If your therapist has suggested a worksheet for OCD, you can find free forms here for noticing patterns, planning exposure and response prevention (ERP), and discussing what to practise between appointments. Choose the form you have agreed to use. You do not need to complete every sheet.
Free to access, wherever you live. The links open the original publishers’ PDF or Word files. This page does not ask you to enter personal information or upload completed worksheets.
Resource collection by Dr Jonathan Haverkampf. Sources, files and practical filling-in guidance checked: . These worksheets support discussion and treatment planning; they do not diagnose OCD or replace individual assessment.
A starting point to agree together
CBT that includes ERP is a recommended psychological treatment for OCD. A worksheet is one part of that work. An OCD-trained professional can help you decide what to record, which practice is appropriate, and how to review it. ERP is planned collaboratively; it should not involve being forced into an exercise. NICE treatment guidance and the International OCD Foundation’s ERP guide explain the approach.
You could ask: “Which one of these sheets would be useful for me, and how often should we look at it together?” Tell your therapist if a form is difficult to read or use, or if recording and rechecking it starts to feel like another ritual.
1. Notice the OCD pattern: logs and monitoring
Self-Monitoring Form — PDF, 2 pages
A daily record with spaces for the situation or thought, an intensity rating, the ritual and time spent. The first page is blank; the second shows a completed example. Agree a manageable amount of recording with your therapist.
How to fill this in
- Put the date at the top. In the relevant time row, note the situation, activity or thought in a few words. Agree which parts of the day to record; you do not have to fill every hour.
- Enter an approximate distress rating. The publisher’s example uses 0–100, from no distress to the most intense distress you can imagine. Agree the scale with your therapist and keep it consistent.
- In the description column, write what you actually did in response, including mental rituals or avoidance. Estimate minutes spent on the ritual; you do not need to time it precisely or reconstruct a missed period.
Invented example: “10 am; sent an everyday email; distress 60/100; reread the sent message repeatedly; about 15 minutes.” This records a pattern, not a diagnosis or an instruction for practice.
Bring to therapy: one or two patterns you noticed, any recording difficulties, and the completed sheet. An honest partial record is useful; there is no need to make it look better.
Open the Self-Monitoring Form (PDF)
Source: IMPACT OCD, Center for Practice Innovations. Publisher’s adult ERP resource page.
Obsessions and Compulsions Log — editable Word document
A shorter table for connecting a trigger with the obsession, feared outcome, compulsion or avoidance, and distress rating. This may be a useful alternative when you and your therapist want a few examples rather than an hourly diary.
How to fill this in
- Use one row for one example. Under the trigger, describe what was happening. Under the thought, briefly record the unwanted doubt, image or urge.
- In the fear column, note what you were afraid might happen. This is a record of the fear, not a statement that it is true.
- Record the response: for example, checking, asking for reassurance, mentally reviewing or avoiding something. Use the form’s 1–10 SUDS scale for your distress, with 1 at the low end and 10 at the high end. SUDS means a personal rating of discomfort, not a measure of actual danger.
Invented example: “Sent an ordinary message | What if I sounded rude? | They may be upset with me | Reread it and asked someone to check | 6/10.” Your own short phrases are enough.
Bring to therapy: the link between trigger, fear and response, including anything you could not easily put into a column. Agree how many examples would help, rather than trying to capture every thought.
Download the OCD Log (Word .docx)
Source: the ERP for OCD forms collection by Rachel A. Davis, Emily Hemendinger and Stephanie Lehto.
2. Plan agreed practice: exposure hierarchies
Building an Exposure Hierarchy — PDF, 4 pages
A planning pack from the International OCD Foundation. Blank templates on pages 2–4 offer a table, a ladder and a thermometer layout. Page 1 contains a worked example involving harm-related fears; choose the blank format and examples that fit the plan you have agreed with your therapist.
How to fill this in
- Choose one blank layout on pages 2–4. You do not need to complete all three. Begin with everyday situations that OCD makes difficult and that you would like more freedom to do.
- Write possible practice steps in concrete terms. Give each an estimated distress rating using either 0–10 or 0–100, as agreed with your therapist; do not mix scales. Arrange them from less to more challenging.
- Review the list together before beginning new exposure practice. For each chosen step, agree which ritual you will work on resisting, the reasonable safety boundaries, and when to practise and review.
A possible planning item: “Send a routine, low-stakes message after the agreed ordinary check, without repeatedly reopening it for reassurance.” Whether this fits, and its difficulty rating, are individual. Do not copy the PDF’s harm-themed examples as instructions.
Bring to therapy: the completed draft hierarchy and any steps that feel unclear or too large. Ratings can change. The list is a flexible plan, not an examination or a demand to reach the hardest step immediately.
Open the Exposure Hierarchy worksheets (PDF)
Source: International OCD Foundation. Publisher’s description and access page. The PDF’s copyright notice remains the publisher’s.
Exposure Hierarchy — editable Word document
A simple planning table with space for lower, medium and higher challenges. Use it to describe practices chosen together, including what response prevention will involve. A source example is not an instruction to copy that exposure.
How to fill this in
- List possible agreed practices in the lower, middle or higher challenge section. This sheet groups difficulty as 1–3, 4–6 and 7–10.
- Describe an action and its context, rather than a broad label such as “checking”. Add a short note about the ritual you are working on resisting, or use the response-prevention sheet below alongside it.
- Review the draft with your therapist and choose a manageable starting step together. You can leave a section blank, revise an estimate or break a step into smaller parts.
Bring to therapy: what you tried, what you noticed and where the plan needs adjusting. This Word table is an alternative to the PDF hierarchy; completing both is usually unnecessary unless you have agreed a reason.
Download the Exposure Hierarchy (Word .docx)
Source: ERP for OCD forms collection.
