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Overcoming Depression (Second Edition): Workbook

Overcoming Depression – A Cognitive Therapy Approach comes in two volumes. This page is for the Client Workbook. Click on the following link to access the Therapist Guide

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for depression. It is recommended by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Overcoming Depression – A Cognitive Therapy Approach (Second Edition) is written by Mark Gilson, Arthur Freeman, M. Jane Yates, and Sharon Morgillo Freeman, and provides therapists with all the tools they need to deliver effective, evidence-based psychological treatment for depression. Part of the Treatments That Work® series, it provides step-by-step instructions for helping clients develop coping strategies and skills for proactively managing their depressed mood.

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Chapter 1: Overview

Chapter 2: Beginning Questions and Answers

Chapter 3: The Theory and Practice of Cognitive Therapy

Chapter 4: Understanding Your Body: The B of the BEAST

Chapter 5: Understanding the Impact of Emotion: The E of the BEAST

Chapter 6: Taking Action: The A of the BEAST

Chapter 7: Life Situations and Vulnerability: The S of the BEAST

Chapter 8: Thoughts and Depression: The T of the BEAST

Chapter 9: Relapse Prevention

Chapter 10: Final Words of Hope

Appendix of Forms

Front Matter

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Languages this resource is available in

  • English (GB)
  • English (US)

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Introduction & Theoretical Background

Depression is the most common mental health population in the general population (Kessler et al., 1994). It is estimated that around 11% of individuals will experience depression at some point in their lifetime (Lim et al., 2018). Symptoms include feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, or guilt; loss of interest in activities; reduced energy; changes in sleep or appetite; and thoughts of suicide or death. 

Overcoming Depression is a comprehensive program which assists clinicians in delivering effective CBT for depression. The program includes two books:

  • Overcoming Depression – A Cognitive Therapy Approach: Therapist Guide is the companion to this workbook. It details the step-by-step cognitive therapy treatment for depression.
  • Overcoming Depression – A Cognitive Therapy Approach: Workbook will help your patients to become active participants in their treatment and learn how to address the thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and life events that affect their mood.

About Treatments That Work®

Authored by leading psychologists including David Barlow, Michelle Craske and Edna Foa, Treatments That Work® is a series of manuals and workbooks based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Each pair of books – therapist guide and client workbook – contains step-by-step procedures for delivering evidence-based psychological interventions and will help you to provide the best possible care for your clients. 

Psychology Tools is proud to make many of the Treatments That Work® titles available to our members. Each book is available to download chapter-by-chapter, and Psychology Tools members with a currently active subscription to our ‘Complete’ plan are licensed to share copies with their clients.

How effective is this treatment?

Cognitive therapy was initially developed for the treatment of depression by Dr. Aaron T. Beck. The approach was developed and refined by Dr. Beck from the 1960s onwards and has received enormous professional attention. 

A substantial body of evidence now supports the use of CBT for overcoming depression. It is recommended in clinical practice guidelines for treating depression developed by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which produces guidelines for the National Health Service in the United Kingdom (APA, 2019; NICE, 2022). Evidence for this approach is impressive. A recent, comprehensive review of studies identified CBT as an effective treatment for depression (Cuijpers, 2017). Other meta-analyses indicate that CBT for depression is equally effective in individual therapy and guided self-help formats (Cuijpers et al., 2019).

Chapters in Overcoming Depression – A Cognitive Therapy Approach: Workbook:

  • Chapter 1: Overview
  • Chapter 2: Beginning Questions and Answers
  • Chapter 3: The Theory and Practice of Cognitive Therapy
  • Chapter 4: Understanding Your Body: The B of the BEAST
  • Chapter 5: Understanding the Impact of Emotion: The E of the BEAST
  • Chapter 6: Taking Action: The A of the BEAST
  • Chapter 7: Life Situations and Vulnerability: The S of the BEAST
  • Chapter 8: Thoughts and Depression: The T of the BEAST
  • Chapter 9: Relapse Prevention
  • Chapter 10: Final Words of Hope
  • Appendix of Forms

About the authors

Mark Gilson (PhD) is the founder of the Atlanta Center, established in 1985. He is former faculty, Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School’s Center for Cognitive Therapy under the direction of Aaron T. Beck, M. D. A founding fellow for the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, he is board-certified and Fellow of the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has published a variety of professional articles and book chapters since 1977. Dr. Gilson is an adjunct faculty member with Emory University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Georgia State University Department of Psychology. Along with his private practice that focuses on the treatment of depression, anxiety, and stress disorders, he also directs the Atlanta Center for Cognitive Therapy’s (ACCT) professional training and certification program that is approved by National Board of Certified Counselors and the American Psychological Association since 1988. The program offers continuing education to psychologists and professional counsellors. He has also been producer and radio station manager for college, professional and community radio, including programs that focused on issues in mental health.

