About the Downloadable Assignments xiii
PracticePlanners® Series Preface xv
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction 1
Section 1: Anger Control Problems 4
Exercise 1.A Alternatives to Destructive Anger 5
Exercise 1.B Anger Journal 9
Exercise 1.C Assertive Communication of Anger 12
Section 2: Antisocial Behavior 14
Exercise 2.A How I Have Hurt Others 15
Exercise 2.B Letter of Apology 18
Exercise 2.C Three Acts of Kindness 20
Section 3: Anxiety 21
Exercise 3.A Analyze the Probability of a Feared Event 22
Exercise 3.B Past Successful Anxiety Coping 25
Exercise 3.C Worry Time 28
Section 4: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)—Adult 30
Exercise 4.A Problem-Solving: An Alternative to Impulsive Action 31
Exercise 4.B Self-Monitoring/Self-Reward Program 35
Exercise 4.C Symptoms and Fixes for ADHD 39
Section 5: Bipolar Disorder—Depression 42
Exercise 5.A Early Warning Signs of Depression 43
Exercise 5.B Identifying and Handling Triggers 46
Section 6: Bipolar Disorder—Mania 50
Exercise 6.A Keeping a Daily Rhythm 52
Exercise 6.B Recognizing the Negative Consequences of Impulsive Behavior 58
Exercise 6.C What Are My Good Qualities? 62
Exercise 6.D Why I Dislike Taking My Medication 66
Section 7: Borderline Personality Disorder 68
Exercise 7.A Journal and Replace Self-Defeating Thoughts 69
Exercise 7.B Plan Before Acting 76
Section 8: Childhood Trauma 78
Exercise 8.A Changing From Victim to Survivor 79
Exercise 8.B Deep Breathing Exercise 83
Exercise 8.C Feelings and Forgiveness Letter 86
Section 9: Chronic Pain 89
Exercise 9.A Pain and Stress Journal 90
Section 10: Cognitive Deficits 92
Exercise 10.A Memory Aid—Personal Information Organizer 93
Exercise 10.B Memory Enhancement Techniques 98
Section 11: Dependency 101
Exercise 11.A Making Your Own Decisions 102
Exercise 11.B Satisfying Unmet Emotional Needs 104
Exercise 11.C Taking Steps Toward Independence 107
Section 12: Depression—Unipolar 109
Exercise 12.A Identify and Schedule Pleasant Activities 110
Exercise 12.B Negative Thoughts Trigger Negative Feelings 113
Exercise 12.C Positive Self-Talk 118
Section 13: Dissociation 120
Exercise 13.A Describe the Trauma 121
Exercise 13.B Staying Focused on the Present Reality 124
Section 14: Eating Disorders and Obesity 126
Exercise 14.A A Reality Journal: Food, Weight, Thoughts, and Feelings 127
Exercise 14.B How Fears Control My Eating 134
Section 15: Educational Deficits 137
Exercise 15.A My Academic and Vocational Strengths 138
Exercise 15.B The Advantages of Education 141
Section 16: Family Conflict 143
Exercise 16.A Applying Problem-Solving to Interpersonal Conflict 144
Exercise 16.B A Structured Parenting Plan 147
Section 17: Female Sexual Dysfunction 150
Exercise 17.A Factors Influencing Negative Sexual Attitudes 151
Exercise 17.B Study Your Body: Clothed and Unclothed 155
Section 18: Financial Stress 158
Exercise 18.A Plan a Budget 159
Section 19: Grief/Loss Unresolved 162
Exercise 19.A Creating a Memorial Collage 163
Exercise 19.B Dear ________: A Letter to a Lost Loved One 166
Section 20: Impulse Control Disorder 169
Exercise 20.A Impulsive Behavior Journal 170
Section 21: Intimate Relationship Conflicts 173
Exercise 21.A How Can We Meet Each Other’s Needs and Desires? 174
Exercise 21.B Positive and Negative Contributions to the Relationship: Mine and Yours 179
Section 22: Legal Conflicts 181
Exercise 22.A Accept Responsibility for Illegal Behavior 182
Exercise 22.B Crooked Thinking Leads to Crooked Behavior 185
