ABC Model

MINDSET & GROWTH TOOLS

Map the link between triggering events, beliefs, and outcomes
to interrupt automatic responses.

Where This Tool Helps

The ABC Model comes from cognitive behavioural therapy and does one specific thing well: it slows down the gap between what happened and what you did about it. A client may initially describe an event and reaction as if nothing happened between them. The model shows them the middle layer — the belief that interprets the event — and that is where the real leverage lives.

The common mistake is filling in A and C first, then working backward to B. That sequence reinforces the illusion that events drive outcomes. Start with A, then ask what belief made C feel like the only possible response. The Beliefs & Behaviours box is the hardest to fill honestly, and it is the most useful one.

The steps below are sequenced to counteract that pattern — moving deliberately from trigger to interpretation to consequence, in order.

How to Use This Worksheet

  1. In the Activating Agent box, describe the event precisely — what happened, where, who was present. Stay factual. Do not include your interpretation of it yet.
  2. In the Beliefs & Behaviours box, describe what you told yourself about the event and what you did in response. This is the interpretive layer.
  3. In the Consequences box, note both the positive and negative outcomes of that response. Most situations have both.
  4. Look at the sub-type labels — Supported / Needs Testing. Ask what evidence supports the interpretation and what evidence suggests another explanation.
  5. Use this as a single-incident tool first. Patterns emerge after you have completed it for 3 to 5 separate events.

Coaching and Health Scope

This is a coaching reflection aid, not therapy, diagnosis, medical care, or a validated clinical instrument. Use it to notice your own examples and prepare questions, not to identify or treat a condition. Pause if the exercise becomes distressing and bring persistent symptoms, treatment questions, or safety concerns to a licensed health professional. Use emergency or local crisis services for immediate danger.

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ABC Model

A
Activating Agent
Internal / External
Describe events preceding your actions or thoughts
B
Beliefs & Behaviours
Supported / Needs Testing
What did you tell yourself? What actions did you take?
C
Consequences
Positive / Negative
Describe the positive and negative consequences

To Consider

Now that you can see it laid out: Which belief in box B do you hold most automatically — the one you rarely examine? What would change if that belief were slightly less fixed?

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