In-depth explainer guides
Plain-language guides to the techniques and approaches behind the worksheets. 25 guides covering CBT, ACT, DBT, mindfulness, and how to use specific tools.
What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
A plain-language introduction to CBT — what it is, how it works, who it is for, and what to expect from a course of it.
How to Use a Thought Record
Step-by-step instructions for the most-used worksheet in CBT, with worked examples and common pitfalls.
Common Cognitive Distortions Explained
A guide to the ten or so most common thinking traps in CBT, with examples and the move that disarms each one.
What Is Behavioral Activation?
How action precedes motivation in depression treatment, and what a behavioral activation plan looks like in practice.
How to Build an Exposure Hierarchy
A practical guide to designing a graded exposure plan for anxiety, panic, OCD, and phobias.
How to Write a Safety Plan
A practical walkthrough of the Stanley-Brown Safety Plan for moments of suicidal crisis.
What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
A friendly introduction to ACT — psychological flexibility, values, and what makes this approach different from classic CBT.
What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?
A practical introduction to DBT — its origins, the four skill modules, and who it tends to help.
CBT for Anxiety: An Overview
How CBT addresses the cognitive and behavioral engines of anxiety, with an outline of a typical course of treatment.
What Is Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy?
How MBCT was designed for depression relapse prevention, and what an eight-week course looks like.
CBT-I: The First-Line Treatment for Insomnia
A guide to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia — what it is, how it works, and why it is recommended ahead of medication.
How to Keep a Mood Journal
A simple, sustainable approach to mood tracking that produces useful patterns rather than data fatigue.
The Anxiety Cycle Explained
A plain-language walkthrough of how anxiety maintains itself, and where each common treatment intervenes.
How to Stop Rumination
Why rumination is different from useful reflection, and what works for interrupting it.
How to Set Better Goals
Why most goals fail, and the small structural changes that make them stick.
What Is Self-Compassion?
A research-backed introduction to self-compassion practice, drawn from Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer's work.
How to Find a Therapist
A practical guide to finding, vetting, and starting work with a mental health professional.
How to Handle a Panic Attack
What is happening in your body, what helps in the moment, and how to reduce future attacks.
What to Expect From Your First Therapy Session
A practical primer for anyone walking into therapy for the first time.
CBT for Depression: An Overview
How cognitive and behavioral techniques combine to address depression, with what to expect from a course.
Coping With Grief: An Evidence-Based Overview
A guide to what we know about grief, what helps, and when to seek professional support.
Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD
How ERP works, why it is the gold-standard treatment for OCD, and what to expect from a course.
How to Build a Self-Care Routine
A practical, non-cliché guide to designing a sustainable set of self-care practices.
How to Talk to Your Doctor About Mental Health
A short guide to bringing mental-health concerns to a primary-care visit, with sample scripts.
How to Handle a Mental Health Crisis
What to do — for yourself or someone you love — in an acute mental health crisis.