Behavioral Experiment (Free PDF Download)

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Download the worksheet (PDF)

What is the Behavioral Experiment worksheet?

The Behavioral Experiment worksheet is a two-page CBT form for testing a prediction against what actually happens. Page one, Step 1: Prepare for the Experiment, records the belief and a confidence rating from 0 to 100 percent. It also plans the test as What, When, Where and Who.

How to use the Behavioral Experiment worksheet

Use this sheet both in session and as homework. In session, write the belief in the client’s own words and rate confidence before anything is tested. Then answer What do you expect to happen? and What is an alternative outcome? so both predictions exist on paper first. Your clients can run the test between appointments and complete Step 2 afterwards. Return to the pre-experiment confidence rating before discussing the result, or the shift gets lost.

Behavioral Experiment Worksheet Download – What’s Included

The download is a two-page printable PDF, not a fillable form. Page one is Step 1: Prepare for the Experiment, with space for the belief, two confidence ratings, and the expected and alternative outcomes. A short block plans the test as What, When, Where and Who. Page two reviews the results, rates how closely the outcome matched the prediction from 1 to 5, and ends with a Moving Forward prompt.

Based on Aaron Beck’s cognitive therapy (CBT). Beck, J. S. (2020). Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Basics and Beyond (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.

Frequently asked questions

What is a behavioral experiment?

It is a planned test of a specific prediction, run in the client’s real environment rather than argued in session. The client states what they expect to happen, rates how confident they are, carries out the agreed test, and then compares the outcome against that prediction. Cognitive therapy treats the outcome as evidence, not the discussion beforehand.

What is an example of a behavioral experiment?

A client who believes colleagues will ignore them writes that prediction down, rates how confident they feel, then asks two people a question in a meeting. The plan names What, When, Where and Who before anything happens. Afterwards they record what actually occurred and rate the match from 1 to 5.

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Your Author

Tracy Collins, LCP

Tracy Collins is a licensed clinical psychologist with over six years of direct clinical experience in outpatient and telehealth settings. She specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy, structured treatment planning, and measurable therapy outcomes. Tracy has extensive experience writing SOAP and DAP notes, developing insurance-compliant treatment plans, and aligning documentation with ICD-10 and DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria. Her clinical approach integrates cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, behavioral activation, exposure-based interventions, and mindfulness-based strategies to create structured and outcome-driven therapy plans. At Mentalyc, Tracy supports therapists by creating educational resources that simplify documentation workflows and improve treatment plan defensibility during audits.