Permissive thinking (also known as facilitative or justificational thinking) refers to thoughts that allow individuals to pursue problematic behaviors. It represents the cognitive ‘bridge’ between urges to engage in maladaptive behavior and the decision to act on them. Permissive thinking is associated with a range of problems including: addictions, compulsive behaviors, eating disorders, self-harm and suicide.

This worksheet is designed to help clients better understand the biases and distortions in their thinking that contribute to their distress. Focused specifically on permissive thinking, this self-monitoring record also includes therapist guidance, suggested questions, and prompts.

Our ‘Understanding…’ series is a collection of psychoeducation guides for common mental health conditions. The Understanding Low Self-Esteem guide is designed to help clients with low self-esteem understand more about their condition and why it might not get better by itself.

People who experience obsessions and compulsions to a level that interferes significantly with their life are said to have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and it is thought that between 1 and 2 people out of every 100 experience OCD every year. Fortunately, there are some effective psychological treatments for OCD.

Exposure therapy is a highly effective approach to treating anxiety disorders, but it is often underused by therapists. The results of a recent systematic and meta-analysis suggest that therapists who are trained in exposure and see themselves as having a cognitive behavioral orientation are more likely to use it, while anxious clinicians are less likely to. These findings highlight the importance of getting good quality training in exposure, and using supervision to discuss and plan ‘exposure to exposure’ if therapists have concerns about using these interventions.

Transgender and non-binary (TGNB) individuals are at a particularly high risk of experiencing mental health difficulties such as depression, eating disorders, and self-harm. While guidance and clinical recommendations for working with TGNB are available, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of these interventions. The results of this comprehensive systematic review of 22 studies indicate that evidence-based affirmative psychological interventions can help improve distress, self-esteem, self-acceptance, and social support. However, it is also clear that psychological interventions for TGNB individuals require development.