About this resource
Treatment ends but practice continues. This plan summarises the most useful skills, high-risk situations, early signs of difficulty, a step-by-step action plan and a schedule for self-review sessions, so clients can be their own therapist.
Purpose
To consolidate skills and plan for maintaining progress after treatment.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Psychologists. Also relevant for counsellors and therapists.
Client or participant group: Adolescents and adults completing CBT-informed treatment.
Practice setting: Final psychology sessions.
Suggested uses
- End of treatment
- Booster sessions
- Relapse prevention
- Transition to other supports
Instructions for practitioners
- Summarise skills in the client's language.
- Anticipate high-risk times such as anniversaries or stressful periods.
- Normalise lapses as learning opportunities.
- Plan self-review and booster sessions if available.
Instructions for clients or participants
- Write the skills that helped most.
- Write your high-risk situations.
- Schedule self-review times.
Accessibility considerations
Can be kept on a phone.
Scope and limitations
A planning tool for use within treatment.
Research basis
Relapse prevention plans that identify high-risk situations and coping responses are an established part of treatment for addictive behaviours. 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. A strong working alliance and routine progress feedback are among the most consistent predictors of good outcomes in therapy.
- Beck, J. S. (2021). Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
- Flückiger, C., Del Re, A. C., Wampold, B. E., & Horvath, A. O. (2018). The alliance in adult psychotherapy: A meta-analytic synthesis. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 316–340. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000172
- Hendershot, C. S., Witkiewitz, K., George, W. H., & Marlatt, G. A. (2011). Relapse prevention for addictive behaviors. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 6(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/1747-597x-6-17
- 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
- Lambert, M. J., Whipple, J. L., & Kleinstäuber, M. (2018). Collecting and delivering progress feedback: A meta-analysis of routine outcome monitoring. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 520–537. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000167
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.
