a sense of accomplishment.

Clients experiencing depression, including teenagers and adults in CBT, counselling or mental health support, may find this behavioural activation worksheet useful when they are trying to identify activities that could gently improve mood. It explains that pleasant activities and achievement-based tasks can be used strategically, rather than being told to “just do something”, which can feel dismissive when motivation and energy are low.

The printable sheet includes short psychoeducation followed by a planning table with sections for Social / Family / Relationships, Leisure / Hobbies / Fun, Exercise / Self-Care / Health, and Other. It can be used in therapy sessions, support work, wellbeing check-ins or at home to build a personalised depression activity list, test what helps, and cross off ideas that do not have a positive effect.

Print it out and fill in each hour block with planned or completed activities, appointments, rest, exercise, social contact, study, work, chores or enjoyable tasks. The layout covers Monday to Sunday, with time slots from 8 to 9 am through to 10 to 12 am, plus a space for the week beginning date, making it useful as a weekly planner, activity diary, mood and routine tracker, or behavioural activation worksheet.

The sheet is likely to be most useful for adults, older teens, counsellors, psychologists, mental health practitioners and support workers using depression worksheets in therapy sessions, home practice or self-help. Its blank grid format keeps the focus on noticing patterns, balancing necessary and pleasant activities, and planning manageable steps during periods of low motivation or reduced routine.

In therapy sessions, supervision, or at home between appointments, a weekly goals record like this can help adults and older teenagers working with low mood, depression, anxiety or avoidance keep track of agreed tasks. The printable worksheet is set out as a one-page table with space for the person’s name, weekly dates, task frequency, daily tick boxes from Monday to Sunday, a done Y/N column, and an impact rating from 0 to 4.

The record includes ready-made rows for reading, calming technique practice, thought diaries, pleasant events, exposure tasks and other behavioural goals, with extra blank rows for personalised CBT homework or behavioural activation activities. It is especially suited to counsellors, psychologists, CBT practitioners and mental health support workers who want a structured goal tracking sheet for clients to use between sessions.

Adults, older teenagers, counsellors, CBT practitioners and mental health workers using depression worksheets may find this particularly relevant when working on the thought-feeling connection. The pages use everyday examples, such as coming home to muddy footprints, being surprised on a birthday, a flatmate moving out without paying rent, and a partner cancelling dinner, to help clients notice how different interpretations can lead to anger, hurt, disappointment, concern, happiness or self-criticism.

The worksheet is split into two parts: first, identifying possible feelings that arise from given self-statements, and then writing the self-statements that could lead to specific feelings. It can be printed for therapy sessions, used as CBT homework, or worked through in supported self-help to practise recognising automatic thoughts, cognitive appraisals, negative self-talk, emotional triggers and alternative ways of making sense of situations.

In a therapy session, counselling appointment or self-help routine, this printable CBT thought diary gives adults and older teenagers a clear ABC framework for understanding low mood, distress, anxiety or depression-related thinking. The page is divided into three sections: A for the activating event, B for beliefs and self-statements, and C for consequences, including feelings, body sensations and actions.

People using CBT for depression can use the worksheet to write down what happened, list the thoughts that connected the event to their feelings, mark the most distressing hot thought with an asterisk, and rate belief and emotion intensity from 0 to 100. It is particularly suited to therapists, counsellors, mental health practitioners and individuals practising cognitive behavioural therapy between sessions. Produced by the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

A clear ABCD layout helps people slow down and separate what happened from what they believed, felt and did. The printable thought diary includes sections for the activating event, beliefs and self-statements, unhelpful thinking styles, consequences, physical sensations and actions, followed by detective work and disputation for the main hot thought.

People using CBT for depression, low mood, anxiety, stress or negative automatic thoughts can use it at home, between therapy sessions, or with a counsellor, psychologist, mental health practitioner or support worker. Prompts encourage the person to rate belief in a distressing thought, identify cognitive distortions such as catastrophising or black and white thinking, weigh factual evidence for and against the thought, and create more helpful self-statements.

