Graded Homework Assignments
using Behavioral Activation (BA)
in
Module 4: CBT for Depression
Muhammad Aslam
Clinical Psychologist & Director of CBT Diploma PACT
Activity Scheduling
Scheduling enjoyable and goal-
directed activities into the person,s
day
Assists withdrawn patients reengage
in pleasurable activities
Provides the patients with the
opportunity to feel more effective as
he or she completes tasks
Pattient needs to be educated about
the relationship between
involvement in an activity and
improvement in mood.
Behavioral Activation is well-established as
a treatment for depression:
BA by increasing pleasant events for the treatment
of depression (e.g., Lewinsohn, 1974)
BA as the behavioral component of cognitive
therapy treatment for depression (Beck, 1976)
BA as an independently effective intervention for
depression (e.g., Jacobson et al., 1996)
BA as a stand-alone behavioral treatment for Major
Depressive Disorder (Martell, Addis and Jacobson, 2001;
Addis & Martell, 2004; Dimidjian et al., 2006; Dobson et al.,
2008)
What is Behavioral Activation?
Structured, brief psychosocial approach
Based on premise that problems in
vulnerable individuals' lives and
behavioral responses reduce ability to
experience positive reward from their
environments
What is Behavioral Activation?
Aims to systematically increase
activation such that patients may
experience greater contact with
sources of reward in their lives and
solve life problems
Focuses directly on activation and on
processes that inhibit activation, such
as escape and avoidance behaviors
and ruminative thinking
Key Elements of BA
Behavioral case conceptualization
Functional analysis
Activity monitoring and scheduling
Emphasis on avoidance patterns
Emphasis on routine regulation
Behavioral strategies for targeting worry or
rumination
Goals are specific to the individual (not
necessarily pleasant events)
Activity Schedule (AS) WEEK(1)
Activities Time Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Awake up early in the
morning
Prepare breakfast
Activity Schedule (AS) WEEK(02)
Activities Time Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Awake up early in the
morning
Prepare breakfast
Watching T.V
Talk to friends
Activity Schedule (AS) WEEK(03)
Activities Time Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Awake up early in the morning
Prepare breakfast
Watching T.V
Talk to friends
Shopping
Walk in evening
Prepare meal at night
What is Behavioral Activation?
• Structured, brief psychosocial approach
• Based on premise that problems in vulnerable individuals’
lives and behavioral responses reduce ability to experience
positive reward from their environments
• Aims to systematically increase activation such that
patients may experience greater contact with sources of
reward in their lives and solve life problems
• Focuses directly on activation and on processes that inhibit
activation, such as escape and avoidance behaviors and
ruminative thinking
Why is BA important?
• Depression contains a host of attributes and behaviors that
maintain depressive affect
• Examples include:
• passivity, fatigue, sense of hopelessness, feelings of failure
• These attributes increase AVOIDANCE and ISOLATION from
both negative and positive experiences
• Avoidance also decreases possibilities for positive
experiences and pleasant events which have shown to
alleviate depressive affect
Treatment Rationale for BA
• Emphasize relationships between environment, mood
and activity
• Highlight vicious cycle that can develop between
depressed mood, withdrawal/avoidance, and worsened
mood
• Suggest activation as a tool to break this cycle and
support problem solving
• Emphasize an “outside-in” approach: act according
to a plan or goal rather than a feeling or internal state
The Avoidance Pattern
• Avoidance pattern sometimes referred to as the
“depression loop” which, if not intervened with,
maintains the depression
Feeling depressed
Staying inside, withdrawing From friends, thinking
about Problems
Gets you further stuck in the long run
Outside-In View of Depression (BA)
• Experience and behavior affect mood (“I feel good after I go for a walk”.)
• BA is an “outside in” view of depression
• BA interventions include, but are not limited to:
• Reintroducing prior pleasant activities
• Introducing new pleasant activities
• Active coping - taking some form of behavioral activity to reduce or alleviate
a life stressor.
For example:
• making your bed
• opening your mail
• calling an estranged family member or friend
• Cooking a nice meal for yourself
• Engaging in creative activities
BA Strategies
• BA strategies are designed to intervene in the depression
loop and improve mood in many different ways
• Reversing avoidance
• Increasing physical activity
• Increasing self confidence and sense of accomplishment
• Increase of feelings of purpose and meaning
• Not only do these interventions improve mood, but
empirical evidence suggests that BA alone reduces
maladaptive thought processes (Jacobsen et al 1996)
Guiding Principles of BA
• Changing what patients do has a positive impact on how
they feel
• Life changes and events can lead to depression and the
person’s initial coping strategies may inadvertently maintain
the depression
• What becomes antidepressant for a person lies in what
precedes and follows their important behaviors
• Structure and schedule activities that follow a plan, not a
mood
• Change will be easier when starting small
• Activities that are naturally reinforcing are emphasized
Guiding Principles of BA (cont)
• Empower people by coaching them in making changes so it
becomes their success
• Emphasize a problem solving experimental approach and
recognize that all results are useful
• Don’t just talk. Do!
