Exposure Practice & Learning Logs
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Exposure works by helping your brain learn that feared outcomes are less likely — or more manageable — than anxiety predicts. These logs guide you through planning each exposure, recording what happened session by session, and reflecting on what you learned. Used consistently, they build compelling evidence that anxiety decreases with practice.
📋 Plan
Set a clear target, identify safety behaviours to drop, and prepare your coping supports before you begin
📝 Log Each Session
Record your predictions, what actually happened, and your SUDS ratings before, during, and after each exposure
💡 Learn and Reflect
After each exposure, capture the key learning — what the experience tells you about anxiety and your ability to cope
📊 Track Progress
Use the multi-session tracking log to see patterns over time and build evidence that anxiety reduces with repeated practice
How to Use These Logs
Work through all four parts in order. Parts 1 and 2 are completed before and during each exposure session. Parts 3 and 4 are completed afterwards. Bring your completed logs to your therapy sessions to review progress together.
1
Graded Exposure Planner
Before starting exposure work, identify your target fear, what you predict will happen, and which safety behaviours you will aim to reduce. Prepare your coping supports in advance so you have a plan ready when anxiety rises.
2
Exposure Session Log
For each individual session, record your predicted fear level, your task plan, and safety behaviours you will drop. During the session, note your peak fear. Afterwards, record your end fear rating and what you noticed about anxiety over time.
3
Exposure Learning Log
After each session, reflect on what actually happened compared to your prediction. The key question is: what did this experience teach you about anxiety, safety, or your ability to cope? This reflection is where the learning is consolidated.
4
Exposure Tracking Log
Use this multi-session table to log each practice over time. Tracking SUDS start, peak, and end across sessions builds visible evidence that anxiety reduces with practice — which is itself a powerful form of learning.
💡 Reminders: Complete each exposure in an environment with minimal distractions. Aim to stay until peak anxiety reduces by at least half, or for a minimum of 10–15 minutes. Do not use distraction or reassurance to escape the feeling — your brain needs to experience coping without safety behaviours for learning to occur.
My Exposure Logs
Complete This Section
Work through each part in order. Use SUDS (0–100) to rate anxiety throughout, where 0 = completely calm and 100 = extreme distress.
Part 1: Graded Exposure Planner
Target and Rationale
Safety Behaviours to Reduce
Examples: reassurance seeking, over-preparing, checking, carrying items "just in case", always sitting near the exit, using your phone as a distraction
Rules for Each Exposure
- Stay with the task until anxiety drops by about 50% or for at least 10–15 minutes
- Do not use distraction or reassurance to escape the feeling
- Use helpful supports that keep you engaged, such as slow breathing or grounding
- Repeat the same step daily or often until it feels easier two times in a row
Slow breathing
Grounding with senses
Compassionate self-talk
Brief reset (stand, sip water, re-engage)
Part 2: Exposure Session Log
Before the Exposure
During the Exposure
After the Exposure
Part 3: Exposure Learning Log
Exposure works by helping you learn that feared outcomes are more manageable than expected. This log helps you reflect on what you learned from each exposure — even if anxiety did not reduce as much as you hoped.
Example — Completed Learning Log
Exposure task
Standing in a queue at the supermarket
What I predicted would happen
I would panic and have to leave
What actually happened
Anxiety increased, but I stayed and it passed
Anxiety before → after
70 → 40
What I learned
Anxiety can rise without leading to danger, and I can cope
What helped me stay
Slow breathing and reminding myself I could leave if needed
What I would do differently
Stay a little longer next time
My Learning Log
Part 4: Exposure Tracking Log
Multi-Session Progress Record
Each time you practise an exposure step, record the details below. Tracking SUDS ratings across sessions builds visible evidence that anxiety decreases with practice.
| Date | Exposure Situation / Step | SUDS Start (0–100) | SUDS Peak | SUDS End | Safety Dropped (Y/N) | What I Learned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
🌿 Remember: The goal is not to eliminate anxiety — it is to learn that you can tolerate it and that your predictions are not always accurate. Every exposure session, however imperfect, adds to the evidence that you are capable of coping. Progress is rarely linear, and that is completely normal.
Where should we send your logs?
We'll generate a PDF of your completed logs and send it to your inbox.