This document provides steps to question an unhelpful or extreme thought. It uses the example of thinking one's husband is late without contacting them. The steps are to look for evidence for and against the thought, consider alternative explanations, determine if the standards are applied evenly, and think about how others would view the situation. Following the steps shows the unhelpful thought in this case is incorrect as the husband often runs late and loses phone signal on his commute home.

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.