3. Make response prevention concrete
Response Prevention Plan — editable Word document
Spaces for the response you plan to practise during an exposure, outside planned practice, and in ordinary daily activities. This is a sheet to complete collaboratively, with clear, individual guidance about what is reasonable and safe.
How to fill this in
- Write a short description of the fear you are working on. Ask your therapist what identifying details are needed; a privately kept practice copy does not need extra personal information just because a box is present.
- For planned practice, identify the particular ritual the urge asks you to do and the response you have agreed to practise instead. Be specific about actions and mental rituals, rather than writing only “be less anxious”.
- For the section outside practice time, agree how to respond when the same urge appears in daily life. Do not assume the two sections must have identical instructions.
- Use the final section with your therapist to define reasonable ordinary behaviour where necessary. Preserve appropriate hygiene, medical advice, safety checks, religious choice and disability accommodations.
Invented example to discuss: “When I want to reopen an ordinary sent message repeatedly, I will follow our agreed checking plan and return to my next activity, allowing the doubt to be present.” Replacing checking with repeated reassurance or a phrase that must feel perfect can become another ritual; mention this if it happens.
Bring to therapy: where the plan was workable, where you got stuck and any unplanned rituals. The aim is useful learning, not self-criticism or a promise to get every attempt right.
Download the Response Prevention Plan (Word .docx)
Attribution in the document: Anxiety Disorders Center, Saint Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute. Shared through the ERP for OCD forms collection.
4. Understand the pattern with your therapist
Case Formulation — editable Word document
A brief way to connect triggers, compulsions, feared consequences and avoidance. “Formulation” means building a shared understanding of the pattern and what keeps it going. This is a discussion sheet for therapy, rather than a self-diagnosis form.
How to fill this in
- Start with one recent example. In the first row, describe the trigger: what happened, or what thought, image or sensation appeared.
- In the next row, note what you did to try to neutralise the fear. Include mental checking or repeated requests for certainty if relevant.
- In the feared-consequence row, record what OCD predicts would happen without the ritual. You are describing a prediction, not agreeing with it. In the last row, note situations you avoid because of this fear.
You do not have to discover a hidden cause or find the “right” deepest fear. Write “not sure” where needed. You and your therapist can revise the picture together.
Bring to therapy: the completed draft and any places where the columns did not fit your experience. Use it to discuss which parts of the pattern could become treatment targets, rather than to prove or disprove the feared outcome.
Download the Case Formulation sheet (Word .docx)
Source: ERP for OCD forms collection.
5. Talk about mental compulsions
Response Prevention Planning: Mental Compulsions — PDF, 2 pages
A discussion handout about less visible rituals, including repeated mental reviewing and seeking certainty. It includes examples of responses to discuss with your therapist. It is a handout with examples, rather than a blank form; the suggestions are not all appropriate for every person or situation.
How to use this handout
- Read it once at a manageable pace and mark one or two examples you want to discuss. It is not a checklist on which you need to recognise everything.
- On a separate private note, jot down a recent trigger, what your mind did in response, and what that response was trying to achieve. For example: “After a conversation, I kept replaying it to feel certain I had said nothing wrong.”
- Review your notes with your therapist before choosing a response-prevention strategy. The purpose and context matter: ordinary preparation, reflection, prayer or self-care are not automatically compulsions.
The second page offers examples, not a personal treatment plan. Do not automatically stop useful preparation, destroy notes or copy a distressing script from it. Agree what fits your situation. Response prevention is not an instruction to force thoughts away; if a coping phrase becomes something you must repeat until it feels right, bring that to therapy too.
Bring to therapy: your marked examples, questions and short notes. You do not need to write out every intrusive thought or disclose details on this website.
Open the Mental Compulsions handout (PDF)
Author: Stephanie Lehto, 2023. Source: ERP for OCD forms collection. Some pages on that source website contain exposure examples and images; the link above opens the handout directly.
After completing a sheet: discuss it together
Bring the completed form to your next agreed appointment, including blanks, uncertainties and attempts that did not go as planned. You could begin: “This is one example I found hard. Can we look at what happened and decide what to try next?”
Review what you noticed, which responses were rituals, what helped you follow the agreed plan and what support or changes you need. Agree one next step and when to review it. If filling in, rereading or correcting the form starts to become a ritual, tell your therapist; a shorter record or a different way of working may be more useful.
These filling-in notes explain the worksheets. The amount of recording and any ERP practice should follow your individual treatment plan. An incomplete sheet should never be a reason to delay asking for help.
Using, printing and keeping your forms
- PDFs: these are print-style sheets, without built-in interactive form fields. You can print them or use a compatible PDF annotation app. Ask for another format or larger print if needed.
- Word files: open the .docx file in a compatible word processor. You can type into it or print a blank copy.
- Keep completed forms private: they may contain sensitive information. Bring them to your appointment or use a secure sharing method agreed with your therapist. Do not put them in public comments.
- Use a manageable amount: agree the purpose and frequency with your therapist. A useful record does not have to be perfect or include every thought.
- Respect real safety needs: treatment planning should take account of health, disability, access needs and actual risks. Do not invent unsafe exposure exercises from a worksheet example.
The publishers retain copyright and set their own terms for using, printing and sharing their materials. These links provide free access as checked above; they do not grant permission to rebrand, adapt, translate or republish a file. If a download changes or stops working, try its publisher page.
More OCD information and support
- Understanding OCD, obsessions and compulsions, including a short printable introduction.
- How ERP for OCD works.
- OCD treatment and family support.
- More free mental health reading and printable resources.
- Find support where you live. In immediate danger, or if you cannot stay safe, contact local emergency services.
If you would like information about working with me, you can read about OCD therapy in Dublin and online where suitable.