Trauma · CPT
Challenging Questions Worksheet
CPT — ten questions to test a single stuck point
About this worksheet
The Challenging Questions Worksheet introduces formal Socratic disputation to CPT, usually around session 5. The client takes a single stuck point and runs it through ten standardized questions: what's the evidence for and against, is it a habit or a fact, are you confusing a feeling with a fact, are the sources of information reliable, are you thinking in all-or-nothing terms, and so on. The structure is deliberately mechanical because that's the point — it teaches the client to challenge their own beliefs by running through a checklist rather than relying on insight in the moment. CPT recommends one Challenging Questions Worksheet per day during the relevant phase of the protocol, with the same or different stuck points. Most clinicians have clients start with assimilated stuck points (self-blame around the trauma itself) before moving to over-accommodated ones. The worksheet is the bridge between identifying stuck points and the more integrative Challenging Beliefs Worksheet used later in the protocol.
When to use it
- Sessions 5–6 of standard CPT, introduced after stuck points are clearly identified.
- As daily homework — one worksheet per day, same or different stuck point.
- Start with assimilated stuck points (self-blame, hindsight), then move to over-accommodated ones.
- Useful outside CPT for any client doing structured cognitive restructuring on a sticky belief.
How to use it
- 1Pick one stuck point
From the stuck point log. Just one per worksheet — running ten questions on one belief is far more productive than spreading thin.
- 2Walk all ten questions
Even the ones that feel redundant. The mechanical run-through is the therapy — short-circuiting it reduces the effect.
- 3Don't argue, just answer
The clinician's job is curiosity, not debate. The client supplies the evidence; the worksheet supplies the structure.
- 4Land on a more balanced thought
After the ten questions, ask: in light of all that, what's a more accurate version of the belief? Write it down.
- 5Re-rate distress
Rate the original stuck point 0–100 before, and the new belief 0–100 after. Track the delta over the week.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 10 Challenging Questions in CPT?+
Evidence for and against the belief; habit vs fact; all-or-nothing thinking; words like 'always' or 'never'; out-of-context selection; reliable sources; feelings vs facts; focus on irrelevant factors; low-probability outcomes; and extreme vs moderate framing. The worksheet walks each in order.
How often should clients do Challenging Questions Worksheets?+
Standard CPT assigns one per day during sessions 5–6. Some clinicians extend to two weeks if assimilated stuck points are heavy. After that, the protocol moves on to Patterns of Problematic Thinking.
Is this the same as a CBT thought record?+
Closely related but more structured. A thought record asks the client to weigh evidence broadly; the CPT worksheet runs a fixed 10-question checklist that's tuned for stuck points in trauma. Use the thought record for general CBT, the Challenging Questions for CPT.
What if the client can't find any evidence against the belief?+
Common with deeply held stuck points. Don't push for evidence the client doesn't see — instead, slow down on the other questions (habit vs fact, feelings vs facts, sources of information). Evidence often emerges sideways through those.
Related worksheets
Worksheet — Challenging Questions Worksheet — provided by TherapistAssist for clinical use. Not a substitute for assessment or treatment.