LiveWell Media
All support groups are not created equal
Program Overview: Guided Self-Care
Psychosocial education for a wide and diverse population:
accessible, adaptable, and self-administered
The LiveWell Program® is a one-of-a-kind behavioral health curriculum strategically designed to teach people the skills they need to not only reduce symptoms and relapses of depression, but also to live a more meaningful, connected, and productive life.
Because depression results from diverse factors and symptoms can affect every aspect of life, we know that treatment cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. So we've integrated aspects of various evidence-based therapies and other effective interventions into a holistic, psychosocial educational program that centers around the LiveWell Strategies - ten wellness strategies that empower people to take control of their own depression treatment and ongoing mental health self-care.
Meeting Diverse Needs
Because Depression Affects Us All
We continue to create new research-based versions of the original, skill-based, psychosocial LiveWell curriculum to better serve our peers, such as:
(for co-occurring depression and substance use disorders)
Trusted Research
Guided Self-Care & Peer Support
Research shows that Guided Self-Care performs as well as psychotherapy for the treatment of depression, and will actually determine the benefit of other treatment options, such as therapy and medication. And peer-led interventions score better than psychotherapy for depression recovery, offering greater levels of self-efficacy, empowerment, and engagement. Link to relevant articles.
Community Support
Strength-Based Empowerment
Because social isolation - and/or silence and secrecy - will always make depression worse, we know that treatment and care must happen in community. And that's what we are - an international community of supportive peers with shared experience of depression and recovery who are dedicated to helping each other live well.
LiveWell Strategies©
TALK TO SOMEONE
Talk about mental health, ask for support, and strengthen
your communication skills to help yourself and benefit others.
FOCUS ON THE PRESENT MOMENT
Pay attention, on purpose and without judgment, to the present moment.
Recognize your passing thoughts and moods do not define you.
EMPHASIZE YOUR STRENGTHS
Challenge negative thinking and develop self-compassion by
celebrating positive qualities that aid your mental health and resilience.
DO WHAT YOU CAN, WHEN YOU CAN
Accept the ups-and-downs of managing your moods. Go at your own pace.
Trust yourself through your unique process of change and growth.
GET EDUCATED
Learn about depression and its related health issues,
and be open to all available treatment options.
TAKE ACTION
Get out of your head and into your life by engaging in activities
that support your mental health and personal goals.
ANTICIPATE AND PLAN
Identify your depression triggers, and use your
creative problem solving skills, Action Plan, or Crisis Plan.
STAY CONNECTED
Avoid isolating by building and maintaining supportive relationships
with individuals, communities, and LiveWell peers.
CHALLENGE THE STIGMA OF DEPRESSION
Explore how your culture’s beliefs about depression affect how you think and feel.
Share your unique story to empower yourself and inspire others.
LIVE WITH A PURPOSE
Dedicate yourself to things that are meaningful to you,
and contribute to the mental health of your peers and community.
Endorsed by
leading mental health experts, and your peers
"The LiveWell Program has helped so many individuals with their persistent depression and anxiety. I would certainly refer my patients to attend LiveWell support groups."
- Dr. Aaron T. Beck
Founder of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
"I didn’t expect a depression support group to have such a positive vibe. I like how we focus on solutions rather than problems. It has helped me a lot."
- Rick
Peer, Champaign, IL
"LiveWell has given me tools to improve not just my depression. I can honestly say it has changed my whole life."
- Shira
Peer, Philadelphia, PA
Informing the The LiveWell Program®
Research Articles and Publications
American journal of community psychology
Meta-analysis of the effects of peer-administered psychosocial interventions on symptoms of depression
Treatment Resistant Depression
Expanding services for patients with treatment resistant depression: the role of peer support (Chapter 14)
Journal of Affective Disorders
Social interventions: An effective approach to reduce adult depression?
Psychological Medicine (Cambridge University Press 2010)
Is guided self-help as effective as face-to-face psychotherapy for depression and anxiety disorders? A systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative outcome studies
CBT guided self-help compares favourably to gold standard therapist-administered CBT and shows unique benefits over traditional treatment
Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal
Developing the evidence base for peer-led services: Changes among participants following wellness recovery action planning (WRAP) education in two statewide initiatives.
Mental Health and Social Inclusion
An update on the growing evidence base for peer support
The International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation
The theories, mechanisms, benefits, and practical delivery of psychosocial educational interventions for people with mental health disorders
