Therapist Aid
CBT Technique: Behavioral Activation
Behavioral activation is a technique used in CBT and behavioral therapies as a treatment for depression. Research has supported behavioral activation as a treatment for depression with outcomes comparable of those to medication. This video provides a quick overview of what behavioral activation is, and how it can be used in the course of treatment.
For worksheets related to CBT and other mental health topics, visit us at http://www.TherapistAid.com
Music:
“Montauk Point” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
hey my name is Woody schul today we're going to talk about behavioral activation a technique used in CBT and behavioral therapies as a treatment for depression the first thing that I want you to know is that behavioral activation is effective researchers have found that it's more effective than techniques that address our thoughts it's on par with medication when it comes to treatment for depression so what is behavioral activation behavioral activation is a tech technique that addresses the person's Behavior the goal is to increase activity levels especially those that are positive and reinforcing let me explain why this works to treat depression someone who's depressed will often lose their motivation to do activities even things that they used to enjoy they might stop exercising they'll call friends less frequently and they'll put less effort into their work all of these changes have bad consequences such as worsening health fewer social interactions and worse work performance this reduction in positive experiences and increase in negative experience is the beginning of a cycle that leads to depression worsening behavioral activation stops the cycle by getting someone to do positive activities even if they aren't that pleasurable for them at first like we talked about before a person's motivation is pretty low so it's challenging but it becomes easier once the cycle has been broken next how do we actually use behavioral activation first we need to identify the negative behaviors that prevent a person from doing the positive behaviors this could be anything from sleeping too late using drugs or maybe just actively avoiding friends you'll also have to come up with positive behaviors to replace the negative ones these could be as simple as waking up early and going for a walk or maybe calling a friend when you're just getting started with behavioral activation you don't want to do anything too tough you don't want to lose motiv and not follow through so these activities should be easy and rewarding after some time the challenge of these tasks can and should start to increase maybe progress from calling a friend to actually going out with a friend or maybe starting to send resumés or applying for a job these sort of long-term positive activities remember these are just examples real life can be a lot more confusing and a lot Messier a therapist can help to identify these more complex negative behavior patterns and maybe help someone come up with ideas for realistic positive Replacements next it's important to come up with a specific plan to begin making these changes to behavior simply saying I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning and go for a walk isn't really enough remember depression destroys a person's motivation even a task that seems simple isn't always that simple one good way to create a behavioral activation plan is to schedule out an entire day now you have to be easy on yourself don't schedule ual difficult activities from sunrise to sunset this might mean just picking a few simple but rewarding activities sprinkled throughout the day of course the final stage is to actually implement the plan that you've created it's easier said than done so let me give you a few tips to make it more likely that you're successful keep the changes simple a small change is definitely better than no change someone who is depressed might feel like they need to force themselves to do even the simplest tasks they've planned for that's okay hey that's normal that's what depression is if you fail to follow your schedule just try to get back on track for the next activity social support is really important a therapist should ask about a person's success with a behavioral activation plan every session better yet someone who is trying to follow a plan should try to tell a loved one and ask them to check on their progress eliminating depression isn't going to happen overnight it's going to take time that sums up how to use behavioral activation here are some links to the worksheets that we showed throughout the video and also our website where we have a whole bunch of more tools videos articles all sorts of things for mental health workers if you like the video click below to subscribe to see more like it thanks for watching
#CBT #Technique #Behavioral #Activation
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The background music was incredibly annoying / intrusive. Seems odd to me that you wouldn't understand this, given your occupation.
Behavioral activation could mean implementing going for a walk by saying that you are going to meet up with a friend to do so! 😊
Very understanding content
Make sure the activities you do are important to you and honor your values. That could be from brushing your teeth, washing your hair, up to visiting a favorite place. Make sure to add 2 social activities, such as visiting the library or speaking to a cashier. Keep it simple with something you CAN do. If you only do one thing, give yourself a pat on the back and not criticism.❤
Things are looking up—cash refund notification
Sounds like this: https://youtu.be/ir0TESptXkI?si=Px3InIKc7f2jkjte
BA did not work for me. I spent years doing all kinds of things by myself (no one to do stuff with), feeling ashamed and sad.
Great video! My rehab clients enjoyed learning about Behavioral Activation
i encourage anyone watching this to read about the TRAP method. at least for me, it was extremely illuminating. i found that much of my daily routine was an avoidance pattern, and most of my free time was spent ruminating
Thanks for the brief explanation. Writing an essay on this topic. Was useful to have someone put it into more simple language
I figured out in my late 20's and it cured me of my social anxiety and depression. I learned to mentally 'let go' and let my body take control so there is no negative feeling. Also started choosing quicker when choosing things on a menu and saying yes to more things and just being generally spontaneous.
every area of behaviour is affected
150,548 views Very informative, insightful and therapeutic.
A beautiful, high vibe meditation inspired by cognitive behavioral therapy 🙂
https://youtu.be/lXCFNOwysX0
As someone who suffers with severe depression my therapist recommended me this video and so far everything is spot on me and hopefully I can use this to overcome my demons once and for all so I won’t end up back in my flunk again. My goal/intentions is to get better for myself, my family and my relationship. My goal is to get better and happier again without being consumed by negativity and this depressive demon I been fighting for years
8 years ago I got severely depressed and healed after about 2 years. Then for 6 years I thought I wasn’t depressed when really I was just way less depressed than I was at first. I’ve been living in perpetual depression for years and I think this is my solution. Feels like it’s gonna be a lot of work but worth it
💙💙
This method works for me much better than the cognitive approach, because I am not fully aware of the content of my thoughts and their effect on how I feel. But if I set myself small straightforward tasks with visible results it makes me feel a lot better
I'm unable to motivate my self full stop???
Cock and ball torture, from Wikipedia. The free encyclopedia. At en.wikipedia.org.
Links don't work…??
As an ABA therapist AND someone who suffers depression, it seems like something is missing. It's as if the antecedent, as well as the necessity of understanding how to assess motivational and reinforcing behaviors, is not addressed? I've been stuck in a cycle with the knowledge of behaviorla activation as a therapy, and I still can't get up and brush my teeth or do simple tasks not simply because of lack of motivation, but because the other behavior I'm engaging in (laying in bed, zoning out on TV, ruminating on pain) is far more reinforcing. It's comfortable. It's easy. Absolutely it adds to more depression, but in the moment it feels far more reinforcing than getting up and doing anything. Perhaps there's further depth in the study of this therapy, but anecdotally, try adding making a schedule to the already 1200 things I'm avoiding and see how fast this therapy loses steam. It would be more effective, perhaps, if folks were given some tools or understanding of the momentary punishment (behaviorally speaking) of a seemingly reinforcing behavior. A thought exercise modeled after behavioral chaining, perhaps? Maybe it's my training to want to shape bx in a systemic way. I dunno.
I like when he said- it’s ok to feel pressured to feel you need to do that activity you just missed. That’s what depression is. I laughed. Nice. Just get back on track for the next activity.
Thank you for teaching and sharing.
Thank you. I just realized a week ago that I'm in an anhedonic depression. A friend of mine recommended BA.
This guy doesn't get my kind of depression.
exactly what I was looking for . thanks bud
Thanks for the video, it was really informative.
Great videos and great website – so useful! Thank you!!
Very informative, insightful and therapeutic.
Very helpful! Thanks!