A formulation based on the cognitive-behavioural model of health anxiety — mapping the vicious cycle of misinterpretation, anxiety, checking, and temporary reassurance.
Health Anxiety Formulation (Salkovskis & Warwick)
PreviewTrigger
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Misinterpretation
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Health Anxiety
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Increased Body Focus
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Safety Behaviours
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Temporary Relief → Reinforcement
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What resources, strengths, and supports might help in recovery?
Protective factors
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Strengths & resources
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What role do your safety behaviours play in keeping the cycle going?
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This is a read-only preview. Sign up to assign it and let clients complete it on any device.
The Health Anxiety Formulation (Salkovskis & Warwick) is an interactive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) worksheet, most often used in CBT for health anxiety.
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.
Most people work through it in around 25 minutes. It moves through three short steps:
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.
In common with other CBT methods, the Health Anxiety Formulation (Salkovskis & Warwick) 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.
This worksheet is grounded in established cognitive behavioural therapy theory and practice. Key sources include:
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:
Sign up free and send your client a link. They complete it on any device — you review their responses before the next session.
No credit card required. 10 free worksheets every month.
Track urges to seek reassurance, whether you resisted, and what happened — building evidence that you can tolerate uncertainty without reassurance.