Therapy homework is any activity you do between sessions to practise, test or reflect on what you are working on with your therapist. Good therapy homework ideas for clients include tracking thoughts and moods, trying small behavioural experiments, journaling after sessions, practising calming skills, rehearsing hard conversations, and clarifying your values. Pick one or two, keep them small, and bring what you notice to your next session.
This guide is written for you, the client, not the therapist. The 25 ideas below are self-reflection starting points to discuss with your therapist. They do not replace their guidance, and if one of them stirs up strong distress, stop and tell your therapist.
What therapy homework is and why therapists assign it
Therapy sessions are usually about an hour a week or less. The rest of the week is where new habits either take root or do not. Homework bridges the two, and it can be as simple as "notice when that thought shows up" or as structured as a worksheet.
Therapists often assign it for a few reasons:
- Practice. Skills like grounding or challenging a thought are easier to learn by doing than by talking about them.
- Information. Your notes show patterns that are hard to see from memory alone.
- Testing ideas. A belief such as "if I say no, they will be angry" can be gently checked.
Research on this is most developed in cognitive behavioural therapy. A meta-analysis by Kazantzis, Whittington and Dattilio (2010), summarised in Psychology Today, found that clients given homework tended to do better than clients who were not, and earlier reviews linked completing homework with better outcomes. These studies show associations, not guarantees, and mostly concern structured therapies. Your therapist is the best judge of what suits you.
What to do if your therapist has not given you any
Many clients never receive formal homework, and that is not a problem. Some therapists prefer open conversation and let the work happen in the room.
If you would like something to do between sessions, you can simply ask:
- "Is there anything you would suggest I notice or try this week?"
- "Would it help if I kept track of something?"
- "I would like to do a little between sessions. What fits what we are working on?"
You can also choose one idea from this list and say, "I tried this, can we talk about it?" For a fuller walkthrough, see how to get more out of therapy and our therapy homework page.
How to use these ideas
Choose one or two, not all 25. Spend five to fifteen minutes, and jot down what happened. Skip anything that feels too heavy, and tell your therapist you skipped it, because that is useful information, not failure.
Thought and feeling tracking
1. The three-line thought record. When a strong feeling hits, write the situation, the thought that went through your mind, and the feeling. Do it within a day while it is fresh. Bring: two or three entries that felt typical.
2. The mood and context check-in. Once or twice a day, note your mood and one thing happening around it, such as sleep, work or a conversation. See how to track mood between therapy sessions. Bring: the overall shape of the week, not every data point.
3. Spot the thinking trap. When your mind says "always", "never" or "I ruined everything", write the sentence down and name the pattern, for example all-or-nothing thinking. Bring: the sentence you noticed most often.
4. Trigger and reaction log. Pick one recurring reaction, such as snapping or going quiet. Each time it happens, note what came just before it. Bring: the one trigger that showed up repeatedly.
5. Rate the intensity. Score strong feelings from 0 to 10 when they begin and an hour later. Bring: one example where the number dropped and one where it did not.
Behavioural experiments and small steps
6. Predict, then check. Write down a worry as a prediction ("they will think I am rude if I leave early"), try the small action, then record what actually happened. Bring: the prediction and the outcome side by side.
7. The five-minute start. For something you keep avoiding, commit to five minutes only. You are allowed to stop afterwards. Bring: what made starting hard and whether it eased once you began.
8. Shrink the step. Take a goal that feels huge and write the smallest version of it, such as opening the email without replying. Do only that.Bring: the step you chose and how it felt.
9. Plan one pleasant activity. Schedule something small you used to enjoy, with a day and time. Bring: whether the activity matched your expectation.
10. Avoidance list. Write the things you are putting off or steering around, then rank them from least to most uncomfortable. Bring: the list, so you and your therapist can choose a starting point together.
Journaling and reflection
11. The post-session note. Within an hour of a session, write the one or two things that stood out and anything you want to try. The full method is in post-session therapy journaling. Bring: your note, as a way to start the next session.
12. Free-write for ten minutes. Set a timer and write without editing. Bring: one sentence from it that surprised you.
13. A letter you do not send. Write to a person, a past version of yourself or a situation, saying everything unfiltered. Bring: what felt different after writing it, or the letter itself only if you choose to.
14. The good, hard and unclear. At the end of each day, write one thing that went well, one that was hard and one you are unsure about. Bring: the "unclear" entries, which are often good discussion material.
15. Questions for the room. Keep a running note of questions that arise, such as "Why does this keep happening?" Our journal prompts can spark ideas. Bring: your top two questions.
Body and calm
16. Slow breathing practice. Breathe in gently for four counts and out for six, for two minutes, once a day when you are already fairly calm. Bring: when you tried it and whether it felt comfortable. If breathing exercises make you feel worse, stop and mention it.
17. Five-senses grounding. Name five things you see, four you can feel, three you hear, two you smell and one you taste. Bring: whether it helped, and in which situations.
18. Body scan check. Pause once a day and notice where you hold tension, such as jaw, shoulders or stomach. Just notice, without fixing. Bring: where you tend to feel emotions physically.
19. Sleep and energy log. For a week, note roughly when you slept and how rested you felt. Bring: any pattern linking sleep to mood.
20. A movement note. After a walk or gentle movement, write how your body and mind feel. Bring: whether movement and mood seemed connected.
Relationships and communication
21. Rehearse a hard sentence. Write the exact words for something you need to say, then say it aloud alone, or practise it in session. Bring: the draft and which words felt hardest.
22. Notice your needs. Once a day, write one thing you wanted from someone and whether you asked for it. Bring: the situations where asking felt hardest.
23. One boundary experiment. Choose a small, low-risk moment to say no or ask for space, ideally after talking it through with your therapist. Bring: what you said, how the other person responded and how you felt.
Values and goals
24. Values snapshot. List five things that matter most to you, such as family, honesty or learning, then note whether this week's time reflected them. Bring: the biggest gap between what matters and how you spent your week.
25. The "what would I like to be different" sentence. Complete this once a week: "By our next session I would like to have..." Keep it modest and specific. Bring: the sentence, and whether it still feels right.
When to stop and get support
If an exercise brings up strong distress, overwhelming memories or thoughts of harming yourself, stop and tell your therapist as soon as you can. If you feel unsafe or are in crisis, contact a licensed professional, your local emergency services or a crisis line in your country right away. These ideas are not therapy and are not meant to replace your therapist's guidance.
Bringing your homework to the session
You do not need to show everything. Pick the one or two notes that mattered most, say what you tried and what you noticed, mention anything you avoided, and ask, "What do you make of this?" For a simple structure, see therapy session prep.
Where Symplia fits
Symplia is a private app for tracking moods, journaling and preparing for therapy. You choose what to share with your therapist. It is not therapy, it does not diagnose, and it is not an emergency service.
Try Symplia free at app.symplia.app. Monthly and Annual plans include a 7-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
What is therapy homework?
It is any activity you do between sessions to practise skills, gather information or reflect on what you are working on.
Do I have to do therapy homework?
Not necessarily. Different therapies use it differently, and some barely use it. If you cannot do what you were given, tell your therapist honestly.
What if I forget or do not do my homework?
This is very common and not a failure. Tell your therapist what got in the way, as that is often useful to know.
Can I ask my therapist for homework?
Yes. You can ask what to notice or try this week, or suggest an idea from this list and ask whether it fits your work together.
How much time should therapy homework take?
Many people find five to fifteen minutes a day, or a few times a week, is enough.
Can homework replace therapy sessions?
No. These are self-reflection tools to support the work you do with your therapist, not a substitute for professional care or guidance.
