Beyond the Session: How Homework Helps Therapy Stick

7/13/26

Written By: Jordan Westfall, LPC

Whether you are 5 or 65, you have had homework at some point in your life. You may have thought, “this is so dumb”, or, “why do I even have to do this anyways?”. Therapy is no different, and even though some therapists don’t coin it as ‘homework’, it is still work you have to do outside of therapy sessions to grow. Clients normally come to therapy once per week for about 45 minutes to an hour, which at times is not enough to create lasting and sustainable change. Therapy homework provides support for clients in between sessions by helping them practice coping and regulation skills in real life-situations. 

There are various types of homework that therapists may give, and these depend on the individual client and what their therapeutic goals are. 

• Cognitive and Thinking 

Thought records: Tracking distressing thoughts by noting the situation, the automatic thought, the emotion felt, and the evidence that challenges or supports the thought. 

Cognitive restructuring worksheets: Identifying specific thinking “errors” such as black and white thinking, and thinking about a more balanced perspective. 

Psychoeducation: Reading books, listening to podcasts, or watching videos to understand concepts learned in sessions.

• Behavioral 

Behavioral experiments: Testing assumptions and fears in real life situations to challenge your thoughts. 

Activity scheduling: Planning rewarding or mastery-based activities for the week and reflecting on your mood afterwards to support a reduction in anxious or depressive symptoms. 

Gradual exposure: Taking small and manageable steps towards confronting something you are fearful of to support building resilience and confidence. 

• Somatic, Relaxation, and Grounding 

Mindfulness: Practicing body scans, yoga, or mindfulness exercises off of YouTube videos or worksheets to strengthen the mind body connection. 

Grounding: Using strategies such as the 5,4,3,2,1 method to bring you back into the moment when feeling anxious. 

Breathwork: Practicing daily deep breathing to calm the body. 

• Interpersonal and Communication 

Boundary Setting: Writing out a script for boundaries and practicing it so you feel confident communicating it to someone else. 

Letters: Writing a letter to someone with no intention of sending it as an outlet to process thoughts and feelings along with reflecting on the relationship. 

Therapy homework helps hold both the client and therapist accountable for maintaining progress on therapeutic goals. Therapists can also use client’s engagement in homework as an indicator for motivation towards achieving goals. It is recommended that therapists get creative with the homework by tailoring them to clients’ interests, which supports increased engagement. Therapists can also find helpful resources for creating and presenting homework on various websites such as TherapistAid.com or PositivePsychology.com. 

Therapy begins in the office space, but it can also carry to clients’ lives outside of session where they are experiencing situations that are dysregulating between sessions. Therapy homework doesn’t have to have a negative meaning as just another assignment to check off the list, it can bring meaningful connection and increased confidence in clients.