In therapy sessions, counselling appointments or structured self-help, this CBT thought diary can help adults and older teenagers slow down a distressing moment and map it clearly. It uses the ABCDE format: Activating Event, Beliefs, Consequences, Detective Work and Disputation, and End Result. Prompts ask the person to identify the situation, list self-statements, mark the most distressing hot thought, rate belief from 0 to 100, name emotions, note physical sensations or actions, and recognise unhelpful thinking styles such as catastrophising, mental filter, jumping to conclusions, black and white thinking, shoulding and musting, emotional reasoning and disqualifying positives.

The second page gives a practical evidence table for and against the hot thought, followed by disputation questions such as alternative ways of viewing the situation, realistic likelihood, how someone else might see it, and whether the thought is helpful. It then asks the user to write balanced thoughts and re-rate both the emotion and the hot thought. The layout is most suited to CBT practitioners, counsellors, psychologists, wellbeing workers and clients using depression worksheets, cognitive restructuring tools, thought records or mood diary exercises. The Centre for Clinical Interventions is named on the sheet.

In a therapy room, group mood management course, or supported self-help session, Depression-Worksheet—09—Thought-Diary-Tri-fold gives adults and older teenagers a structured CBT thought record for working through distress linked with depression, low mood, anxiety, worry, anger or self-critical thinking. It follows the familiar A-B-C-D-E format, with prompts for the activating event, consequences, beliefs, disputation and a final balanced thought.

The worksheet asks the person to describe the situation like a video camera, name and rate the emotion, note actions or physical sensations, list automatic thoughts, identify the most distressing “hot thought”, check evidence for and against it, spot unhelpful thinking styles such as catastrophising, mind reading, all-or-nothing thinking and should statements, then re-rate the emotion and belief. It is most suited to counsellors, CBT therapists, mental health practitioners and people doing mood management work who want a printable thought diary, cognitive restructuring worksheet or depression CBT exercise produced by the Centre for Clinical Interventions.

A clearer, more balanced view of unhelpful core beliefs is supported through two structured CBT exercises. The first section asks the person to name a core belief to be challenged, list up to ten experiences that show the belief is not completely true all the time, and then write a balanced core belief. The second section moves into behavioural testing, with space for the belief being tested, tasks or experiments, predictions, what actually happened, a conclusion, and a revised balanced belief.

Designed for people working on depression-related thinking patterns, negative self-beliefs or low self-esteem, it is particularly suited to adults and older teenagers using CBT with a therapist, counsellor, psychologist or mental health practitioner. It can also be used between sessions as a self-help thought record, core belief challenge worksheet, schema exercise or behavioural experiment planning sheet, helping the person gather real evidence rather than relying only on feelings or automatic thoughts.

In a counselling session, CBT appointment, wellbeing group or at home between therapy tasks, this one-page depression worksheet can be used to build a personal Healthy Me plan. The page places the person at the centre and provides blank boxes for key areas linked with mood and recovery: thinking, social activities, pleasant activities, exercise, relaxation, self-care, social support and goals.

Adults, older teenagers, counsellors, psychologists, mental health support workers and social workers may find it useful as a printable wellbeing worksheet, self-care planner, behavioural activation prompt or depression recovery activity sheet. It works best as a reflective tool where the person writes practical actions, coping strategies, enjoyable activities and support options that feel realistic for their own week.

In a counselling session, CBT appointment, support meeting, or at home, the sheet can be filled in by reflecting on the last 3 to 6 months before writing down realistic goals for the months ahead. It includes space to record what has been achieved or done well, areas for improvement, and specific goals, making it useful for adults or older teenagers working on depression, low mood, motivation, recovery planning, self-improvement, or behavioural change.

The layout is straightforward and printable, with prompts that encourage balanced reflection rather than only focusing on what has gone wrong. It may be helpful for therapists, mental health practitioners, wellbeing workers, coaches, or individuals who want a depression goal setting worksheet, personal goals template, recovery goals worksheet, or mental health planning activity. Produced by the Centre for Clinical Interventions.