• Problems will arise and troubleshooting actual and possible
barriers to activation is essential
Adapted from “Behavioral Activation for Depression: A
Clinician’s Guide” Martell, Dimidjian, Herman-Dunn, 2010
The BA Treatment Process
• Step 1: Provide the patient with the rationale for BA
Lowered Mood
Decreased Activities
Decreased Pleasant Activities
The BA Treatment Process
• If depressed persons increase their activities on a
daily basis, it Improves mood and decreases symptoms
of depression
Pleasant Mood
Improved Mood
Decreased depressive symptoms
The BA Treatment Process
• Step Two: Identify behaviors – discussing activities
• Possible questions might include:
• Are there activities or hobbies that you used to enjoy doing but
have now stopped doing?
• Are there activities or hobbies that you would like to do but have
never done?
• Are there things in your life that you would like to change?
• Step Three: Agreeing on an action plan
• Example: Goal – Patient will walk their dog 3 times for a
minimum of 30 minutes per walking session
• Timeframe: Patient will complete 3 dog walking episodes over
the next week
The BA Treatment Process
• Step Four:
• Monitor progress in mood, mastery, and confidence
• Review between session assignments and activity logs.
• Connect mood with pleasurable activity
• Collaborate with the patient to identify avoidance and escape patterns which may be
barriers to activation
• Use coaching and problem solving to encourage the patient in a non- judgmental way
to activate through avoidance and escape patterns
• Amend treatment goals, when necessary
• Break down activities into smaller tasks to improve chances of success
Discussion
• What were the guiding BA principles that you observed the therapist using?
• What was the patient’s response to the therapist’s focus on the activity log?
Discussion
• What were the important techniques used to continue to motivate the patient in the
use of BA?
• How did you observe the patient’s response to her success with a lowered PHQ-9 score?
Discussion
• What was the therapist’s clinical stance in regards to
the inactivity of the patient?
• How did the therapist move away from the patient
feeling a sense of failure?
Internal Behaviors: Rumination and Negative Thinking
What is ruminating?
• “People with a ruminative response style think repetitively and
passively about their negative emotions, focusing on their symptoms of
distress
(“I feel so lousy,” “I just can’t concentrate”) and worrying about the
meanings of their distress (“Will I ever get over this?”).”
Nolen-Hoeksema, 2000
• Ruminative response styles predict higher levels of depressive
symptoms over time, onset of new episodes, and episode chronicity.
The Problem with Rumination from a BA Perspective
• Disengages one from environment and keeps focus
on internal thoughts rather than participation in the
moment
• Rumination prevents effective problem solving
Content Focus on Thinking
• “I was depressed all day yesterday because I was thinking about how my friends really
don’t care about me.”
• *What is the evidence that this thought is accurate?
• *What would it mean if it were true?
• *Can you think of another way to interpret what your friends think? • *Why must
everyone care about you?
Focus on the Context and Consequences of Thinking
• “I was depressed all day yesterday because I was thinking about how my friends really
don’t care about me.”
• When did you start thinking that?
• How long did it last?
• What were you doing while you were thinking that? How engaged were you with the
activity, context, etc.?
• What were the consequences of thinking about that? What might be the function?
Problem Solving and Behavioral Activation
• Problem solving is front and center in the BA approach to treatment
• 2 Principles
• Act as a coach
• Emphasize a problem solving empirical approach, recognize all results are useful
Distinguishing Problems
• Primary: Usually beyond the patient’s control
• Examples:
• Loss of a spouse
• Breakup of a relationship
• Car breaks down
• Layoff from job
• Secondary: Examples
• Stay in bed all morning
• Watch TV or play video games all day
• Drink or us substances to forget about my problems
Avoidance and Escape Behaviors
• Key: Acting as to keep something aversive from
happening
• Avoidance: Acting in order to prevent something (i.e.
not going to work because of fear of a bad performance
evaluation)
• Escape: Acting to take oneself out of an undesirable
situation (i.e., turning on TV to avoid doing taxes)
Validating the Natural Tendency to Avoid and the
Challenge of Change
• Avoidance patterns are very persistent and self-reinforcing
• Is extremely important to show empathy in acting as a coach
• Validate their experience; remain hopeful about how they can
improve
• People don’t care what you know until they know you care
• Validation is important in the process of helping patients counter
avoidance
• Validation reduces shame and anxiety and facial
Mastery and Pleasure in Activity Schedule
Activity Name Mastery (How much task completed) Pleasure (How much interest
developed)
Awake up early in the morning 10 pm 1%
Prepare breakfast 3% 2%
Watching T.V
Talk to friends
Shopping
Walk in evening
Prepare meal at night
T.V at night
Book reading
Questions?
