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13 Helpful Worksheets for Combating Depression
However, when a depressed mood or unbearable sadness is present for a long time – a couple of weeks or months – then it might meet the criteria for depression.
Depression affects over 264 million people worldwide. Between 76% and 85% of those experiencing depression do not seek or receive treatment for their disorder (World Health Organization, 2020a).
This article provides a starting point to understand depressive symptoms and also offers helping professionals resources to assist their patients with recovery.
Please note that the resources provided in this article are not a substitute for treatment from a medical professional. If you are suffering from depression or know someone who is, we recommend you seek help. Guidance is provided at the end of this article.
Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Stress & Burnout Prevention Exercises (PDF) for free . These science-based exercises will equip you and those you work with, with tools to manage stress better and find a healthier balance in your life.
This Article Contains:
2 worksheets to help combat depression, handouts for cbt sessions, 2 group therapy worksheets, depression worksheets for teens and youth, 4 worksheets on coping skills, positivepsychology.com’s toolkit resources, a take-home message.
Individuals who experience depression often deal with difficult emotions and engage in unhelpful thought patterns that worsen their depression. One of those responses that is widely recognized is excessive guilt .
Excessive guilt is one of the distinctive symptoms of depression, as it is often exaggerated and experienced out of context (Pulcu, Zahn, & Elliott, 2013).
Typically, individuals with major depressive disorder feel guilty for their emotions and are often upset at themselves for being affected by depression, as they feel they are worthless for being in a depressive state.
One of the most common types of guilt experienced by individuals who have depression is called omnipotent responsibility guilt , which is defined as “taking responsibility for events which may be out of one’s control and feeling guilty about their consequences” (Pulcu et al., 2013, p. 312).
Often, individuals with depression take responsibility for situations they have little or no control over, causing them to feel a sense of overwhelming guilt, even when they had nothing to do with the outcome.
Understanding what parts of a situation you can control or influence is an essential part of seeking treatment for depression. The Control–Influence–Accept Model (Thompson & Thompson, 2008) originated as a means to help people be more productive at work.
However, the basic principles of the model aim to identify pieces of a situation that you can control or influence, as well as aspects of a situation you may have to adapt to or accept.
If these sound like issues you are struggling with, feel free to consult the following worksheets:
1. Control–Influence–Accept Model
This is a good activity for individuals with depression to help break down situations. The model allows better visualization of different aspects of a situation and what specifically can be controlled, instead of worrying about all the possible outcomes.
2. Guilt and Shame: Emotions That Drive Depression
Guilt and shame are two emotions that drive your emotions when depression manifests. This exercise will help you identify guilt and shame that drives your depression and provides suggestions for channeling those emotions to facilitate more positive thinking patterns.
CBT operates on the principle that emotional reactions and behaviors are influenced by cognitions (Westbrook, Kennerley, & Kirk, 2011).
Our behavior is governed by these cognitions, meaning that someone with anxiety might display more anxious behavior or engage in negative thinking patterns.
When an individual is affected by depression, they can experience cognitive distortions that are negatively biased errors in thinking. When individuals experience automatic thoughts, they are typically consistent with their core beliefs about aspects of themselves, others, and the world (Rnic, Dozois, & Martin, 2016).
Therefore, individuals who are experiencing depressive thoughts or symptomatology tend to have negatively charged core beliefs, which activate negative automatic thoughts. The cycle of negative thinking causes the symptoms of depression to continue and consolidate negative thoughts as part of an individual’s emotional response.
Our worksheet on Unhelpful Thinking Patterns categorizes the unhelpful thinking patterns that are present when someone is experiencing depression. It also provides strategies for individuals to reconstruct their thinking and identify the negative thinking patterns they might engage in.
Because of negative thinking patterns or cognitions, individuals often develop negative beliefs about everyday situations. This may cause them to change their behavior.
