Behavioral Activation & CBT for Depression Course

What the module teaches

This is Module 3 of the PsychoPharmRef therapy course: a practical guide to delivering behavioral activation (BA), with cognitive techniques added for full CBT. The Learn tab covers the behavioral model of depression, the core principles to teach the client, and an eight-step delivery sequence:

• Psychoeducation and rationale
• Baseline self-monitoring
• Values and activity identification
• Graded, values-based activity scheduling
• Targeting avoidance, moving from TRAP to TRAC
• Problem-solving barriers
• Treating rumination as avoidance
• Relapse prevention

Further sections cover adding cognitive techniques, the standard session structure, troubleshooting, adaptations, combining therapy with medication, and measuring outcomes, followed by key references including Martell, Dimidjian and Herman-Dunn's clinician's guide.

Interactive worksheets

• Monitor. A baseline activity log: day, time, activity, and mood, mastery and pleasure each rated 0-10, with reflection prompts.
• Values. A values compass. For each life area, name what matters, rate its importance now (0-10), and brainstorm activities that express it.
• Schedule. The client's homework planner: specific activities at specific times, each linked to a value, graded by difficulty, with predicted mastery and pleasure to compare with actual ratings at the next session.
• Goals. A SMART goal builder and a Goal Attainment Scaling ladder from −2 to +2, with a single-goal GAS T-score.
• Fidelity & Outcomes. A 10-item BA session adherence checklist for self-supervision or peer review, and a PHQ-9 tracker that shows change from baseline. The tracker notes that a drop of 5 or more points, or 50% or more, is a common response threshold.

Each worksheet copies to dated plain text. A blank, fill-by-hand PDF of the worksheets can be downloaded from the module header.

Who it is for

The module is written for trainees and advanced students learning to deliver BA under supervision. The worksheets are practice aids, not validated instruments, and do not replace clinical judgment or supervision.