The Anxious Thoughts Workbook for Teens: CBT Skills to Quiet the Unwanted Negative Thoughts that Cause Anxiety and Worry

by David A. Clark PhD

Overview

Practical and simple activities to help you break free from the anxious, intrusive, and unwanted thoughts that feed your anxiety and depression, so you can reach your goals and thrive!

Are negative, anxious thoughts getting in the way of living your life? You’re not alone. The teen years are full of changes and challenges—especially in today’s uncertain world. It’s no wonder, then, that teens are feeling more anxious than ever! The good news is that you can move beyond these worrying thoughts, and get back to the things that matter.

Based in evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), this workbook offers a personalized approach to help you move past anxious thoughts for good. You’ll learn how to change unhelpful and destructive thinking “habits,” stop seeing your thoughts as all-powerful “facts,” and manage the difficult emotions that can accompany these thoughts. Most importantly, you’ll discover how to defeat toxic negativity, and find strength in positivity—so you can move forward in life with confidence!

If you’re ready to stop letting your anxious thoughts control your life and keep you from being your very best, this workbook can show you how.

In these increasingly challenging times, kids and teens need mental health resources more than ever. With more than 1.6 million copies sold worldwide, Instant Help Books are easy to use, proven-effective, and recommended by therapists.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684038800
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	07/01/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	152
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

David A. Clark, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, and professor emeritus at the University of New Brunswick. He is author or coauthor of several books on depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), including The Anxiety and Worry Workbook with Aaron T. Beck (founder of cognitive therapy), The Anxious Thoughts Workbook, The Negative Thoughts Workbook, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD and Its Subtypes. Clark is a founding fellow and trainer consultant with the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, and fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association. He is author of the blog, The Runaway Mind, on www.psychologytoday.com.

Table of Contents

Letter to the Reader v

Part 1 The Runaway Mind

Activity 1 Sticky Thoughts 2

Activity 2 Mental Invasion 5

Activity 3 Connect the Dots 8

Activity 4 We're in This Together 12

Activity 5 Discover Your Creative Mind 16

Part 2 Explore Your Mind

Activity 6 The White Bear Experiment 22

Activity 7 I Don't Want to Think Like This 25

Activity 8 Anxious Intrusions Diary 29

Activity 9 A Matter of Importance 33

Activity 10 Trying Hard to Not Think 36

Part 3 Calm Your Anxious Thinking

Activity 11 Stinking Thinking 42

Activity 12 Thinking About Thinking 45

Activity 13 Healthy Anxious Thoughts 49

Activity 14 It's Not a Catastrophe 53

Activity 15 Reality Testing 57

Activity 16 Thinking More Calmly 61

Activity 17 Slay the Dragon 65

Part 4 Let Go of Control

Activity 18 Overthinking 70

Activity 19 The Mental Control Myth 73

Activity 20 Snapping 77

Activity 21 The Wrong Way 80

Activity 22 When Distraction Fails 83

Part 5 Self-Acceptance

Activity 23 Practice Self-Acceptance 88

Activity 24 Mind Wandering 92

Activity 25 Mindful Acceptance 96

Part 6 Build on Your Strengths

Activity 26 Make Distraction Work 102

Activity 27 Take Action with Distraction 106

Activity 28 Do It Later 110

Activity 29 Recognize Your Goodness 113

Part 7 Boost Happiness

Activity 30 How Positive Are You? 118

Activity 31 Spotlight on Happiness 121

Activity 32 Stop, Think, and Reflect 125

Activity 33 Positive Memories 128

Activity 34 Catching Kindness 132

The Finish Line 137

Interviews

Clark resides in Fredericton, NB, Canada.

Editorial Reviews

The Anxious Thoughts Workbook for Teens presents a comprehensive, step-by-step approach for managing negative thoughts in a way that is engaging, relatable, and easily accessible by adolescents. Written by one of the world’s clinical and research experts in the field, and drawing on an extensive clinical and research evidence base, this workbook is an excellent resource for adolescents, parents, and clinicians.”
—Maja Nedeljkovic, PhD, associate professor at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia; director of the Swinburne Psychology Clinic; and coeditor of the book, The Self in Understanding and Treating Psychological Disorders

Maja Nedeljkovic

The Anxious Thoughts Workbook for Teens by world-renowned psychologist David A. Clark is a must-read for all kids—and their parents. A remarkable book that brings the best of current research to help teens cope with their problems. Organized as thirty-four straightforward activities with an abundance of forms, it will help anyone tackle almost any anxious thoughts. An excellent resource you will use over and over. Highly recommended.”
—Robert L. Leahy, PhD, director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, and author of The Worry Cure and If Only...

Robert L. Leahy

David A. Clark has successfully drawn from the academic literatures on anxious cognition and positive psychology to create an engaging, accessible, and respectful workbook to help adolescents ameliorate the cognitive intrusions and ruminations at the heart of their distress. Chock-full of helpful exercises and links to instructive worksheets, this volume is ideal as a companion guide for teens seeking CBT for anxiety. Their family will appreciate it too!”
—Cory F. Newman, PhD, director of the Center for Cognitive Therapy, and professor of psychology in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

Cory F. Newman

Wow! A comprehensive cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) treatment program by one of the most esteemed clinicians of our time. David Clark’s workbook will teach you how to observe, understand, and take effective action to calm your anxious thoughts. The whole process is broken into simple, effective steps that help you become more mindful and accepting, and to separate the strategies that work from those that don’t. An essential read for the anxious teen.”
—Martin N. Seif, PhD, cofounder of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, and coauthor of What Every Therapist Needs to Know About Anxiety Disorders, Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts, Needing to Know for Sure, and Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety

Martin N. Seif

For over thirty-five years, few theoreticians or researchers have made more significant contributions to the theory and practice of cognitive behavioral theory and treatment of anxiety than David Clark. This manual translates these contributions to the real world of anxious teens who are struggling with pandemics and perceived chaos. His ability to interweave this expertise and knowledge in a practical manner could be his greatest achievement.”
—John B. Jolly, PsyD, ABPP, clinical psychologist in private practice in Jackson, MS; and coauthor of the Beck Youth Inventories

John B. Jolly

With a fresh perspective that marries research, clinical experience, and a light touch, Clark offers teens a wide range of practical, effective techniques for managing anxiety, stress, and worry. Accessible, broad, and research-based, this slim volume is densely packed with useful CBT tools. We live in a worried world. This simple volume is a wonderful resource for any teen who would like to feel confident and calm, and rise above their worries.”
—Mark A. Reinecke, PhD, ABPP, professor emeritus at Northwestern University

Mark A. Reinecke

This workbook is engaging—full of experiments and creative activities that help readers understand, challenge, accept, and embrace their anxious thoughts. Each section is broken down into ‘bite-size’ chunks of information that explain complex concepts in accessible language. Readers will be less distressed by and involved with intrusive thoughts, and understand that all thoughts—positive and negative—are spontaneous and normal and how the human brain functions. Highly recommended!”
—Deborah Dobson, PhD, former president and fellow of the Canadian Association of Cognitive Behavioural Therapies, and fellow of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies

Deborah Dobson