Cognitive Restructuring: Decatastrophizing

How to Use This Worksheet

This worksheet is a structured CBT technique that helps clients break down their catastrophic thoughts and evaluate them more realistically. By guiding clients through a series of questions, it promotes critical thinking skills, encourages alternative explanations, and supports more balanced emotional responses in anxiety-provoking situations.

Who It's For

This worksheet is ideal for clients experiencing catastrophic thinking, social anxiety, or generalized anxiety disorder. It’s particularly helpful for clients who tend to imagine the worst-case scenario and need structured coping strategies to build self-efficacy and reduce emotional overwhelm.

Expected Outcomes

• Better ability to identify catastrophic thoughts
  
• Increased awareness of the likelihood vs. severity of feared outcomes
  
• Strengthened coping skills and improved emotional regulation
  
• More realistic thinking that supports long-term well-being