Behavioral Experiment Worksheet (PDF)

Target Belief/Assumption

Design the experiment

Be specific about how, when, where etc.

Your Prediction about the outcome

Actual Outcome

Take notes of what actually happened. How was it different or similar from your prediction? What facts have you collected regarding the situation?

Learning

What have you learned about this belief from this experiment? How can you replace that belief with a new one?

References

Rouf, K. (2004). Oxford Guide to Behavioural Experiments in Cognitive Therapy. United Kingdom: OUP Oxford.

Murray, H & El-Leithy, S. (2021). Behavioural Experiments in Cognitive Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Why, When, and How?. Verhaltenstherapie, 31, 50-60.

You can download more Mental Health worksheets here.

Please note: There may be a more up-to-date and editable version of this worksheet available here which may be more suitable to present to clients if you are a therapist or to use in a classroom as a teacher or guidance counsellor.