A210 Treating Depression: What Really Works

This course explores the current state-of-the-art knowledge about treating depression, with a focus on well-researched treatments already in the therapeutic repertoire. You'll learn about successful, but often ignored, treatment approaches, including strategies for dealing with sleep disturbance, reducing anxiety, changing attributional thinking, and targeting dysfunctional behaviors and thoughts. The emphasis will be on striking a balance between being supportive and empathetic, on the one hand, and gently challenging the client, on the other, by assigning homework that inculcates depression-fighting skills.

Meet The Instructor

Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D, is a clinical psychologist and marriage and family therapist who's internationally recognized for his work in the strategic treatment of depression and teaches professional audiences all over the world. He's the author of 12 books, including Treating Depression with Hypnosis; Hand-Me-Down Blues: How to Stop Depression; and Breaking the Patterns of Depression.

Course Contents

Session 1: Epidemiology as an informant • Genetics • Assessment issues • Comorbidity • Sleep issues

Session 2: Key patterns of depression • Ambiguity as a primary risk factor • Attributional style and the power of personal meaning • The vital importance of expectancy

Session 3: Coping styles • Perfectionism and depression • Perceptions of controllability

Session 4: The strengths of psychotherapy • The role of anti-depressants • Single vs. combined treatments • Self-regulation of mood and anxiety

Session 5: Depression in marriage and the family • Depression's effects on dating, marrying, divorcing, and parenting • Reducing transgenerational risk

Session 6: Treatment planning strategies • Learning to think strategically • Homework and task assignments • Prevention issues • Course summary

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the most and least relevant theoretical models for understanding and treating depression.
2. Understand what we actually know (as opposed to what we merely speculate) about depression from a biological, psychological, and sociological perspective.
3. Identify the key patterns that cause and maintain depression.
4. List and describe the role of attributional style patterns as depressive risk factors.
5. Develop specific, active intervention strategies for facilitating recovery.
6. Design structured homework assignments to facilitate the development of life-enhancing skills to reduce relapses.

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