Cognitive Distortions: a CBT mini course for understanding unhelpful thinking patterns
Reviewed By
Donna Bottomley - Psychotherapist, MBABCP accredited, 10+ years in CBT and EMDR
Cognitive distortions are patterns of thinking that are inaccurate or unhelpful - yet so automatic they can feel completely true. They quietly shape how we feel and behave, often without us realising. Learning to recognise your own distortions is one of the most powerful skills in CBT. On Offload this mini course walks you through the most common patterns in a guided, interactive format so you can start spotting them in your own thinking.
Free to try · Responses are private & encrypted
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What does the Cognitive Distortions [Mini Course] cover?
- What cognitive distortions are and where they come from
- The most common distortions - including all-or-nothing thinking, catastrophising, mind-reading, and personalisation
- Writing down when your distortions show up most
- How to spot distortions in your own thought patterns
Who is this Cognitive Distortions [Mini Course] for?
Helpful if you:
🌀 Find yourself jumping to the worst-case scenario
😔 Are highly self-critical or prone to guilt
💭 Overthink situations or assume you know what others think
🔁 Notice the same negative thought patterns coming up repeatedly
For therapists:
Assign early in CBT to build cognitive literacy before moving into thought records and behavioural experiments. Particularly useful for clients who intellectualise or struggle to engage with the cognitive model - understanding distortions first gives the work a concrete anchor. Accessible via the Offload companion app. HIPAA and GDPR compliant.
Dr Harriet Mellotte
Clinical Psychologist & CBT Therapist, BABCP
“Offload is a fantastic resource for both clients and therapists. The world of CBT has been lacking an app which enables the sharing of CBT worksheets and homework tasks between clients and therapists, but Offload completely does this, making the service we offer more professional and the benefits to clients greater.”
Are you a therapist?
Assign this therapy tool and 200+ other interactive tools directly to your clients. Build personalised care plans, customise tools, and review client responses before sessions. HIPAA and GDPR compliant.
Explore Offload for therapistsReferences
Beck, A. T. (1963). "Thinking and Depression: I. Idiosyncratic Content and Cognitive Distortions." Archives of General Psychiatry, 9(4), 324-333. This is the foundational paper where Beck first introduced the concept of cognitive distortions. Burns, D. D. (1980). "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy." New York: William Morrow. While not a research paper, this book popularized cognitive distortions and made them accessible to the public. Mathews, A., & MacLeod, C. (2005). "Cognitive vulnerability to emotional disorders." Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1, 167-195. A comprehensive review examining how cognitive distortions contribute to emotional disorders. Leahy, R. L. (2017). "Cognitive Therapy Techniques: A Practitioner's Guide." New York: Guilford Press. A detailed examination of cognitive distortions and their treatment in clinical practice. Clark, D. A., & Beck, A. T. (2010). "Cognitive theory and therapy of anxiety and depression: Convergence with neurobiological findings." Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14(9), 418-424. Links cognitive distortions to neuroscience and brain function. Dozois, D. J. A., & Beck, A. T. (2008). "Cognitive schemas, beliefs and assumptions." In K. S. Dobson (Ed.), Risk factors in depression (pp. 121-143). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. An important paper exploring how cognitive distortions develop and persist. Barlow, D. H., & DiNardo, P. A. (1991). "The syndrome of cognitive distortions: Theoretical and research perspectives." In D. J. Stein (Ed.), Cognitive Science and Clinical Disorders (pp. 187-208). A foundational work examining cognitive distortions across different psychological disorders.
