by Elissa Habinsky, M.A., M.S.
An astute mentor of mine recently stated that he believes that CBT focuses too much on the “C” and not enough on the “B”. While this may certainly be true of many forms of CBT, REBT therapists frequently utilize behavioral interventions when working with clients. One particularly helpful behavioral approach is Behavioral Activation (BA). Behavioral Activation is most often used for the treatment of depression, and is based on the theory that when people become depressed they tend to isolate and avoid which only maintains and/or worsens their depression. Therefore, BA involves asking clients to monitor their daily activities and rate their mood, generate a list of activities they once found pleasurable, and ultimately incorporate these activities into their daily schedule. To address potential roadblocks, REBT therapists explore specific irrational beliefs that might get in the way of the person engaging in the planned activity such as “It will be too hard”.
While BA is empirically supported for the treatment of depression, and has also shown promise for the treatment of anxiety, I believe that increasing the number and frequency of pleasurable activities in anyone’s life would result in a positive outcome. Therefore consider using BA on yourself. If you find it difficult to generate a list of rewarding activities there are many activity lists to which one can refer. Some ideas are as follows:
- Listen to music
- Go for a walk
- Read a book
- Watch a movie
- Visit a friend
- Visit a museum
Challenge yourself to incorporating one pleasurable activity into your week this week, and two the following week. Monitor your mood, before, during and after and see if this is helpful . . . perhaps BA would serve us all well.
