Depression in Context: Strategies for Guided Action

Behavioural activation is a positive approach to treating depression. Within this framework, the therapist helps clients to see depression, not as something inside them but as a natural consequence of the way they cope with the shifting contexts of everyday life. There is no search for mental illness, skill deficits, or distortions in thinking. Rather the therapist coaches the client to engage in activities that will lead to a more rewarding life.