CBT without a Therapist
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Course · 5 modules · 21 lessons

Reducing Anxiety

Learn how anxiety works, what keeps worry going, and how to respond differently.

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First module free. No card required 5–10 minutes of reading per lesson Dugas–Ladouceur protocol

Worry can shift from one topic to another

A day in your head

Big meeting today. What if I mess it up?

Why is nobody texting me back? Did something happen?

I think there might be a mistake in that email. I’ll check it again.

My heart feels strange. What if something’s wrong? I’ll look up the symptoms.

Googling that made it worse.

Course · 5 modules · 21 lessons

Understand what keeps anxiety going and how to respond differently

Module 1

How anxiety works

You’ll use a recent situation where you felt anxious to identify what triggered the anxiety and what happened next.

Free 5 lessons
Start module 1
  • 1When caution turns into worry
  • 2How one anxious thought leads to the next
  • 3Why uncertainty makes worry harder to manage
  • 4Why repeated checking only brings short-term relief
  • 5How to keep an anxiety journal
After this module

A map of your anxiety: what triggers it, how you usually respond, and which habits keep worry going. You’ll also have your first journal entry to compare later with what actually happened.

Module 2

How to reduce repeated checking

You’ll practice limiting checks even when doubt comes back.

4 lessons
  • 1Why you feel the need to check again
  • 2How to decide in advance when you’ve checked enough
  • 3What to do when doubt comes back
  • 4A plan for the next time doubt hits
After this module

A clear rule for checking and a plan for what to do when doubt returns without any new information.

Module 3

How to limit repetitive worry

You’ll learn when thinking helps you reach a decision and when it keeps returning to the same question.

4 lessons
  • 1Why worry can feel useful
  • 2How to tell preparation from worry
  • 3What to do when the same thought comes back
  • 4How to set aside time for worry
After this module

A set time for worry and one specific action to take when the same thought returns.

Module 4

Real problem or anxious prediction?

You’ll learn to tell a problem you can act on now from a prediction about what might happen.

4 lessons
  • 1Real problem or anxious prediction?
  • 2How to define a problem you can solve
  • 3How to choose a workable solution
  • 4Start with one concrete action
After this module

One concrete first action on a real problem, without spending hours weighing every option.

Module 5

How to work with worst-case scenarios

You’ll learn why frightening scenarios keep returning and practice responding without repeated checking or avoidance.

4 lessons
  • 1Why the frightening thought keeps coming back
  • 2How to work with a frightening scenario without avoiding it
  • 3Which skills to keep using
  • 4A plan for the next anxiety spike
After this module

Your plan for the next anxiety spike: what to do in the first few minutes and which skills to return to the next day.

Format

How the lessons work

One topic per lesson

Reading takes about 5–10 minutes. Applying the lesson to your own situation may take longer.

Practice with your own situation

Each lesson includes an exercise you can apply to something that is happening in your life now.

A summary at the end of each module

The AI assistant gathers your answers into a short module summary.

Start module 1 Free. No card required.

Course materials

What you’ll have at the end of the course

Anxiety map

What triggers your worry and how you usually respond.

Worry journal

What you expected and what actually happened.

Checking rule

How many times to check and when to stop.

First action

Where to start with a problem you can act on.

Self-help plan

What to do during the next anxiety spike.

The evidence

What research on the clinical protocol shows

This course draws on the intolerance-of-uncertainty model of generalized anxiety disorder developed by Michel Dugas, Robert Ladouceur, and colleagues. One of its main treatment targets is intolerance of uncertainty: difficulty tolerating situations when there is no clear answer yet.

NICE recommends CBT and CBT-based self-help for generalized anxiety disorder.

77%

20 of 26 participants in a controlled trial no longer met diagnostic criteria for GAD after clinician-delivered treatment.

12 months

In the same trial, improvements were maintained at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups.

148

adults received 15-session clinician-delivered CBT based on this model in a 2022 multisite trial. Treatment by videoconference was statistically non-inferior to face-to-face therapy on the main outcomes.

These findings come from clinician-delivered treatment studies. They are not outcome data for this self-guided course.

Sources: Ladouceur et al., 2000 · Bouchard et al., 2022 · NICE CG113

The first module is free

Start with the first module

Use one situation from your own life to identify what triggers anxiety, which reactions keep worry going, and what you can do differently.

Start module 1