This worksheet on Behavioral Experiments to Test Beliefs encourages you to challenge your negative thoughts or beliefs. You are assisted to develop a hypothesis from your beliefs and test whether your negative core beliefs actually come true.
It is a useful worksheet if you are trying to confront negative beliefs about a specific situation, such as going out in social situations, or struggling to leave home. Having a concrete situation will allow you to better challenge the negative thinking patterns you might experience.
Delivering CBT in a group therapy format is sometimes recommended for those who may benefit from a group to relate to when dealing with symptoms and situations specific to depression.
Individuals may also benefit from group cohesion and can potentially use the group as an arena for challenging their negative thoughts and behavior (Thimm & Antonsen, 2014).
1. Awareness of the mind
One of the most important goals in group therapy is for participants to get comfortable telling their story and learning about themselves. I Am is an introductory activity for people doing group therapy. Filling out the prompts helps them define themselves, specifically their boundaries and strengths.
The ultimate goal of the ‘I Am’ exercise is for the individual to gain an awareness of their own mind. They can then share this activity with other participants so they can all get to know each other better, form a trusting bond, and promote a safe space to discuss their depression.
2. Contributing events
Often, people with depression can identify a series of events that may have contributed to the development or worsening of their condition.
My Depression Story is designed for individuals taking part in group therapy. It encourages participants to make a timeline of their lives, highlighting key moments that have shaped their individual perceptions. It then asks them to do the same thing with their depression so they can better understand what the contributing factors may have been.
By sharing these events with the group, they can determine how depression has affected their perceptions and figure out a healthier way to map out their goals from now on.
According to the World Health Organization (2020b), one in six youths between the ages of 10 and 19 are affected by a mental illness. Moreover, depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.
Therefore, it is essential to have resources and information for teens and their parents so they can identify the symptoms of depression. If you suspect your teen is experiencing depressive symptoms or you simply want to learn more, read on for resources you could use.
Recognizing the warning signs of depression is one of the most important preventative measures a parent or guardian can take to ensure that their teenager gets the help they need.
Our Depression Fact Sheet for Teenagers is designed to break down the symptoms and behaviors that characterize depression specific to teenagers. It also provides resources for teenagers to consult if they have a friend who is experiencing these symptoms and don’t know what to do.
Teenagers in particular may struggle to put their emotions into words, specifically when they are experiencing depression. This Letter to a Loved One About My Depression activity provides ideas for teenagers to help express their feelings. It even has a template that they can fill in and print if they are having trouble finding the right way to tell a parent or another loved one about their depression.
As discussed in the previous section, confronting negative thoughts is a central part of dealing with depression. The Depressive Thoughts for Teens worksheet acts as a companion to the Unhelpful Thinking Styles worksheet.
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These detailed, science-based exercises will equip you or your clients with tools to manage stress better and find a healthier balance in their life.
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An important part of facilitating long-term recovery from depression is to encourage coping skills that individuals can implement in their everyday lives when they feel overwhelmed or upset.
Coping strategies “consist of behaviors, primarily management and problem-solving techniques that are implemented to manage stressful situations” (Bautista & Erwin, 2013, p. 687).
Coping skills can either focus on targeting the problem (problem-based) or seek to make yourself feel better when the circumstances are out of your control (emotion-based).
The point of introducing these coping skills is not only to give individuals strategies to fight off depression, but also to discourage the use of unhealthy coping strategies (e.g., drugs, alcohol, avoidance, overeating, or overspending). These are strategies that provide instant gratification but could have negative consequences if the unhealthy patterns continue.
1. Deep breathing
If you are looking for a technique that is easy to do and free of charge, consider exploring deep breathing. Three Steps to Deep Breathing gives you a quick overview of how to use deep breathing when you are feeling stressed, upset, or overwhelmed.
Our Power of Deep Breathing article also provides more details about how deep breathing can help you overcome stress and anxiety, and introduces practices where deep breathing is commonly used (e.g., yoga, meditation).
