ARTHUR E. JONGSMA, JR., PhD, is Series Editor for the bestselling Practice Planners®. He has fifty years of experience providing professional mental health services to inpatient and outpatient clients. He founded and directed Psychological Consultants, a group private practice in Grand Rapids, Michigan for 25 years.

TIMOTHY J. BRUCE, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Dr. Bruce has received over 60 awards during his career for his work in educational administration, teaching, and the evidence-based practice of clinical psychology.

About the Downloadable Assignments xiii

PracticePlanners® Series Preface xv

Acknowledgments xvii

Introduction 1

Section 1: Anger Control Problems 4

Exercise 1.A Alternatives to Destructive Anger 5

Exercise 1.B Anger Journal 9

Exercise 1.C Assertive Communication of Anger 12

Section 2: Antisocial Behavior 14

Exercise 2.A How I Have Hurt Others 15

Exercise 2.B Letter of Apology 18

Exercise 2.C Three Acts of Kindness 20

Section 3: Anxiety 21

Exercise 3.A Analyze the Probability of a Feared Event 22

Exercise 3.B Past Successful Anxiety Coping 25

Exercise 3.C Worry Time 28

Section 4: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)-Adult 30

Exercise 4.A Problem-Solving: An Alternative to Impulsive Action 31

Exercise 4.B Self-Monitoring/Self-Reward Program 35

Exercise 4.C Symptoms and Fixes for ADHD 39

Section 5: Bipolar Disorder-Depression 42

Exercise 5.A Early Warning Signs of Depression 43

Exercise 5.B Identifying and Handling Triggers 46

Section 6: Bipolar Disorder-Mania 50

Exercise 6.A Keeping a Daily Rhythm 52

Exercise 6.B Recognizing the Negative Consequences of Impulsive Behavior 58

Exercise 6.C What Are My Good Qualities? 62

Exercise 6.D Why I Dislike Taking My Medication 66

Section 7: Borderline Personality Disorder 68

Exercise 7.A Journal and Replace Self-Defeating Thoughts 69

Exercise 7.B Plan Before Acting 76

Section 8: Childhood Trauma 78

Exercise 8.A Changing From Victim to Survivor 79

Exercise 8.B Deep Breathing Exercise 83

Exercise 8.C Feelings and Forgiveness Letter 86

Section 9: Chronic Pain 89

Exercise 9.A Pain and Stress Journal 90

Section 10: Cognitive Deficits 92

Exercise 10.A Memory Aid-Personal Information Organizer 93

Exercise 10.B Memory Enhancement Techniques 98

Section 11: Dependency 101

Exercise 11.A Making Your Own Decisions 102

Exercise 11.B Satisfying Unmet Emotional Needs 104

Exercise 11.C Taking Steps Toward Independence 107

Section 12: Depression-Unipolar 109

Exercise 12.A Identify and Schedule Pleasant Activities 110

Exercise 12.B Negative Thoughts Trigger Negative Feelings 113

Exercise 12.C Positive Self-Talk 118

Section 13: Dissociation 120

Exercise 13.A Describe the Trauma 121

Exercise 13.B Staying Focused on the Present Reality 124

Section 14: Eating Disorders and Obesity 126

Exercise 14.A A Reality Journal: Food, Weight, Thoughts, and Feelings 127

Exercise 14.B How Fears Control My Eating 134

Section 15: Educational Deficits 137

Exercise 15.A My Academic and Vocational Strengths 138

Exercise 15.B The Advantages of Education 141

Section 16: Family Conflict 143

Exercise 16.A Applying Problem-Solving to Interpersonal Conflict 144

Exercise 16.B A Structured Parenting Plan 147

Section 17: Female Sexual Dysfunction 150

Exercise 17.A Factors Influencing Negative Sexual Attitudes 151

Exercise 17.B Study Your Body: Clothed and Unclothed 155

Section 18: Financial Stress 158

Exercise 18.A Plan a Budget 159

Section 19: Grief/Loss Unresolved 162

Exercise 19.A Creating a Memorial Collage 163

Exercise 19.B Dear ________: A Letter to a Lost Loved One 166

Section 20: Impulse Control Disorder 169

Exercise 20.A Impulsive Behavior Journal 170

Section 21: Intimate Relationship Conflicts 173

Exercise 21.A How Can We Meet Each Other's Needs and Desires? 174

Exercise 21.B Positive and Negative Contributions to the Relationship: Mine and Yours 179

