COPING WITH CHALLENGING SITUATIONS/PROBELMATIC BELIEFS

PROBLEMATIC BELIEFS:  What you believe isn’t always accurate.  Accept that.  Decide what is true before you act (or stew about it).  I receive the following work sheet from Rick Huntsman, and thought it was excellent.

CHALLENGING SITUATIONS WORKSHEET

Below is a list of questions to be used in helping you challenge your maladaptive or problematic beliefs.  Not all questions will be appropriate for the belief you choose to challenge.  Answer as many questions as you can for the belief you have chosen to challenge below.

Belief:_______________________________________________________________________________

1.            What is the evidence for and against this idea?

                FOR:

                AGAINST:

2.            Is your belief a habit or based on facts?

3.            Are your interpretations of the situation too far removed from reality to be accurate?

4.            Are you thinking in all-or-non terms?

5.            Are you using words or phrases that are extreme or exaggerated (i.e., always, forever, never, need, should, must, can’t , and every time)?

6.            Are you taking the situation out of contest and only focusing on one aspect of the event?

7.            Is the source of information reliable?

8.            Are you confusing a low probability with a hiugh probability?

9.            Are your judgments based on feelings rather than facts?

10.          Are you focused on irrelevant factors?

THERAPISTS MANUAL – Cognitive Processing Therapy.  Veteran/Military Version     Page 103