Preventive Cognitive Therapy for Depression An Evidence-Based Approach to Reduce Relapse Risk

by Bockting, Claudi L.

• ISBN13: 9781462558445
• ISBN10: 1462558445
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2025-10-10
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

This is the authoritative presentation of preventive cognitive therapy (PCT), a rigorously tested 8-week program shown to help individuals who have recovered from depression to stay well. PCT developer Claudi L. Bockting reviews the conceptual foundations, rationale, and evidence base for PCT and discusses how it compares to other depression relapse prevention strategies. She explains the ins and outs of PCT implementation with individuals or groups, providing step-by-step guidelines for conducting each session. Ways to overcome common treatment roadblocks and help clients get the most out of take-home assignments are described. In a convenient large-size format, the manual includes 39 reproducible and downloadable handouts and forms. 

Author Biography

Claudi L. Bockting, PhD, is Professor of Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Amsterdam University Medical Center, The Netherlands, and cofounder and codirector of the interdisciplinary Centre for Urban Mental Health at the University of Amsterdam. Her research focuses on finding potentially modifiable factors that can be targeted with innovative interventions to prevent or treat depression, anxiety, and suicidality. The developer of preventive cognitive therapy (PCT) as a treatment against relapse in depressive disorders, Dr. Bockting has been a practicing clinical psychologist since the 1990s. She is author or coauthor of more than 200 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals and offers international intervention workshops, including digital interventions, for depression, anxiety, and relapse prevention. Dr. Bockting was a visiting professor in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School in 2023. She is the recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of Basel, an elected membership in the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and fellowships at the Beck Institute, the Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Amsterdam, and the World Health Organization. Her website is www.bocktinglab.com. 

Table of Contents

List of Forms and Handouts
Introduction
I. PCT and Relapse Prevention
1. Prevalence and Risk Factors for Relapse in Major Depressive Disorder
2. Rationale and Supporting Evidence for PCT
II. PCT Application
3. Preparing for PCT
4. General Delivery Issues
III. The 8-Week Treatment Program
Session 1: Understanding and Managing Relapse
Session 2: Negative Thoughts and Beliefs
Session 3: Evaluating Dysfunctional Beliefs
Session 4: Dream Beliefs and Positive Feelings
Session 5: Activating the Positive Network
Session 6: Helpful Beliefs and Behavioral Experiments
Session 7: Personal Prevention Plan
Session 8: Consolidating and Moving Ahead
IV. Future Directions
5. Conclusions and Future Developments
Glossary: Key Terms in Preventing Depression Relapse
References
Index