2. Coping style
Part of knowing how to implement coping skills into your daily routine is to understand what your coping style is and what strategies might work best for you. This Coping Styles Formulation activity helps individuals work with their therapist to identify the problem that is causing them distress.
By delving deeper into the events and actions that caused the problem, they may be able to better understand what coping style or skills they need to implement, especially if this is a recurring issue that causes distress.
3. Self-care
Another important part of coping is to implement self-care. Self-care is any activity that involves taking care of our mental, emotional, or physical health. Self-care not only leads to improved mood and reduced anxiety, but can also improve your self-esteem (Michael, 2016).
This Self-Care Checkup gives ideas for self-care and allows you to rate how often you engage in each activity. This worksheet also divides self-care into emotional, physical, social, professional, and spiritual self-care. It will reveal which area of your life needs the most attention and help you implement the strategies as needed.
4. Self-love
Additionally, this Self-Love Journal is helpful for daily self-care, as it gives you an opportunity to think about the moments and aspects of yourself that are positive, rather than focusing on more difficult things that are happening.
We have an excellent selection of resources that can assist those battling depression. For therapists, the following masterclasses and worksheets will equip you to be better able to support your clients.
Self-Acceptance Masterclass
The Science of Self-Acceptance Masterclass© is an excellent tool for practitioners and individuals who are struggling with accepting themselves. Often, a strong driver of depression is an individual’s difficulty with loving and accepting themselves for who they are.
This course focuses on building a healthy relationship with yourself first by using science-based activities to help build your self-esteem. This is also an excellent resource for practitioners who have a client who is struggling with depression and low self-esteem.
Meaning & Valued Living Masterclass
This masterclass on Meaning and Valued Living aims to help individuals find meaning in everyday life. People with depression often struggle to find meaning or value in themselves or their everyday actions, as they are caught in a cycle of negative thought patterns and experiences.
This course aims to help them regain a sense of purpose and find value in the contributions they are making, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem.
17 Resilience & Coping Exercises
If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others overcome adversity, this collection contains 17 validated resilience tools for practitioners . Use them to help others recover from personal challenges and turn setbacks into opportunities for growth.
Depression can be a difficult condition to overcome, especially when you feel lonely or isolated. Changing your thinking and behavior can be a daunting task, as it is often less intimidating to stick with something you are familiar with, even if it has a negative impact on your daily living.
Reading this article is a great first step to understand depression and struggles with negative thoughts. Be kind to yourself, and remember that every small step you take along your self-improvement journey is an important one and should be celebrated.
Reach out to a professional, close friend, or family member to help you with the next steps. Getting out of the hole is a challenging journey, so asking for help and someone to be on your side is the best decision you can take. You don’t have to do this alone.
If you are struggling with severe symptoms of depression or suicidal thoughts, please call the following number in your respective country:
- USA: National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988
- UK: Samaritans hotline at 116 123
- The Netherlands: Netherlands Suicide Hotline at 0900 0767
- France: Suicide écoute at 01 45 39 40 00
- Australia: Lifeline at 13 11 14
- Germany: Telefonseelsorge at 0800 111 0 111 for Protestants, 0800 111 0 222 for Catholics, and 0800 111 0 333 for children and youth
For a list of other suicide prevention websites, phone numbers, and resources, see this website or consult Open Counseling’s list of International Suicide and Emergency Hotlines . Resources are listed by country, and you can click on the ‘more hotlines’ and ‘in-person counseling’ tabs to get further help.
Please know that there are people who care and treatments that can help.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Stress & Burnout Prevention Exercises (PDF) for free .
- Bautista, R. E., & Erwin, P. A. (2013). Analyzing depression coping strategies of patients with epilepsy: A preliminary study. Seizure , 22 , 686–691.
