When people worry, they tend to imagine the worst thing that could possibly happen. In reality, these worries may never come true. What could happen isn’t the same as what will happen.

In the Worry Exploration Questions worksheet, clients are asked to consider their worry versus reality. Through a series of Socratic questions, they are encouraged to explore the most likely outcomes for their worried-about situation, rather than the worst imaginable outcomes.

This worksheet can be helpful for challenging irrational beliefs during CBT. Each question was written to be simple enough for children, but deep enough for teens and adults.