CBT Worksheets
A free, clinician-reviewed library of cognitive behavioral therapy worksheets you can fill in here and download as a PDF. Each CBT worksheet works as CBT homework between sessions and downloads as a free PDF.
Reviewed byMichael Callans, MSWWhere to start
If you are new to CBT, work top to bottom: understand the model, then practice catching and testing thoughts, then go deeper into the beliefs underneath. If acceptance skills would help alongside the change-focused ones here, the free DBT tools library covers TIPP, wise mind, and opposite action. New to CBT? Start with the CBT triangle PDF, which explains the thought, feeling, and behavior loop with a worked example. Once you can catch a thought, the decatastrophizing worksheet is a good first test to run on any prediction that assumes the worst. If you are not sure you are ready to change anything yet, the stages of change worksheet helps you name where you stand before you begin.
Related tools
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About this tool
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most studied and effective approaches in mental health, with strong evidence for anxiety, depression, OCD, and many other concerns. Its central insight is that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are linked, so changing unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns can change how you feel.
These worksheets are the practical tools therapists use to teach that skill. They help you catch automatic thoughts, test them against the evidence, identify the deeper beliefs that drive them, and plan small experiments that update those beliefs in the real world. Used regularly, they help you become your own therapist between sessions.
All of our worksheets are free, run entirely in your browser, and produce a clean branded PDF. Nothing you write is stored or sent anywhere.
References
- Beck JS. Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Basics and Beyond. 2nd ed. Guilford Press; 2011.
- Hofmann SG, et al. The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: a review of meta-analyses. Cognit Ther Res. 2012.
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, October 18). CBT Worksheets. Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tools/cbt-worksheets
CBT Worksheets FAQ
What are CBT worksheets?
Structured exercises that teach core cognitive behavioral therapy skills: noticing automatic thoughts, testing them, and changing unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior.
Which CBT worksheet should I start with?
Start with the cognitive triangle to learn the model, then use a thought record whenever something upsetting happens.
Are these a substitute for therapy?
They are helpful self-help tools and a great complement to therapy, but not a replacement, especially for persistent or severe difficulties.
Can I download CBT worksheets as free PDFs?
Yes. Every worksheet in this library is free, with no signup, email, or payment. Each one fills in directly in your browser and downloads as a clean PDF, so you can complete a thought record on screen or print blank copies to write by hand. Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere.
Do CBT worksheets actually work?
They can, when used consistently. CBT itself is one of the best-supported approaches for anxiety and depression, and worksheets are the standard way its skills get practiced between sessions. Research on guided self-help shows that written CBT exercises reduce symptoms, with stronger results when a therapist reviews them. On their own they are a useful self-help tool, not a replacement for working with a professional.
What is a CBT cost-benefit analysis?
A cost-benefit analysis in CBT weighs the short-term and long-term advantages and disadvantages of a thought, belief, habit, or decision. You list what a pattern gives you (relief, control, avoiding conflict) against what it costs you (time, health, relationships, missed goals), then decide whether it is worth keeping or changing. It is most useful for ambivalence, when part of you wants to change and part does not. The problem-solving worksheet and the thought record in this library cover the same ground step by step.
Are these CBT worksheets for adults?
Yes. If you searched for CBT worksheets for adults PDF downloads, every worksheet in this library fits: Psychology.com serves adults, and each exercise is written for an adult working on their own thinking, between sessions or on their own. You fill it in directly in your browser and download a clean PDF, or print blank copies to write by hand, with no signup or email. Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere.
Is there a free CBT workbook PDF here?
The closest thing to a free CBT workbook PDF on this page is the library itself, worked top to bottom: understand the model with the cognitive triangle, practice catching and testing thoughts with a thought record, then go deeper into core beliefs. Each worksheet downloads as its own free PDF rather than one bound workbook, so you can build the set you need. They are self-help tools and a complement to therapy, not a replacement for it.