- Michael, R. (2016, August 10). What self-care is and what it isn’t. Psych Central. Retrieved April 23, 2021, from https://psychcentral.com/blog/what-self-care-is-and-what-it-isnt-2#1
- Pulcu, E., Zahn, R., & Elliott, R. (2013). The role of self-blaming moral emotions in major depression and their impact on social decision making. Frontiers in Psychology , 4 , 310–319.
- Rnic, K., Dozois, D. J. A., & Martin, R. A. (2016). Cognitive distortions, humor styles and depression. Europe’s Journal of Psychology , 12 (3), 348–362.
- Thimm, J. C., & Antonsen, L. (2014). Effectiveness of cognitive behavior group therapy for depression in routine practice. BMC Psychiatry , 14 (292), 1–9.
- Thompson, N., & Thompson, S. (2008). The critically reflective practitioner . MacMillian International Higher Education.
- Westbrook, D., Kennerley, H., & Kirk, J. (2011). An introduction to cognitive behavior therapy: Skills and applications (2nd ed.). SAGE.
- World Health Organization. (2020a). Depression . Retrieved April 21, 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
- World Health Organization. (2020b). Adolescent mental health . Retrieved April 22, 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
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What Do People Think About Themselves (CYP)?
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What Keeps Depression Going?
- Scale download archived copy
- Zimmerman, M., Chelminski, I., McGlinchey, J. B., & Posternak, M. A. (2008). A clinically useful depression outcome scale. Comprehensive psychiatry , 49 (2), 131-140.
- Scale fresno.ucsf.edu archive.org
- Cox, J. L., Holden, J. M., & Sagovsky, R. (1987). Detection of postnatal depression: development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. The British Journal of Psychiatry , 150 (6), 782-786.
- Scale download archived copy
- Hamilton M. (1960). A rating scale for depression. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry , 23, 56–62.
- Scale download archived copy
- MADRS Score Card download archived copy
- Montgomery, S.A., Asberg, M. (1979). A new depression scale designed to be sensitive to change. British Journal of Psychiatry, 134 (4): 382–89.
- Scale phqscreeners.com
- Kroenke, K., & Spitzer, R. L. (2002). The PHQ-9: a new depression diagnostic and severity measure. Psychiatric annals , 32 (9), 509-515.
- Scale – Adult download archived copy
- Scale – Child Age 11-17 download archived copy
- Scale outcometracker.org archive.org
- Zung, W. W. (1965). A self-rating depression scale. Archives of General Psychiatry , 12 (1), 63-70.
Case Conceptualization
- Cognitive conceptualisation (excerpt from Basics and Beyond) | J. Beck download archived copy
- Developing and using a case formulation to guide cognitive behaviour therapy | Persons | 2015 download archived copy
Intervention
Treatment guidelines.
- Depression in adults: recognition and management | National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines | October 2009 download archived copy
CBT treatment manuals
- Individual therapy manual for cognitive-behavioural treatment of depression – Muñoz & Miranda (1996) download archived copy
- Manual for group cognitive-behavioral therapy of major depression: a reality management approach (Instructor’s manual) | Muñoz, Ippen, Rao, Le, Dwyer | 2000 download archived copy
- Cognitive-Behavioural therapy (CBGT group program for depression | Milner, Tischler, DeSena, Rimer download archived copy
- Cognitive behaviour therapy for depression in young people: manual for therapists – Improving Mood with Psychoanalytic and Cognitive Therapies (IMPACT) | 2010 download archived copy
- A therapist’s guide to brief cognitive behavioral therapy | Cully, Teten | 2008 download archived copy
- CBT for depression in veterans and military service members – therapist manual download archived copy
- Group therapy manual for cognitive behavioral treatment of depression | Muñoz, Miranda | 1986 download archived copy
Behavioural activation (BA & BATD)
- Behavioural activation treatment for depression – revised (BATD-R) manual | Lejuez, Hopko, Acierno, Daughters, Pagoto | 2011 download archived copy
- Behavioural activation treatment for depression (BATD) manual | Lejuez, Hopko & Hopko | 2001 download archived copy
- Behavioural activation treatment for depression: returning to contextual roots | Jacobson, Martell, Dimidjian | 2001 download archived copy
- Valued Living Questionnaire (Version 2) download archived copy
Suicide & self-harm
- Suicide and self injury: a practitioners guide download archived copy
Information Handouts
- What is Depression download
- What Causes Depression download
- Psychotherapy for Depression download
- Vicious Cycle of Depression download
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- Fun Activities Catalogue download
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Behavioral activation for depression.
