Session | Topic | Content |
---|---|---|
1 | Behavioral activation I | - Psychoeducation about the relationship between behavior and emotion: Explanation of the downward mood spiral [37] - Selection of individual positive activities from a checklist [38] and rating of the selected activities - Scheduling three positive activities for the next week |
2 | Behavioral activation II | - Review of homework - Information about the effects of physical activity on depression, physical health, and well-being - Brainstorming on personal health objectives and possible physical activities to reach these objectives - Introduction of the MoVo concept [39] and illustration of the different steps in the motivational and volitional process of physical activity. Personal elaboration of the different steps (e.g. building a concrete intention, generating implementation intention, developing counter strategies for anticipated barriers) |
3 | Cognitive restructuring I | - Psychoeducation about the relationship between thoughts and depressive mood/emotion - Introduction of the ABC model [40] by means of a role-play - Practicing the categorization in A (activating event), B (beliefs), and C (consequences) using patients’ examples. Further explanation and illustration of the relevance and changeability of cognitions |
4 | Cognitive restructuring II | - Introduction of typical cognitive distortions/irrational beliefs [41] - Identification of individual maladaptive thoughts and development of alternative thoughts |
5 | Coping with illness | - Information about the coping concept. Psychoeducation about the person and situation specificity of adaptive coping - Collection of disease-related stressors (e.g. pain, disabilities, unclear illness course). Small group discussion about helpful coping strategies concerning one stressor. Gathering the coping strategies for the different stressors - Group conversation about personal intentions to try other strategies |
6 | Social Support | - Introduction to the concept of social support and its relevance concerning chronic illness - Reflection on the personal social relations through drawing a social atom [42] and clarification about who in the network gives social support and how - Group conversation about the social network and received social support (e.g. wishes of change) |
7 | Self-esteem | - Joint development of a definition of self-esteem - Introduction of the four pillar model of self-esteem (self-acceptance, self-confidence, social skills, social networks) [43] - Reflection of personal strengths and weaknesses in different aspects of the self (e.g. me as wife, me as professional) - Wheel of life exercise to reflect the actual and target distribution of life energy on different life domains |
8 | Meaning | - Introduction of the meaning concept - Reflection and group conversation about meaningfully moments in life - Illustration that everyday activities (e.g. the job) can be done technically or meaningful and that meaning can be a resource for coping - Reflection and group conversation about ideas for more sense of meaning in life |