The Self-Practice Record is a structured worksheet designed for clients in CBT to track between-session tasks.
Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
A fillable version of the resource. This can be edited and saved in Adobe Acrobat, or other PDF editing software.
An editable Microsoft PowerPoint version of the resource.
In cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), between-session practice is a key method for consolidating change and enhancing therapeutic outcomes. The Self-Practice Record offers clients a structured way to plan, complete, and reflect on therapeutic activities between sessions. By avoiding the term homework, this resource aims to minimize resistance and to foster a collaborative, task-focused approach to therapy.
Evidence consistently shows that clients who engage with out-of-session work experience better outcomes, particularly in areas like depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders (Kazantzis et al., 2000; Thase & Callan, 2006). This record enhances accountability and reflection — two critical factors in therapeutic progress.
Engaging clients in out-of-session practice is essential in CBT, enhancing therapeutic outcomes.
Individuals working on behavioral activation, planning rewarding activities, or restructuring negative thoughts.
Clients practicing exposure, cognitive restructuring, or relaxation strategies between sessions.
Those using problem-solving techniques, calming strategies, or self-reflection exercises to manage stress.
Clients completing exposure and response prevention (ERP) or monitoring intrusive thoughts and rituals.
Clients practicing grounding techniques, stimulus discrimination, or engaging in imaginal and in vivo exposure to trauma-related cues.
Clients engaging in behavioral experiments to test feared health beliefs or reduce reassurance-seeking.
Individuals building consistency and confidence by committing to achievable daily goals.
Clients experimenting with flexible standards, self-compassion, and deconstructing achievement-related beliefs.
Clients tracking urges, practicing delay strategies, or building alternative coping responses.
Encourage clients to commit to specific out-of-session tasks.
Clients record their practice and reflective comments daily.
Use recorded entries to guide therapy discussions and adjustments.
Modify tasks based on client feedback and therapeutic progress.
Reinforce the importance of regular practice and participation.
Self-practice, or between-session task completion, is a fundamental part of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), integral to consolidating therapeutic gains, building autonomy, and promoting long-term behavior change. Decades of research have demonstrated that clients who engage meaningfully with out-of-session tasks show significantly better outcomes across a wide range of disorders (Kazantzis et al., 2000; Mausbach et al., 2010).
In traditional CBT, these tasks have often been referred to as “homework,” a term introduced by Beck and colleagues (1979) to describe structured assignments clients undertake between sessions. However, the term can evoke negative associations - such as school-related stress or failure — which may contribute to reduced compliance (Detweiler-Bedell & Whisman, 2005). The Self-Practice Record reframes these tasks as collaborative therapeutic experiments or self-directed learning, helping reduce defensiveness and enhance client engagement.
Adherence to self-practice is associated with improved therapeutic alliance (Bryant et al., 1999), greater cognitive restructuring (Neimeyer & Feixas, 1990), and enhanced skill generalization beyond the therapy context (Schindler et al., 2013). Moreover, therapist behaviors—such as collaboratively developing tasks, providing a clear rationale, and reviewing self-practice regularly—are strongly linked to higher compliance and better outcomes (Kazantzis et al., 2016).
It equips therapists with a structured, client-centered format to encourage follow-through, identify therapeutic roadblocks, and tailor future interventions. By prioritizing collaboration and emphasizing autonomy, the Self-Practice Record helps foster sustained behavior change and cognitive insight—the core goals of CBT.
