an example using Williams 2002 thought challenging questions

1. Questioning an Unhelpful Thought
adapted from Williams (2002)
Claire Staniland November 2015

2. Is the thought actually true?
• What is the evidence for and against the extreme
or unhelpful thought?
• Thinking about why I believe the
unhelpful thought.... My husband is
late and his phone is not ringing.
If he was going to be late he would
have let me know.
• Can you show the thought is correct from what
you know?
• No

3. Evidence against the extreme or
unhelpful thought.
• Is there anything to make you think the thought is
incorrect?
• My husband is often late home and
often forgets to let me know. He travels
cross country where you lose mobile
phone signals.
• Are there any other ways of explaining the situation
that are more accurate?
• My husband left work late and forgot
to text or he got stuck in traffic and it
is illegal to use a mobile phone while
driving.

4. If I wasn’t feeling like this would i
believe the thought?
• Not sure

5. Do I apply one set of standards to
myself and another to others?
• I don’t think so
• Would you tell a friend with the same thought
that they were wrong?
• I would say, “you are being silly.
He is always late home. He has a
long way to travel and often hits
traffic jams”.

6. Change your perspective- what would
other people say?
• He has probably left work late
and forgotten to let you know, or
maybe his phone has run out of
battery. He’ll be home eventually.

7. Reference
• Chris. Williams (2002). Overcoming depression
: a five areas approach. Rev. reprint.. ed.,
London : Arnold.