Blues Program
The Blues Program is an evidence-based Cognitive Behavioral Group Depression Prevention strategy intended to actively engage high school students with symptoms with symptoms of depression and anxiety. The Program actively engages 4-8 teens during weekly one-hour sessions for six weeks and includes home practice assignments to reinforce the skills and help participants learn how to apply these skills to their daily lives.
Weekly sessions focus on building group rapport, increasing participant involvement in pleasant activities, learning and practicing cognitive restructuring techniques, and developing response plans to future life stressors.
The cognitive behavioral strategies taught have a simple focus:
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Changing thinking: Teens learn to identify negative thoughts and practice new, more realistic, and positive ways of thinking.
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Changing doing: In each session, the group focuses on increasing their involvement in pleasant activities and plans to incorporate these activities into their daily life.
Recognized By:
Best Practices Registry (BPR)
1
Program Goals
A school-based group intervention that aims to reduce negative cognition and increase engagement in pleasant activities to prevent the onset and persistence of depression in high school students exhibiting depressive symptoms.
2
Target Population
A six-week group intervention is for teens aged 14-19 in grades 8-12 who present depressive symptoms or are at risk for the onset of major depression.
3
Results (Outcomes)
Short Term Outcomes:
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Increased Positive Thinking Patterns
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Increased Engagement in Pleasant Activities
Long Term Outcomes:
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Reduced depression symptoms for up to two years
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Teens are less likely to develop major depression disorder.
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Reduced substance use.
4
Theoretical Rationale
The program focuses on reducing negative cognitions because prior research has found that a negative view toward oneself, one's experiences, and the future increase risk for onset and persistence of depression. The program's goal of increasing engagement in pleasant activities is based on the behavioral theory of depression that posits that negative moods prompt a withdrawal from pleasant activities that exacerbates a depressed mood.