About this resource
In hard moments, it is hard to remember what helps. Coping cards pair a difficult situation or thought with a balanced, helpful response and a specific action. This builder provides blank cards and examples for clients to create their own.
Purpose
To make helpful responses easy to remember in hard moments.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Psychologists. Also relevant for counsellors and therapists, youth workers.
Client or participant group: Adolescents and adults in CBT-informed treatment.
Practice setting: Psychology sessions, for use in daily life.
Suggested uses
- CBT-informed treatment
- Relapse prevention
- Anxiety and low mood
- Between-session support
Instructions for practitioners
- Write cards with the client in their words.
- Base responses on work done in sessions.
- Keep them short.
- Review and update.
Instructions for clients or participants
- Write the hard situation or thought.
- Write a helpful response.
- Write one action.
Accessibility considerations
Can be stored on a phone.
Scope and limitations
An educational tool for use within treatment.
Research basis
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has a strong research base for anxiety, depression and many related problems; this resource uses CBT techniques to support, not replace, a structured treatment plan. Understanding, naming and choosing strategies for emotions are central to emotion regulation; putting feelings into words and finer emotion distinctions are linked to better regulation.
- Beck, J. S. (2021). Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
- Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion Regulation: Current Status and Future Prospects. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840x.2014.940781
- Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A. (2012). The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36(5), 427–440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-012-9476-1
- Kashdan, T. B., Barrett, L. F., & McKnight, P. E. (2015). Unpacking Emotion Differentiation: Transforming Unpleasant Experience by Perceiving Distinctions in Negativity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24(1), 10–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414550708
- Kircanski, K., Lieberman, M. D., & Craske, M. G. (2012). Feelings Into Words: Contributions of Language to Exposure Therapy. Psychological Science, 23(10), 1086–1091. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612443830
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced.
