"The LiveWell Program has helped so many people deal with their chronic depression and anxiety. I would certainly refer my patients to attend the LiveWell groups."
"The LiveWell Program has helped so many people deal with their chronic depression and anxiety. I would certainly refer my patients to attend the LiveWell groups."
The LiveWell Program®
for the treatment and prevention of depression
"The LiveWell Program has helped so many people deal with their chronic depression and anxiety. I would certainly refer my patients to attend the LiveWell groups."
--Dr. Aaron T. Beck , founder of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Program Overview: Guided Self-Care
Empowering people to help themselves...
The LiveWell Program® is a behavioral health Guided Self-Care curriculum for people living with depression. It is strategically designed to teach people the skills they need to reduce their own symptoms and relapses of depression, and to live more meaningful, connected, and productive lives.
Because depression results from various factors and symptoms can affect every aspect of life, we know that treatment cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. So we've combined aspects of evidence-based therapies and other effective interventions with wisdom gained from diverse peers with lived experience of depression and resilience into a holistic, psychosocial educational program.
Led by trained volunteer peers, LiveWell support groups center around the LiveWell Strategies - ten wellness strategies that empower people to take control of their own depression treatment and ongoing mental health self-care. Personal change is affected through challenging thinking patterns, skill-building activities, behavioral activation, social interaction, and mental health advocacy.
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LiveWell Programs: At A Glance
To better serve our diverse community, we continue to create new research-based versions of the skill-based, LiveWell curriculum. Our current peer-led support groups include:
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 - a community of supportive peers with shared experience of depression and resilience who are dedicated to helping each other live well.
Philadelphia Neighborhood Groups
What people are saying about LiveWell...
"LiveWell has given me tools to improve not just my depression. I can honestly say it has changed my whole life."
- Shira (Philadelphia, PA)
"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 (Miami, FL)
"LiveWell literally saved me in a really dark time. The skills I learned, and the people I have met, are now helping me to not go back there [to the dark depression].
- Helen (Dublin, Ireland)
Informing the LiveWell Program®
Research Articles and Publications
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?
American journal of community psychology
Meta-analysis of the effects of peer-administered psychosocial interventions on symptoms of 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
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
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.
