Introduction to behavioural activation for depression
Boost your awareness of depressive states, and one of the key techniques to tackle them.
| Length | Start date | Led by | In partnership with |
| Three weeks | The latest taught course has already taken place, but you can still take a self-guided version. Simply sign up to start. | Health Sciences | FutureLearn |
With an increased awareness and understanding of mental health, more and more people are seeking to learn about effective ways to improve depression or low mood. This three-week course will introduce you to key principles and practices of behavioural activation. You will explore how this approach has been shown to be successful in reducing levels of depression in a wide range of people in a wide variety of situations.
Behavioural activation is based on one key principle: that scheduling and completing meaningful, purposeful and rewarding activities can lift our mood, energise us, and stimulate our interest and pleasure in day-to-day life. The approach is efficient, easy to learn, and works across different age ranges, depression severity levels, and cultures. You’ll be able to relate the knowledge you will gain throughout the course to both your life and to your interactions with others.
On this course, you'll explore techniques associated with behavioural activation. These include learning to recognise the behavioural traps that perpetuate depression, and how to build up the confidence and motivation to achieve goals aligned to personal values.
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Guidance for York account holders enrolling on FutureLearn courses (PDF 
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You can join and access this course for free. You're also able to upgrade your FutureLearn account to a paid version for additional benefits (futurelearn.com).