Session bridge, agenda and homework review
Look back since the last session, review the task you agreed, set your agenda, and leave with a clear next step.
Written by Tarun Vermani, Trainee Clinical Psychologist Last reviewed
Assign and Download open signup, then return you to this worksheet. No card required. Resource access depends on your plan or trial. Already have an account? Sign in
Worksheet preview
Session bridge, agenda and homework review
PreviewLive preview — type in any field to try it. Nothing is saved here.
Getting the most from this session
Based on the session structure in Beck (2021): a bridge from the last session, a review of homework, an agenda set together, and a summary with a next step. This version is for the client to fill in, before and at the end of each session, and leaves out the therapist's own steps.
A few words in each box are enough. Bring it with you, or share it before you meet if your therapist has asked you to. You can leave any box blank.
Since we last met
Take a few minutes before the session to look back.
The task we agreed
If you tried it, say how it went. If you did not, that is fine: knowing what got in the way helps you and your therapist change the plan.
What I would like to cover
Your therapist will add their own items. Put the things that matter most to you first.
| # | Item | Most important first (1 to 4) | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
At the end of the session
Fill this in with your therapist near the end, so you leave with a clear next step.
Safety and support
No one checks this sheet for urgent messages. If you have thoughts of harming yourself or feel unable to stay safe, contact your therapist, GP or urgent-care service now rather than writing it here. In an emergency, call 999. For urgent mental health help, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option (in Northern Ireland, call Lifeline on 0808 808 8000). For emotional support, call Samaritans free, day or night, on 116 123. This sheet supports your therapy. It is not a crisis service and does not replace professional care.
Try it here — nothing you type is saved. Sign up to assign it and let clients complete it on any device.
When to use the Session bridge, agenda and homework review
The Session bridge, agenda and homework review 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 10 minutes. It moves through six short steps:
- Getting the most from this session: Based on the session structure in Beck (2021): a bridge from the last session, a review of homework, an agenda set together, and a summary…
- Since we last met: Take a few minutes before the session to look back.
- The task we agreed: If you tried it, say how it went. If you did not, that is fine: knowing what got in the way helps you and your therapist change the plan.
- What I would like to cover: Your therapist will add their own items. Put the things that matter most to you first.
- At the end of the session: Fill this in with your therapist near the end, so you leave with a clear next step.
- Safety and support: No one checks this sheet for urgent messages. If you have thoughts of harming yourself or feel unable to stay safe, contact your therapist,…
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 Session bridge, agenda and homework review works by noticing the links between situations, thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and behaviour and finding practical ways to change unhelpful patterns. 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:
- Beck, J.S. (2021). Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
- Kazantzis, N., Whittington, C., & Dattilio, F. (2010). Meta-analysis of homework effects in cognitive and behavioral therapy: A replication and extension. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 17(2), 144-156. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2850.2010.01204.x
- Tee, J., & Kazantzis, N. (2011). Collaborative empiricism in cognitive therapy: A definition and theory for the relationship construct. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 18(1), 47-61. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2850.2010.01234.x
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
- NHS 111 (NHS 24 in Scotland): 111 — choose the mental health option for urgent help, in England, Scotland and Wales (in Wales, press 2)
- Lifeline: 0808 808 8000 — for urgent help in Northern Ireland, free, day or night
- Samaritans: 116 123 — free, day or night, 365 days a year
- Shout: 85258 — text SHOUT, free, day or night
- SANEline: 0300 304 7000 — 4pm–10pm, every day
More General CBT Skills worksheets
View all General CBT Skills worksheets →General CBT Skills
Safety Plan
A structured 6-step safety plan for crisis intervention and suicide prevention.
General CBT Skills
Cross-sectional formulation (five-part model)
Map how thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and behaviour affect each other in one situation, using the CBT five-part model.
General CBT Skills
Longitudinal formulation (Beck's cognitive model)
Map how early experiences, core beliefs, rules for living, a critical incident and the cycle that keeps a problem going fit together, using Beck's cognitive model.
General CBT Skills
5-Column Thought Record
The classic cognitive restructuring tool. Identify automatic thoughts, evaluate the evidence, and develop more balanced alternatives.
General CBT Skills
7-Column Thought Record
The full extended thought record with evidence for and against, balanced thought, and re-rating of emotion.
General CBT Skills
Cognitive Distortions Checklist
Identify common cognitive distortions present in your automatic thoughts.
Want to assign this to a client?
Create a free therapist account to use the homework and library download tools. Clients can complete assigned homework online or use a blank PDF. See how the homework workflow works.
No card required. The Free plan includes 10 worksheet uses a month. Check plan access and limits.