Display Patient Information Leaflets

Behavioural Activation (BA)

Posted Tuesday, 22 August 2023

Date issued: June 2023

Review date: June 2025

Ref: C-529/EL/Clinical Psychology/Behavioural Activation (BA)

All CWP interventions are based on CBT. They usually last between 6-8 sessions and progress continues after the end of intervention, especially when new ideas and skills are practised at home
The sessions can be with your child and/or you, face to face or via video and/or telephone call
Attending regular sessions is important for change

BA aims to support children and young people experiencing low mood by focussing on changing unhelpful behaviours
In this intervention, we encourage the young person to spend more of their time doing things that are important to them, allowing them to think and feel better

BA is about making your life meaningful and pleasurable again, it involves these steps:

Learning about the vicious cycle of inactivity and understanding that we need to motivate ourselves to start feeling better
Monitoring our daily activities to understand the relationships between our activity and our mood
Identifying values, goals and what really matters to a young person
Carrying out meaningful activities to boost feelings of positivity and reward

As with all our interventions, it is really important that the young person practices the suggested techniques at home. As a caregiver, it would be great if you helped facilitate these tasks
For example, by providing gentle (but not pressured) reminders of the tasks that were agreed in session and practicing coping strategies when things are calm and settled. Making it a positive experience will motivate learning and support progress
Although we understand it can be very tempting, it is really important not to ‘rush’. Please try to stick to the agreed tasks made in the session. If your child then chooses to do more, that is fantastic!
Celebrate your young person’s attempts and successes, no matter how big or small! (It is ok if the task is not completed, it is more important to just give it a go)
Model the behaviours you would like to see, such as doing things that are valuable to you
Remember it is a journey for the young person and with you beside them, they can achieve great things!

Go to getselfhelp.co.uk to access free downloadable resources for depression
Search “The vicious cycle of low mood” on YouTube by East London NHS Foundation Trust
Search “Why are our thoughts often so negative?!” on YouTube by Your ACT Auntie

If you have any questions regarding this intervention or the CWP sessions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your Wellbeing Practitioner!