Arthur (Art) Freeman was Visiting Professor in the Department of Psychology at Governors State University, and Clinical Professor at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM). He was also a Distinguished Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. For 13 years, he was the Founding Chair of the Department of Psychology at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He was a past president of both the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) and the International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy. Art was the editor of the Behavior Therapist and the Archive Series and Publications Coordinator for ABCT. He was Conference and Continuing Education Coordinator for ABCT, and earned board certification in Clinical Psychology, Family Psychology, and Cognitive Behavioral Psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). In addition to 100+ book chapters, reviews, and journal articles, he published over 75 professional books. He had a distinguished international reputation and travelled extensively, presenting lectures and providing clinical training. Dr. Freeman served on the editorial boards of several U.S. and international journals and his work has been translated from English into 14 other languages.

M. Jane Yates (PhD) is a Clinical Psychologist and one of the founding members of the Atlanta Center for Cognitive Therapy in Atlanta, Georgia, where she practices, teaches, and provides clinical supervision and consultation. She is an adjunct faculty member in the Emory University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences where she teaches and supervises psychiatric residents. She is a medical consultant in psychology to the Disability Quality Branch of the Social Security Administration. She has also authored book chapters and articles in cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy with challenging patients and provides lectures and presentations in cognitive therapy, ethics, and integrating transference and countertransference understanding into the practice of cognitive-behavioural therapy. Dr. Yates has dual clinical credentials. In addition to being a certified cognitive therapist, she is a psychoanalyst and is currently the president of the Atlanta Psychoanalytic Association. In that role, she has been an advocate for cognitive therapy as an evidenced-based treatment.

Sharon Morgillo Freeman (PhD, MSN, PMHCNS-BC) is CEO for the Center for Brief Therapy, PC, and Faculty in the Health Sciences Department at Indiana/Purdue University in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Dr. Freeman holds a PhD in Sociology and master’s degrees in both Nursing and Psychology. She is board-certified as an advanced practice clinical nurse specialist, and as an advanced practice addiction registered nurse by the International Nurses Society on Addiction. She is past President of NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals. She serves on the Medical Board and Board of Directors of The Recovery Center and the Alcohol Abuse Deterrent Program in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and is certified in Cognitive Therapy by the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. Dr. Freeman serves on the Board of Directors for the International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy. In addition to authoring numerous articles, chapters, and books, Dr. Freeman has lectured as an invited keynote or primary presenter to medical, nursing, and psychological audiences in more than 17 countries.

Therapist Guidance

Each Treatments That Work® title is published in two volumes:

  • Clients use the Workbooks which contain elements of psychoeducation, skills development, self-assessment quizzes, homework exercises, and record forms.
  • Therapists use the Therapist Guides which contain step-by-step instructions for teaching clients’ skills, overcoming common difficulties.

Although written for the client, the exercises in the workbook are intended to be carried out under the supervision of a mental health professional. The authors suggest that the most effective implementation of these exercises requires an understanding of the principles underlying the different procedures, and that mental health professionals should be familiar with both the Overcoming Depression – A Cognitive Therapy Approach: Therapist Guide as well as this workbook. 

Therapists with an active subscription to a Psychology Tools ‘Complete’ plan are licensed to use Treatments That Work® titles, and to download and share chapters with their clients.

References And Further Reading

  • American Psychological Association. (2019). Clinical practice guideline for the treatment of depression across three age cohorts: American Psychological Association guideline development panel for the treatment of depressive disorders. https://www.apa.org/ depression-guideline/guideline.pdf.
  • Cuijpers, P. (2017). Four decades of outcome research on psychotherapies for adult depression: An overview of a series of meta-analyses. Canadian Psychology / Psychologie Canadienne, 58, 7–19. https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000096.
  • Cuijpers, P., Noma, H., Karyotaki, E., Cipriani, A., & Furukawa, T. A. (2019). Effectiveness and acceptability of cognitive behavior therapy delivery formats in adults with depression: a network meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry, 76, 700-707. DOI:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.0268.
  • Kessler, R. C., McGonagle, K. A., Zhao, S., Nelson, C. B., Hughes, M., Eshleman, S., ... & Kendler, K. S. (1994). Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey. Archives of General Psychiatry, 51, 8-19. DOI:10.1001/archpsyc.1994.03950010008002.
  • Lim, G. Y., Tam, W. W., Lu, Y., Ho, C. S., Zhang, M. W., & Ho, R. C. (2018). Prevalence of depression in the community from 30 countries between 1994 and 2014. Scientific Reports, 8, 1-10. DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-21243-x.
  • National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2022). Depression in adults: Treatment and management (NICE guideline NG222). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng222.