Emotion Focused Formulation (Comprehend, Cope and Connect)
A collaborative, emotion-centred formulation, also known as a Comprehend, Cope and Connect (CCC) formulation. It puts the most painful feelings at the centre, links them to difficult life experiences and recent triggers, maps the coping strategies and the cycles that keep the feelings going, and holds strengths, ways out and goals around the whole picture. Developed by Isabel Clarke for acute and crisis mental health settings.
Written by Tassyana Jenkins, Assistant psychologist Reviewed by Tarun Vermani, Trainee Clinical Psychologist Last reviewed
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Emotion Focused Formulation (Comprehend, Cope and Connect)
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Making sense of overwhelming feelings
When life gets too much, some feelings can become so painful that we do almost anything to avoid them. The things we do to cope often help in the moment, but over time they can keep those same feelings going. This map brings it all together: the horrible feelings at the centre, where they come from, what sets them off now, how you cope, and where there might be a way out. It also holds your strengths, because they are part of the picture too. It is best built together with your therapist, one piece at a time.
Your map
Start in the middle with the horrible feelings. Then work out what triggers them now, what the trigger seems to say about you, and where you first learned those feelings. Next, look at what you do to cope, how it helps, and what it costs, and notice how the cycle leads back to the centre. Finally, add your strengths, any ways out, and your goals.
After Clarke (2015); Clarke & Nicholls (2017)
Wider connections
Strengths and resilience
Difficult life experiences
Recent trigger
What it seems to mean about me
Horrible feelings
Ways out
What I do to cope
How it helps (short term)
What it costs me (longer term)
My goals
Finding a way out
Safety and support
This map is about making sense of how you have learned to cope, not about what is wrong with you. It is not your fault, and every way of coping on it made sense as an attempt to get through feelings that were too much. Need more support? If you are in crisis or feel unsafe, you can get help now: call 999 in an emergency, call Samaritans free on 116 123 (day or night), or text SHOUT to 85258. This worksheet supports therapy and self-help; it is not a crisis service or a substitute for professional care.
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When to use the Emotion Focused Formulation (Comprehend, Cope and Connect)
The Emotion Focused Formulation (Comprehend, Cope and Connect) is an interactive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) worksheet. As a core CBT skill it is used right across the model, with presentations including depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma and low self-esteem, rather than being tied to a single diagnosis.
It is designed to be used within therapy rather than as a standalone self-help tool: a therapist introduces it, works through it collaboratively, and helps make sense of what it surfaces. You can preview the full worksheet above, then assign it digitally for clients to complete between sessions on any device — or download it as a print-ready PDF.
How it works
Most people work through it in around 30 minutes. It moves through four short steps:
- Making sense of overwhelming feelings — When life gets too much, some feelings can become so painful that we do almost anything to avoid them. The things we do to cope often help…
- Your map — Start in the middle with the horrible feelings. Then work out what triggers them now, what the trigger seems to say about you, and where…
- Finding a way out
- Safety and support — This map is about making sense of how you have learned to cope, not about what is wrong with you. It is not your fault, and every way of…
Completed on the Formulate platform, your client's answers are saved automatically and shared straight back to you, so you can review them before the next session rather than waiting for a paper copy to come back.
The CBT approach behind it
In common with other CBT methods, the Emotion Focused Formulation (Comprehend, Cope and Connect) works by mapping how the parts of a problem connect and keep it going (formulation). The aim is not positive thinking but a clearer, shared understanding of what keeps a difficulty going — and practical, testable ways to change it.
Because it is a CBT tool it stays focused on the here-and-now links between thoughts, feelings, the body and behaviour, and it works best as one part of a wider course of therapy rather than as advice or a diagnosis.
Evidence & sources
This worksheet is grounded in established cognitive behavioural therapy theory and practice. Key sources include:
- Clarke, I. (2015). The emotion focused formulation approach: Bridging individual and team formulation. Clinical Psychology Forum, 275, 28-32.
- Clarke, I. & Nicholls, H. (2017). Third Wave CBT Integration for Individuals and Teams: Comprehend, Cope and Connect. Abingdon: Routledge.
For use alongside professional support
Formulate provides educational CBT resources for use with a qualified therapist. They are not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or crisis care.
If you need urgent help now:
- Emergency services: 999 — if you or someone else is in immediate danger
- Samaritans: 116 123 — free, day or night, 365 days a year
- SANEline: 0800 689 5555 — 4:30pm–10:30pm, every day
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