Session: Culturally-Attuned Behavioral Activation with Clients in the Second Half of Life
Mini Workshop 5 - Culturally-attuned Behavioral Activation with Clients in the Second Half of Life
Friday, November 17, 2023
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM PST
Location: Columbia C, Level 3
Earn 1.5 Credit
Keywords: Behavioral Activation, Culture, Transdiagnostic Level of Familiarity: Basic to Moderate Recommended Readings: Steffen, A. M., Thompson, L. W. & Gallagher-Thompson, D. (2021) Chapter 8: Skills for Doing: Values-Based Living and Solving Problems, in Treating Later-Life Depression: A Cognitive-Behavior Therapy Approach, Clinician Guide. Treatments That Work Series, Oxford University Press, Fernández-Rodríguez, C., Coto-Lesmes, R., Martínez-Loredo, V., González-Fernández, S., & Cuesta, M. (2023). Is activation the active ingredient of transdiagnostic therapies? A randomized clinical trial of behavioral activation, acceptance and commitment therapy, and transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapy for emotional disorders. Behavior Modification, 47(1), 3–45., Lehmann, D. C., & Bördlein, C. (2020). A systematic review of culturally adapted behavioral activation treatments for depression. Research on Social Work Practice, 30(6), 688–702., ,
Professor University of Missouri St. Louis, Missouri
Many behavioral health providers treat middle-aged and older adults. Improving session effectiveness and outcomes requires viewing age as a facet of diversity that intersects with other identities, calling for both humility and the application of culturally-responsive change strategies. Long considered an important treatment for depression, behavioral activation (BA) is a robust and transdiagnostic change process. Because reinforcement-based deficits are evident across disorders, BA is an evidence-based means of targeting reward systems and avoidance (e.g., in PTSD, anxiety, disordered eating and substance use disorders) with culturally diverse individuals including those from historically marginalized communities. Culturally-attuned BA combines activation with an intentional focus on values and meaning, and can be implemented by providers across levels of professional training. This mini-workshop highlights the common difficulties in applying BA with culturally diverse individuals in the second half of life, and gives examples of potential solutions to help clients cultivate joy amidst very real life challenges.
Outline: 1. Overcoming Ageism (A) Aging as a Facet of Diversity (B) Impact of Ageism on Delivery of CBT (C) Core Strategies for Culturally-Responsive CBT with Older Adults
2. Behavioral Activation (A) Overview of BA as transdiagnostic process (B) Features of Culturally Attuned BA (C) Culturally responsive within-session modifications with aging clients
3. Professional Development Resources
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the session, the learner will be able to:
Describe the rationale for behavioral activation as a transdiagnostic change process.
Explain the culturally-responsive features of behavioral activation.
Identify within-session strategies to improve effectiveness of BA with middle-aged and older adults.
Long-term Goals: Increase utilization of best practices for culturally-attuned behavioral activation with middle-aged and older adults, as reflected by self-reported scores on the Rating Scale for CBT with Older Adults (ROOTS)
Long-term Goals: Engage in a professional development plan for continued enhancement of knowledge and skills for applying CBT with culturally diverse middle-aged and older adults