Skills Training For Depression

Skills Training for
Depression
Activities 1 - 3
Objectives
1. Psychoeducate adolescents and their parents about depression and its treatment.
2. Psychoeducate adolescents and their parents about self-harm.
3. Teach participants various skills from both CBT and DBT that helps combat symptoms of
depression including:
● Safety planning
● Mindfulness
● Distress tolerance
Rules
1. Confidentiality
2. Respect and Courtesy
○ Treat each other with respect and courtesy.
○ Avoid interrupting others when they speak.
○ Listen actively and non-judgmentally.
3. Participation and Responsibility
○ Participate actively and share your experiences within
appropriate boundaries.
○ Take responsibility for your own thoughts, feelings, and actions.
○ Avoid giving unsolicited advice or critiques.
Rules
4. Safety and Boundaries
○ Maintain appropriate physical boundaries with
other members.
○ Avoid using substances before or during group
sessions.
○ Express emotions constructively and respectfully.
Yelling, insults, or threats are not permitted.
5. Attendance and Punctuality
Questions?
Depression in Adolescence
Symptoms
● Core features of depression:
○ Feeling sad, irritable or down.
○ Lost interest or enjoyment in activities.
● Additional symptoms include:
○ Disturbed sleep, change in appetite, feeling worthless
and excessive guilt, loss of energy, reduced
concentration, problems making decisions, irritability,
hopelessness, suicidal thoughts and acts.
● 2 weeks or more
What causes depression?
- Caused by problems with chemicals in the brain called "neurotransmitters."
- More likely to have depression if it runs in their family
- Other factors
- Stress
- Problems at home
- Problems in school or work
- Hormones
- Certain health problem and medicines
- Mistreated as a child
What are the treatments for depression?
- Helping you learn more about depression

- Psychotherapy or Counseling (with a psychiatrist, psychologist,
nurse, or social worker)
- Medicines that relieve depression
- Creating a plan to limit access to items that you might use to
harm yourself
- Other treatments that pass magnetic waves or electricity into
the brain
When will I feel better?
- Many people who take medicines start to feel better within 2

weeks, but it might be 4 to 8 weeks before the medicine has its
full effect.
- Many people who see a psychotherapist or counselor start to
feel better within a few weeks, but it might take 8 to 10 weeks to
get the greatest benefit.
What if it does not work?
If the first treatment you try does not help you, tell your doctor or
nurse, but do not give up. Some people need to try different
treatments or combinations of treatments before they find an
approach that works.
Your doctor, nurse, or counselor can work with you to find the
treatment that is right for you. They can also help you figure out how
to cope while you search for the right treatment or are waiting for
your treatment to start working.
Black Box Warning for Antidepressants
Suicide and Self-harm
Thoughts of suicide or self-harm can
be part of the symptoms of
depression.
What is self-harm?
- Someone harms their body without wanting to die.

- Many people who harm themselves also have suicidal
thoughts
- Some people are addicted to the self-harm behavior while
others may only harm themselves when under emotional
stress.
Why do people self-harm?
- Many people often feel unable to explain their reasons

for harming themselves.
- Research has allowed us to begin to understand what
may be happening.
- You may recognize the following reasons:
To manage moods or feelings
❏ To escape from emptiness, depression, shame or unreality

❏ To relieve pent up tension, pressure or anger
❏ To feel something - to know you still exist
❏ To feel in control
❏ To get a buzz
❏ To express or stop sexual feelings
❏ To maintain the fear, anxiety or other intense feelings you may have
become used to is you have been abused
To fit in with beliefs or thoughts
❏ To punish yourself because you feel you are bad

❏ To maintain negative belief “I’m flawed, worthless, weird”
❏ To escape from feelings of guilt
To communicate
❏ To let people know how bad things are.

❏ To make you body show your pain.
❏ To express anger towards others and yourself, but on your body.
❏ To obtain and maintain a response from others that you feel you
wouldn’t otherwise get
❏ To punish other via your own body.
❏ To get people to listen to you.
What to do?
- If one has thoughts of self-harm/suicide, seek help immediately
from a trusted family member, friend or health care provider.
- It is okay to talk about suicide. Talking about suicide does not
provoke the act of suicide.
- Suicides are preventable.
What to do?
- Having an episode of self-harm/suicide is an indicator of severe
emotional distress. The person does not see an alternative or a
solution. Therefore, it is important to get the person immediate
support for emotional problems and stressors.
- Means of self-harm (e.g. pesticides, firearms, medications)
should be removed from the home.
- The social network, including the family and relevant others, is
important for provision of social support.
Safety Plan

Skills Training For Depression

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Skills Training for

- Helping you learn more about depression

- Many people who take medicines start to feel better within 2

- Someone harms their body without wanting to die.

- Many people often feel unable to explain their reasons

❏ To escape from emptiness, depression, shame or unreality

❏ To punish yourself because you feel you are bad

❏ To let people know how bad things are.

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