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- Finding direction: values, flow, and strengths download archived copy
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- Overview of depression download
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Antidepressant skills workbook
Antidepressant skills workbook (2nd edition) | Blisker & Paterson download archived copy
What Is Depression?
Signs and symptoms of depression.
To meet DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder an individual must have experienced five of the following symptoms for at least two weeks:
- a depressed mood that is present most of the day, nearly every day
- diminished interest in activities which were previously experienced as pleasurable
- fatigue or a loss of energy
- sleep disturbance (insomnia or hypersomnia)
- feelings of worthlessness, self-reproach, or excessive guilt
- a diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness
- recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, or suicidal behavior
- changes in appetite marked by a corresponding weight change
- psychomotor agitation or retardation to a degree which is observable by others
Psychological Models and Theory of Depression
Beck’s cognitive theory of depression (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979) forms the basis for cognitive behavioral approaches for the treatment of depression. Beck’s theory proposes that there are different levels of cognition that can be dysfunctional in depression: core beliefs, rules and assumptions, and negative automatic thoughts. CBT aims to balance negatively biased cognition with more rational and accurate thoughts, beliefs, and assumptions. CBT also systematically aims to increase levels of rewarding activity.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) proposes that distress, including symptoms of depression, are the result of psychological inflexibility (Hayes, Luoma, Bond, Masuda, & Lillis, 2006). Indicators of psychological inflexibility include:
- ‘buying in’ to negative thoughts and narratives;
- engaging in worry or rumination that takes us away from the present moment;
- losing contact with our values—what is important to us.
Evidence-Based Psychological Approaches for Working with Depression
Many psychological therapies have an evidence base for working with depression:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Behavioral activation (BA)
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for preventing relapse
- Interpersonal therapy (IPT)
Resources for Working with Depression
Psychology Tools resources available for working therapeutically with depression may include:
- psychological models of depression
- information handouts for depression
- exercises for depression
- CBT worksheets for depression
- self-help programs for depression
- Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., & Emery, G. (1979). Cognitive therapy of depression . New York: Guilford Press.
- Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and commitment therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy , 44 (1), 1–25.
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Using homework in therapy for depression
Affiliation.
- 1 Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, United Kingdom.
- PMID: 11967875
- DOI: 10.1002/jclp.10027
There is a growing body of research evidence that demonstrates that completion of homework assignments is significantly correlated with outcome in cognitive therapy. The cognitive model of depression sees homework as an intrinsic aspect of the therapy process. Homework serves a number of purposes, including generalizing learning from the session into everyday life and fostering the independent practice of skills acquired during treatment. We review a number of commonly occurring problems that arise when seeking to engage the client in homework. The negotiation and implementation of homework assignments is a core clinical skill, and we present a range of strategies the clinician can use to optimize its effectiveness. It is vital that practitioners have an awareness of their own role and expectations in developing homework assignments.
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- Guidelines for enhancing homework compliance. Tompkins MA. Tompkins MA. J Clin Psychol. 2002 May;58(5):565-76. doi: 10.1002/jclp.10033. J Clin Psychol. 2002. PMID: 11967881 Review.
