This course provides a behavior-analytic framework for understanding and supporting individuals who experience depressive behaviors through the use of Behavioral Activation and assent-based goal setting. Participants will learn how depression can be conceptualized in terms of observable behavior, avoidance patterns, and reduced contact with reinforcement, rather than internal or diagnostic constructs. The course emphasizes ethical, client-centered intervention planning that respects autonomy, promotes engagement, and aligns with the scope of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Practical examples illustrate how behavior analysts can support meaningful behavior change while collaborating appropriately with other professionals when needed.
This course is behavior analytic because it focuses on observable behavior, environmental contingencies, and data-based decision making as the foundation for intervention. Rather than addressing depression as a mental health diagnosis, the course examines patterns such as avoidance, withdrawal, and decreased activity through a functional lens. Interventions emphasize increasing contact with reinforcement, shaping adaptive behaviors, and using assent to guide goal selection and ongoing participation. Ethical considerations, scope of practice, and client welfare are integrated throughout, ensuring that all strategies remain consistent with ABA principles and professional standards.
Publication Date: Jan 2026
Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Describe depression-related behaviors using a behavior-analytic framework that emphasizes environmental variables and reinforcement patterns.
- Apply behavioral activation strategies to increase engagement in meaningful, reinforcing activities while reducing avoidance behaviors.
- Incorporate assent-based goal setting to promote client autonomy, ethical practice, and sustained participation in behavior-analytic interventions.
Author/Speaker
Katherine Saint, PhD, LPC, BCBA-D, Katherine has her doctorate in Behavior Analysis and is a Licensed Professional Counselor. Katherine presents locally and internationally on topics related to autism, mental health and behavior analysis. Katherine has a private practice focusing on mental health counseling and is the Director of Training at an ABA company. Katherine has designed college courses as well as published books and articles related to mental health. Katherine also teaches master level behavior analytic courses at Pepperdine University.
Instructor Qualifications
Dr. Saint’s CV
| Requirement Category |
Meets Requirement (โ) |
Evidence / Description |
| Published Peer-Reviewed Research or Books on the Subject |
โ Yes |
Author and co-author of multiple published books and scholarly works addressing depression, autism and depression, mental health, and behavior-analytic applications, including Autism and Depression (Future Horizons) and additional published works related to mental health and behavior change. Has also published articles in national outlets and presented behavior-analytic and ACT-informed work at ABAI and international conferences, demonstrating subject-matter expertise directly relevant to behavioral conceptualizations of depression and activation-based interventions. |
| โฅ 5 Years of Practical Experience(e.g., direct service delivery, applied practice, professional engagement) |
โ Yes |
Over 15 years of applied professional experience as a BCBA-D and Licensed Professional Counselor providing direct clinical services for individuals with depression, anxiety, trauma, mood disorders, and related behavioral concerns. Extensive experience implementing behavior-analytic interventions, behavioral activation strategies, and client-centered goal setting within outpatient counseling, autism services, and young adult transition programs, while collaborating appropriately with multidisciplinary providers. |
| โฅ 3 Years Teaching / Training / Mentoring Experience |
โ Yes |
Extensive experience teaching, training, and supervising therapists, counselors, and behavior analysts across clinical, educational, and organizational settings. Served as Training Director, university subject matter expert, teaching assistant in doctoral-level behavior analysis programs, and creator of large-scale training curricula for bachelor- and master-level clinicians. Regularly provides professional trainings, webinars, and curriculum on mental health topics, ABA applications, and ethical, assent-based practice. |
