Cognitive Behavioral Health Workbook for Eating Disorders

WHAT IS COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY (CBT)? Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is one of the leading approaches to psychotherapy due to its strong research basis and clear treatment path and timeline. CBT is a semi-structured therapy approach that provides a clear understanding of how situations, thoughts, emotions, and behaviours interact and influence each other. It then provides clear exercises and strategies that can be utilised to manage and treat symptoms of psychological conditions such as anxiety and depression, along with many other conditions. CBT is based on the idea that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are constantly interacting with and influencing one another. How we interpret or think about a situation determines how we feel about it, which then determines how we'll react.

How will CBT be helpful to me? Have you ever watched a movie or show that really made you feel something? Maybe you’ve felt fear while the main character slowly walks into a dark space, sadness when your favourite character gets hurt, or joy and relief when everything turns out okay in the end. We know that movies and shows can make us feel very deeply... but why? The answer is actually very simple. Walking into a dark space does not cause the emotion of fear. It’s what you think about being in a dark space that causes fear. Simply put, your thoughts have the power to influence and control your emotions. This is partly where CBT comes in. Through using the CBT-based information and exercises in these worksheets, you will learn to identify thought patterns in your everyday life that are causing stress, overwhelm, anxiety and other painful emotions or problems. By then replacing old thought patterns and behaviours, we can impact the ability to think and act differently when facing stressors or triggers, causing anxious symptoms to appear. In addition to this, CBT provides many wonderful and practical strategies to address behaviours we want to change, such as for example avoidance or procrastination. It also gives us a good understanding of how we can use strategies and skills to manage and regulate our emotions and physical sensations related to stress, anxiety, or overwhelm, and through that become calmer and more confident in our approach to life.

This workbook was created to teach tools to assist with symptoms of eating disorders. IT IS NOT TREATMENT.