- Adding an App-Based Intervention to the Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy in Routine Outpatient Psychotherapy Treatment: Proof-of-Concept Study. Netter AL, Beintner I, Brakemeier EL. Netter AL, et al. JMIR Form Res. 2022 Aug 9;6(8):e35482. doi: 10.2196/35482. JMIR Form Res. 2022. PMID: 35943764 Free PMC article.
- Modifying a cognitive behavioral suicide prevention treatment for adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in community mental health. Bornheimer LA, Li Verdugo J, Holzworth J, Im V, Smith FN, Sliwa H, Taylor SF, King CA, Florence T, Tarrier N, Himle JA. Bornheimer LA, et al. Psychiatry Res. 2022 May;311:114505. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114505. Epub 2022 Mar 7. Psychiatry Res. 2022. PMID: 35290884 Free PMC article.
- A Behavioral Economic Model of Help-Seeking for Depression. Trusty WT, Swift JK, Rasmussen EB. Trusty WT, et al. Perspect Behav Sci. 2021 Aug 2;44(4):541-560. doi: 10.1007/s40614-021-00308-9. eCollection 2021 Dec. Perspect Behav Sci. 2021. PMID: 35098024 Free PMC article.
- Barriers Associated with the Implementation of Homework in Youth Mental Health Treatment and Potential Mobile Health Solutions. Bunnell BE, Nemeth LS, Lenert LA, Kazantzis N, Deblinger E, Higgins KA, Ruggiero KJ. Bunnell BE, et al. Cognit Ther Res. 2021 Apr;45(2):272-286. doi: 10.1007/s10608-020-10090-8. Epub 2020 Mar 16. Cognit Ther Res. 2021. PMID: 34108776 Free PMC article.
- Therapist Behaviors as Predictors of Immediate Homework Engagement in Cognitive Therapy for Depression. Conklin LR, Strunk DR, Cooper AA. Conklin LR, et al. Cognit Ther Res. 2018 Feb;42(1):16-23. doi: 10.1007/s10608-017-9873-6. Epub 2017 Oct 16. Cognit Ther Res. 2018. PMID: 29527079 Free PMC article.
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- Looking After Yourself
Depression is considered to be a disorder of mood. Individuals who are depressed, describe low mood that has persisted for longer than two weeks. In mild forms of depression, individuals may not feel bad all day but still describe a dismal outlook and a sense of gloom. Their mood may lift with a positive experience, but fall again with even a minor disappointment. In severe depression, a low mood will persist throughout the day, failing to lift even when pleasant things occur. The low mood may fluctuate during the day such that it may be worse in the morning and relatively better in the afternoon. This is called ‘diurnal variation,’ which often accompanies a more severe type of depression.
Coping with Depression: This workbook is designed to provide you with some information about depression and suggested strategies for how you can manage your mood. It is organised into modules that are designed to be worked through in sequence. Although it is not necessary that you complete one module before going on to the next, this is recommended. Each module includes information, worksheets, and suggested exercises or activities.
Module 1: Overview of Depression
This module looks at the symptoms of depression, what causes depression, and provides information about psychotherapy for depression.
Module 2: Behavioural Strategies for Managing Depression
This module describes how to increase activity levels, particularly fun activities
Module 3: The Thinking-Feeling Connection
This module describes automatic thoughts and explores how thoughts influence feelings.
Module 4: The ABC Analysis
This module explores how you can use a thought diary to monitor the unhelpful thoughts that can lead to how you feel about a particular situation.
Module 5: Unhelpful Thinking Styles
This module describes a number of common unhelpful thinking styles that can lead to negative emotions.
Module 6: Detective Work and Disputation
Module 6 explores how you can examine and challenge unhelpful thoughts by expanding the thought diary described in Module 4.
Module 7: The End Result
This module describes how you can summarise how you have challenged unhelpful thoughts by producing a balanced thought.
Module 8: Core Beliefs
Core beliefs are often at the root of unhelpful thoughts that are particularly difficult to change. This module looks at core beliefs and how to change them.
