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Psychologist Peter Lewinsohn proposed the psychological intervention in 1974. It helps people increase the frequency of pleasurable experiences, reduce avoidance, solve problems, do things to feel mastery and accomplishment, and helps people act in ways that are consistent with their values. (Kanter et al., 2012).
The goal of Behavioural Activation is to improve mood, reduce unpleasant symptoms like depression, and increase one’s quality of life. Although Behavioural Activation was created as a treatment for depression, research has supported its use for multiple conditions.
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 Homework can make therapy better! If you don’t know something or understand something, what do you do? The first thing I do is look it up. In the past this was difficult and involved going to a library, buying a book, or calling someone who had the information you wanted. Today, because of technology, so much information is just a click away. But how do you sort through all the information on the Internet about psychology? Sure, you want to live a better life and feel better, but what source should you use and whose advice should you take?
Fortunately, if your psychologist uses psychoeducation, as I do, they can provide you with the information you need from reliable sources. Psychologists may recommend books, websites, or organizations that have information that could enhance your therapy sessions. For most clients, I provide psychoeducation in the form of handouts, tracking forms, fact sheets, brochures, or self-help modules. These are given as therapy homework. Therapy homework gives you more bang for your buck and provides more therapy benefits in-between sessions. You will make much more progress in therapy if you practice techniques regularly outside of your therapy sessions. Here are five examples of therapy homework: CBT stands for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. It's a popular therapy that was created by Aaron Beck in the 1960s (1). In the 1950s, Albert Ellis created Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) that has some similarities and differences from CBT (2). I tend to use a mixture of both with my clients. CBT is the most researched therapy approach (3). In treatment studies, CBT has been beneficial for individuals experiencing depression, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and many other mental health conditions (4). CBT has been helpful for individuals using in-person therapy, online therapy, self-help books, and even in online self-help programs.
 Keeping busy with activities that bring value or positive emotions is good for mental health. Behavioural activation (BA) is a therapeutic intervention that involves engaging in pleasurable activities to improve your mood. BA was initially studied as a treatment for depression, and it has been helpful in improving the moods of people who struggle with this condition (see Behavioral activation interventions for well-being: A meta-analysis; Mazzucchelli, Kane, & Rees, 2010).
This post was updated on March 30, 2024.
I have been asked many times to explain the difference between Psychologists, Psychological Associates, Psychiatrists, and Psychotherapists. Hopefully, this blog post will provide a helpful answer! (There are different types of Psychologists, but for this post I will be referring to Clinical Psychologists who provide psychotherapy and psychological assessments in Ontario.) What is a Psychologist? According to the Canadian Psychological Association, "A practicing psychologist is trained to assess and diagnose problems in thinking, feeling and behaviour as well to help people overcome or manage these problems. A psychologist is uniquely trained to use psychological tests to help with assessment and diagnosis. Psychologists help people to overcome or manage their problems using a variety of treatments or psychotherapies". (Canadian Psychological Association. What is a Psychologist? Retrieved from https://cpa.ca/public/whatisapsychologist/.) 
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for unhelpful thinking patterns. These thinking patterns are common to many people and contribute to depression, anxiety, and various mental disorders.
CBT can help you to notice the relationships among: A) An Activating Event or Situation, B) Beliefs and Thoughts, and C) Consequences such as emotions, physical sensations, behaviours, or urges.  Regular use of gratitude journaling can change your perspective. I like to recommend that my clients keep a gratitude journal. A gratitude journal is a Positive Psychology tool that helps individuals to focus more on what is going well in their lives. This is different from many therapeutic techniques that focus on problems (although this is often necessary). Our thoughts and perceptions of ourselves, our lives, other people, and the world can vary along a continuum from everything is wonderful to everything is absolutely horrible. If one is depressed, everything seems horrible, doesn’t it? But if we take a closer look, we can often find positives in our lives that we took for granted because we were seeing everything though a negative ‘mental filter’. A gratitude journal can help bring the positives in our lives back into focus, so that we can see things from a more balanced perspective. When you realize that everything in your life is not horrible, this can really improve your mood!
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Candice Bovell, Ph.D., C.Psych.
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May 2024
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