Overcoming Depression One Step at a Time

Learn breakthrough self-activation techniques to: ·Become more engaged with your life ·Enjoy daily activities ·Feel able to face challenges ·Stop avoiding social situations ·Feel strong and competent again ·Conquer the obstacles that keep depression going ·Stop making decisions based on your moods ·Get back on track with your life goals ·Recognize the habits and patterns that fuel your depressionAchieve medication-free recoveryBehavioral activation therapy offers effective, fast relief from depression. This powerful and progressive therapy steers away from the idea that depression symptoms represent an illness or weakness. Instead, depression is merely a signpost pointing directly at the things that need to change in one's life. Its engaging exercises make it easy for you to focus on activities that will inspire you with feelings of pleasure, mastery, and engagement. Learn to develop a list of enjoyable activities, or activities you need to engage in as a part of a normal and satisfying life. Begin with the easiest (or sometimes, the most indispensable) activities on your the list, and learn how to tackle them one by one. This simple, profound process will connect you with naturally occurring rewards, which are powerful antidotes to feelings of depression. With this foundation, go on to change how you approach your day-to-day life-your daily activities, the choices you make, and the way you cope with life's ups and downs. You'll find this proven-effective approach to coping with depression easy to master.

"Addis and Martell are on the cutting edge of research on psychological treatments for depression. Now they have adapted one of the most powerful new psychological treatments for depression into an easy-to-use and convenient workbook that will be of enormous benefit to both individuals suffering from depression and therapists conducting treatment. The authors are the first to make this program generally available to clinicians and the public and, in its straightforward easy to understand format, millions of people should benefit." --David H. Barlow, Ph.D., professor of psychology and director of clinical programs at Boston University

Michael E. Addis PhD, is associate professor of psychology at Clark University in Worcester, MA. He received his PhD from the University of Washington in 1995. He has published over forty scientific articles and books on topics including depression, the relationship between research and practice in clinical psychology, and men's mental health. In 1997, he received the President's New Researcher Award from the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy. In 2003, he received the researcher of the year award from the Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity, and the American Psychological Association's David Shakow Award for early career contributions to the science and practice of clinical psychology. Christopher R. Martell, PhD, ABPP, is a licensed psychologist, and is board certified in clinical, behavioral, and cognitive psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is clinic director of the Psychological Services Center, and lecturer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Martell has coauthored eight books, and has authored or coauthored numerous articles and chapters on behavioral activation.