Module 9: Self Management
This final module describes how to maintain gains and continue the progress that has been made throughout the previous modules.
Download the entire workbook
Click the link above to download all modules in this workbook at once, as a zip file.
What is Depression
What Causes Depression
Psychotherapy for Depression
Vicious Cycle of Depression
Behavioural Activation: Fun and Achievement
Fun Activities Catalogue
Improving How You Feel
Thinking and Feeling
Analysing Your Thinking
Changing Your Thinking
Unhelpful Thinking Styles (Overview)
What Are Core Beliefs?
Problem Solving
Staying Healthy
Grief and Bereavement
Download all information sheets (zip file)
Symptoms of Depression
Behavioural Activation
My Behavioural Antidepressants
Weekly Activity Schedule
Weekly Goals Record
Making the Connection (between thoughts and feelings)
Thought Diary 1 (ABC worksheet, excludes unhelpful thinking styles)
Thought Diary 2 (ABCD worksheet, includes unhelpful thinking styles)
Thought Diary 3 (Complete ABCDE: balanced thought)
Thought Diary (Tri-fold) This information sheet provides a brief overview of unhelpful thinking styles. For information sheets providing details on individual unhelpful thinking styles, refer to the Unhelpful Thinking Styles section in resources for clinicians.
Core Beliefs Worksheet
Goal Setting (End of Therapy)
Download all worksheets (zip file)
- Depression can cause disturbances to your sleep. Restoring a regular sleep routine can play an important role in managing depression. If you have difficulties with sleep, you might find our sleep resources helpful.
- People experiencing depression tend to think in very self-critical ways. Our resources for improving self-compassion and improving self-esteem can help to address this.
- Many people experiencing depression also have difficulties with anxiety. If this is the case for you, you may find our resources for managing anxiety helpful
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5 Depression Worksheet Resources for Therapists
Depression exists across all age groups and all populations. Also referred to as major depressive disorder, this condition is a mood disorder that causes persistent feelings of sadness among a host of other symptoms. Individuals struggling with depression can find themselves battling restlessness, lack of interest, suicidal ideation, increase irritability, tiredness, cognitive disruptions, and so much more.
There are many protocols and techniques for treating patients with depression that usually involves some sort of talk therapy combined with the use of prescribed medication. With the right attention, depression can be managed, and individuals can get past many of its usual struggles.
For therapists looking for depression worksheet resources, therapistaid.com is a great place to start. Below are several depression worksheet resources pulled directly from their website to help mental health providers treat patients battling major depressive disorder.
Depression Worksheet Resources:
Caregiver’s Guide for Childhood Depression
This worksheet titled “ Managing Childhood Depression: Caregiver’s Guide ” is a helpful resource for parents or guardians whose children have been officially diagnosed with major depressive disorder. This guide lists helpful tips like how to establish routines, sleep hygiene, socializing skills, activities that can spark interest, and other activities. Caregiver support is recognized as essential to the child’s recovery and this depression worksheet resource is a great starting point.
Coping Skills: Depression
Common skill therapists try to develop in individuals who are learning how to manage their depression is how to cope effectively. Coping skills can reduce the symptoms of depression by teaching clients how to overcome overly negative thought patterns and cope with the difficulties of life and their emotional wellbeing. This depression worksheet resource is titled “ Coping Skills: Depression ” and details different activities that individuals can choose to accomplish like exercise, socialization, or personal care, and a guide to help them accomplish that task while establishing consistency. This depression worksheet resource also details other tools that help teach good coping strategies including mindfulness exercises.
The Cycle of Depression
Those struggling with major depressive disorder may find themselves in a repetitive cycle that makes it feel difficult to overcome their symptoms. This cycle can impact how individuals feel about themselves along with their skill set to manage those symptoms. This depression worksheet resource outlines the common cycle of depression and things that contribute to it. This informational sheet titled “The Cycle of Depression ” helps clients understand what thoughts, stressors, feelings, and behaviors might contribute to their feelings of being stuck.