Section 22: Legal Conflicts 181

Exercise 22.A Accept Responsibility for Illegal Behavior 182

Exercise 22.B Crooked Thinking Leads to Crooked Behavior 185

Section 23: Loneliness 187

Exercise 23.A Identifying What I Value 188

Exercise 23.B Mindfulness Exercises 194

Exercise 23.C Letting Go of Unhelpful Thoughts 198

Section 24: Low Self-Esteem 200

Exercise 24.A Acknowledging My Strengths 201

Exercise 24.B Replacing Fears With Positive Messages 204

Section 25: Male Sexual Dysfunction 207

Exercise 25.A Journaling the Response to Nondemand Sexual Pleasuring (Sensate Focus) 208

Section 26: Medical Issues 213

Exercise 26.A How I Feel About My Medical Treatment 214

Exercise 26.B The Impact of My Illness 217

Section 27: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) 219

Exercise 27.A Interrupting Your Obsessions/Compulsions 220

Exercise 27.B Making Use of the Thought-Stopping Technique 224

Exercise 27.C Reducing the Strength of Compulsive Behaviors 228

Section 28: Opioid Use Disorder 232

Exercise 28.A Identifying Thoughts and Emotions 234

Exercise 28.B Exploring My Motivation to Change 237

Exercise 28.C Living Well With Chronic Pain 240

Section 29: Panic/Agoraphobia 242

Exercise 29.A Coping Card 243

Exercise 29.B Monitoring My Panic Attack Experiences 246

Section 30: Paranoid Ideation 248

Exercise 30.A Check Suspicions Against Reality 249

Section 31: Parenting 251

Exercise 31.A Learning to Parent as a Team 252

Exercise 31.B The Two Sides of Parenting 256

Exercise 31.C Using Reinforcement Principles in Parenting 260

Section 32: Phase of Life Problems 263

Exercise 32.A What Needs to Be Changed in My Life? 264

Exercise 32.B What's Good About Me and My Life? 267

Section 33: Phobia 269

Exercise 33.A Four Ways to Reduce Fear 270

Exercise 33.B Gradually Reducing Your Phobic Fear 274

Section 34: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 277

Exercise 34.A How the Trauma Affects Me 278

Exercise 34.B Share the Painful Memory 281

Section 35: Psychoticism 284

Exercise 35.A What Do You Hear and See? 285

Section 36: Sexual Abuse Victim 287

Exercise 36.A A Blaming Letter and a Forgiving Letter to Perpetrator 288

Exercise 36.B Picturing the Place of the Abuse 291

Section 37: Sexual Orientation Confusion 293

Exercise 37.A Journal of Sexual Thoughts, Fantasies, Conflicts 294

Exercise 37.B To Whom and How to Reveal My Sexual Orientation 300

Section 38: Sleep Disturbance 303

Exercise 38.A Sleep Pattern Record 304

Section 39: Social Anxiety 307

Exercise 39.A Becoming Assertive 308

Exercise 39.B Restoring Socialization Comfort 312

Section 40: Somatization 314

Exercise 40.A Controlling the Focus on Physical Problems 315

Section 41: Spiritual Confusion 318

Exercise 41.A My History of Spirituality 319

Exercise 41.B Your Spiritual Inheritance Inventory 322

Section 42: Substance Use 326

Exercise 42.A Aftercare Plan Components 327

Exercise 42.B Identifying Relapse Triggers and Cues 330

Exercise 42.C Relapse Prevention Planning 335

Exercise 42.D Relapse Triggers 339

Exercise 42.E Substance Abuse's Negative Impact Versus Sobriety's Positive Impact 342

Section 43: Suicidal Ideation 346

Exercise 43.A Journal of Distorted, Negative Thoughts 347

Exercise 43.B No Self-Harm Contract 351

Exercise 43.C Strategies to Resist Suicidal Thoughts and Feelings 354

Exercise 43.D The Aftermath of Suicide 357

Section 44: Type a Behavior 360

Exercise 44.A Developing Noncompetitive Values 361

Section 45: Vocational Stress 363

Exercise 45.A A Vocational Action Plan 364

Appendix A: Alternate Assignments for Presenting Problems 366

Appendix B: Alphabetical Index of Exercises 380