Understanding the CBT Model
An introduction to how thoughts, feelings, body sensations and behaviour connect in a loop, and how CBT uses this to help you feel differently.
Written by Tarun Vermani, Trainee Clinical Psychologist Last reviewed
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Understanding the CBT Model
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What is CBT?
CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. The idea behind it is simple: how we think, how we feel, what happens in our body and what we do are all connected. CBT helps you notice these connections and find new ways to respond, so you can feel better day to day.
Five areas that connect
When something happens, it tends to affect five things at once. There is the situation (what is going on), your thoughts (what goes through your mind), your feelings (the emotions you feel), your body (the physical sensations), and your behaviour (what you do, or stop doing). CBT looks at all five together.
How the loop works
These areas do not sit on their own. They feed into each other. A worried thought can speed up your heart, which feels scary, which leads you to leave, which makes the worry feel true. This back-and-forth is sometimes drawn as a hot cross bun, with each area linked to the others. A loop can keep a problem going, but it also means you have more than one place to step in.
Change one part, shift the whole cycle
Because the five areas are linked, you do not have to change everything at once. Shifting just one part can ripple through the rest. CBT often starts with the two areas that are easiest to work on directly: what you think and what you do. A small change in either can begin to move the whole cycle in a better direction.
Try it with a recent example
Think of a recent moment when you felt low, anxious or upset. Use one row for each of the five areas: Situation, Thoughts, Feelings, Body and Behaviour. Fill them all in for that one moment and notice how they link together. There are no right or wrong answers here.
| # | Area | What was happening for me | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 |
Over to you
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When to use ‘Understanding the CBT Model’
‘Understanding the CBT Model’ 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:
- What is CBT? — CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. The idea behind it is simple: how we think, how we feel, what happens in our body and what we…
- Five areas that connect — When something happens, it tends to affect five things at once. There is the situation (what is going on), your thoughts (what goes through…
- How the loop works — These areas do not sit on their own. They feed into each other. A worried thought can speed up your heart, which feels scary, which leads…
- Change one part, shift the whole cycle — Because the five areas are linked, you do not have to change everything at once. Shifting just one part can ripple through the rest. CBT…
- Try it with a recent example — Think of a recent moment when you felt low, anxious or upset. Use one row for each of the five areas: Situation, Thoughts, Feelings, Body…
- Over to you
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, ‘Understanding the CBT Model’ 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:
- Beck, A.T. (1976). Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders. New York: International Universities Press.
- Padesky, C.A. & Mooney, K.A. (1990). Clinical tip: Presenting the cognitive model to clients. International Cognitive Therapy Newsletter, 6, 13-14.
- Williams, C. & Garland, A. (2002). A cognitive-behavioural therapy assessment model for use in everyday clinical practice. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 8(3), 172-179.
- Greenberger, D. & Padesky, C.A. (2016). Mind Over Mood (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
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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