Supporting Someone with Depression
When a loved one has depression, it is not always easy to know how to effectively support them. This task, in and of itself can be taxing and impact their emotional wellbeing as well. This depression worksheet resource is titled “ Supporting someone with depression ” and outlines how to support someone with major depressive disorder. It details how to recognize depression, how to help, and what steps an individual can take to support their loved one and still maintain their own emotional health.
Postpartum Depression Information Sheet
Depression is difficult enough to navigate and understand on its own. When a woman experiences postpartum depression, the situation is often exacerbated by their new responsibility to take care of a newborn. Mothers with postpartum depression face unique challenges that need special attention for the mother to recover their emotional wellbeing. This depression worksheet resource titled “ Postpartum Depression Info Sheet ” helps individuals understand the signs and symptoms associated with PPD, risk factors, and treatments that can help them.
Cognitive Restructuring: Decatastrophizing
Depression can also lead an individual to experience large waves of irrational thoughts that are distorted and intrusive, meaning they cannot seem to push them away. These are called cognitive distortions. Catastrophizing is a common cognitive distortion that refers to an issue being over-exaggerated or “catastrophized.” For example, a person might assume the worst possible outcome for every situation. This worksheet titled “ Cognitive Restructuring: Decatastrophizing ” offers a step-by-step writing prompt to help a client reframe the issue they are blowing out of proportion. It forces the client to assess the likelihood of this happening or how likely it is to come true.
How to Practice Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness is and has been a great resource for clients learning to manage their depression. A common issue with depression clients is that they are unable to connect to themselves, their interests, the things around them, and more. Mindfulness meditation aims to center an individual, help them self-regulate their emotions, and more. This depression worksheet resource is titled “ How to Practice Mindfulness Meditation ” and helps clients understand how much time to dedicate to mindfulness, how to sit, how to breath, and how to center their thoughts.
There are thousands of other depression worksheet resources available to therapists on the internet. These resources were found at therapistaid.com , a great free resource for mental health providers looking for informational papers or activity worksheets for their clients.
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If you’re looking to become a massage therapist but can’t find a school nearby, you may be at a loss as to how to start your career. This can be particularly true if your schedule makes attending regular classes difficult, as you might not ...
Depression is a debilitating condition that has an impact on every aspect of life. If you suffer from depression, it can affect your relationships, your ability to perform at work and your general enjoyment of life.
Depression can last from months to years, especially if it is not properly treated, according to WebMD. Paying attention to symptoms and seeking professional medical advice and treatment is the first step in battling depression.
Download therapy worksheets, resources, and tools for depression. Handouts include activities, education, and CBT tools for overcoming depression.
This article provides a starting point to understand depressive symptoms & resources to assist patients with recovery.
treatment for depression, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an
CBT+ Getting Active Homework Sheet - Spanish. CBT+ Goal Setting Worksheet. CBT+ Triangle. Depression Common Unhelpful Helpful Thoughts Tool.
Persistent Depressive. Disorder: A less extreme depressive presentation that includes a depressed mood and at least 2 other symptoms that last for at least two
There is a growing body of research evidence that demonstrates that completion of homework assignments is significantly correlated with outcome in cognitive
Depression is considered to be a disorder of mood. Individuals who are depressed, describe low mood that has persisted for longer than two
Also referred to as major depressive disorder, this condition is a mood disorder that causes persistent feelings of sadness among a host of other symptoms.
Cognitive Distortions Worksheet. GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC. In cognitive behavioral therapy, a therapist will often work with their client to identify
A person with Persistent Depressive Disorder will be depressed for at least two years and will have episodes of major depression mixed with less severe symptoms
Do I have a sense of what is triggering my mood or anxiety? • Do I generally find myself doing very little, with little pleasure or meaning in my life?