StretchLearn Course

Rewire Unhelpful Thinking with Proven CBT Techniques

Thought records, cognitive restructuring, and behavioural activation — guided step-by-step for everyday life.

Beginner9 hrSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is one of the most thoroughly researched psychological approaches, with decades of randomised controlled trials supporting its effectiveness for depression, anxiety, and a wide range of everyday difficulties. This course distils four cornerstone CBT techniques — thought records, cognitive restructuring, behavioural activation, and exposure ladders — into practical, self-paced exercises you can apply immediately. Each module builds on the last, giving you a coherent self-help toolkit grounded in empirical science. This course is for educational purposes and general well-being; it is not a replacement for diagnosis, clinical assessment, or treatment by a licensed mental health professional.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Identify automatic negative thoughts and record them accurately using a structured thought-record format

Apply the seven classic cognitive distortions framework to catch and label unhelpful thinking patterns in real time

Restructure distorted thoughts using Socratic questioning and evidence-weighing techniques

Design a personalised behavioural activation schedule that links valued activities to mood improvement

Build a graduated exposure ladder for a specific avoidance behaviour and take the first two steps

Combine thought records, restructuring, and activation into a weekly CBT self-practice routine

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: The CBT Map: Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviours

Understand the cognitive model that underpins CBT and learn to spot the automatic thoughts that trigger unhelpful emotional and behavioural responses in your own life.

3 lessons

How the Cognitive Model WorksContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

Catching Automatic ThoughtsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

The Seven Core Cognitive DistortionsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Thought Records: Writing Your Way to Clarity

Master the structured thought record — CBT's central paper-and-pen tool — to move from hot, distorted thinking to balanced, evidence-based responses.

3 lessons

Anatomy of a Seven-Column Thought RecordContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Gathering Evidence: The Empirical MindsetContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Writing a Believable Balanced ThoughtContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Behavioural Activation: Acting Your Way to Better Mood

Use the evidence-based technique of behavioural activation to break depression and low-mood cycles by strategically scheduling meaningful and pleasurable activities.

3 lessons

How Inactivity and Low Mood Feed Each OtherContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Designing a Behavioural Activation ScheduleContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Values-Based Activity SelectionContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Exposure Ladders: Overcoming Avoidance Step by Step

Build and climb a personalised exposure ladder to systematically reduce avoidance, break fear-maintenance cycles, and rebuild confidence through graduated action.

3 lessons

How Avoidance Maintains AnxietyContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Building Your Exposure LadderContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Running Effective Exposure PracticeContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

CBTcognitive restructuringthought recordsbehavioural activationexposure therapymental wellnessself-help