Section 23: Loneliness 187
Exercise 23.A Identifying What I Value 188
Exercise 23.B Mindfulness Exercises 194
Exercise 23.C Letting Go of Unhelpful Thoughts 198
Section 24: Low Self-Esteem 200
Exercise 24.A Acknowledging My Strengths 201
Exercise 24.B Replacing Fears With Positive Messages 204
Section 25: Male Sexual Dysfunction 207
Exercise 25.A Journaling the Response to Nondemand Sexual Pleasuring (Sensate Focus) 208
Section 26: Medical Issues 213
Exercise 26.A How I Feel About My Medical Treatment 214
Exercise 26.B The Impact of My Illness 217
Section 27: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) 219
Exercise 27.A Interrupting Your Obsessions/Compulsions 220
Exercise 27.B Making Use of the Thought-Stopping Technique 224
Exercise 27.C Reducing the Strength of Compulsive Behaviors 228
Section 28: Opioid Use Disorder 232
Exercise 28.A Identifying Thoughts and Emotions 234
Exercise 28.B Exploring My Motivation to Change 237
Exercise 28.C Living Well With Chronic Pain 240
Section 29: Panic/Agoraphobia 242
Exercise 29.A Coping Card 243
Exercise 29.B Monitoring My Panic Attack Experiences 246
Section 30: Paranoid Ideation 248
Exercise 30.A Check Suspicions Against Reality 249
Section 31: Parenting 251
Exercise 31.A Learning to Parent as a Team 252
Exercise 31.B The Two Sides of Parenting 256
Exercise 31.C Using Reinforcement Principles in Parenting 260
Section 32: Phase of Life Problems 263
Exercise 32.A What Needs to Be Changed in My Life? 264
Exercise 32.B What’s Good About Me and My Life? 267
Section 33: Phobia 269
Exercise 33.A Four Ways to Reduce Fear 270
Exercise 33.B Gradually Reducing Your Phobic Fear 274
Section 34: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 277
Exercise 34.A How the Trauma Affects Me 278
Exercise 34.B Share the Painful Memory 281
Section 35: Psychoticism 284
Exercise 35.A What Do You Hear and See? 285
Section 36: Sexual Abuse Victim 287
Exercise 36.A A Blaming Letter and a Forgiving Letter to Perpetrator 288
Exercise 36.B Picturing the Place of the Abuse 291
Section 37: Sexual Orientation Confusion 293
Exercise 37.A Journal of Sexual Thoughts, Fantasies, Conflicts 294
Exercise 37.B To Whom and How to Reveal My Sexual Orientation 300
Section 38: Sleep Disturbance 303
Exercise 38.A Sleep Pattern Record 304
Section 39: Social Anxiety 307
Exercise 39.A Becoming Assertive 308
Exercise 39.B Restoring Socialization Comfort 312
Section 40: Somatization 314
Exercise 40.A Controlling the Focus on Physical Problems 315
Section 41: Spiritual Confusion 318
Exercise 41.A My History of Spirituality 319
Exercise 41.B Your Spiritual Inheritance Inventory 322
Section 42: Substance Use 326
Exercise 42.A Aftercare Plan Components 327
Exercise 42.B Identifying Relapse Triggers and Cues 330
Exercise 42.C Relapse Prevention Planning 335
Exercise 42.D Relapse Triggers 339
Exercise 42.E Substance Abuse’s Negative Impact Versus Sobriety’s Positive Impact 342
Section 43: Suicidal Ideation 346
Exercise 43.A Journal of Distorted, Negative Thoughts 347
Exercise 43.B No Self-Harm Contract 351
Exercise 43.C Strategies to Resist Suicidal Thoughts and Feelings 354
Exercise 43.D The Aftermath of Suicide 357
Section 44: Type a Behavior 360
Exercise 44.A Developing Noncompetitive Values 361
Section 45: Vocational Stress 363
Exercise 45.A A Vocational Action Plan 364
Appendix A: Alternate Assignments for Presenting Problems 366
Appendix B: Alphabetical Index of Exercises 380
