Feasibility of the Positive Thoughts and Actions Prevention Program for Middle Schoolers at Risk for Depression

Table 2

Outline of the Positive Thoughts and Actions prevention program content.

(a)

Student content
Session no.	Title	Content
Week 1	Introduction and Purpose	To convey the purpose of the program, build a positive peer group, and to practice being positive with others
Week 2	Setting Goals	To motivate students to identify areas of their lives they would like to change and to select targeted goals and specific steps to take within each program area
Week 3	Start with Action	To teach the importance of getting active to improve mood and persist in goals
Week 4	Positive Thoughts, Positive Feelings	To understand the link between thoughts and actions and to increase positive thinking
Week 5	Changing the Way We Think and Feel	To identify negative and irrational thoughts and change them to be more positive and realistic
Week 6	STOP before Responding	To help students recognize when they are having an emotional reaction and to regulate their affect
Week 7	Making Decisions & Problem-Solving	To teach a 5-step approach to making decisions and solving problems
Week 8	Managing Conflict & Anger	To help students manage moods by controlling anger and resolving conflicts more productively
Week 9	Learning	To apply the skills learned to identified school goals
Week 10	Relationships	To practice applying Positive Thoughts and Actions to relationships
Week 11	Making Healthy Decisions	To adopt more healthy behaviors
Week 12	Staying on Track & Celebration	To recognize progress and identify areas of continued effort

(b)

Parent content
Session type/no.	Title	Content
Home Visit no. 1	Getting to Know Each Other	To build rapport, to assess strengths and needs, and to help clarify the parents’ supportive role
Parent Workshop no. 1	Positive Thoughts & Actions for Parents	To teach parents perspective-taking, and to provide an overview to the parent of emotion regulation strategies
Parent Workshop no. 2	Communicating with Your Teen	To give parents an opportunity to learn and practice different ways to communicate about feelings and/or problems
Home Visit no. 2	Staying Successful	To provide an opportunity for the student to summarize key concepts and identify how the parent can support them