Managing Depression: Raising Energy, Improving Cognition

Description

Depression is draining—for clients and clinicians alike. When the weight of helplessness, lethargy, and negative thinking dominates a client’s inner world, even the most seasoned clinicians may find progress elusive. This course gives you the tools to help clients break through that paralysis and reconnect with their capacity for joy, motivation, and resilience.

If your clients are struggling to move forward because depression has dulled their energy and distorted their thinking, this course offers grounded, evidence-informed strategies to rewire those patterns and restore momentum.

Dr. Margaret Wehrenberg, Psy.D., brings decades of experience as a clinical psychologist, international trainer, and best-selling author specializing in anxiety and depression. She draws from neuroscience, cognitive behavioral techniques, and real-world therapy practice to offer practical interventions that clinicians can implement immediately with their clients.

Through a structured, accessible approach, Dr. Wehrenberg shows how to interrupt depressive patterns with strategies that address both cognition and behavior. She demonstrates how to help clients shift their self-talk, re-engage their strengths, and build neurological circuits that support energy, optimism, and motivation.

Topics covered include negative attention bias, trauma-related helplessness, perfectionism, chronic stress, hopeless cognition, cognitive reframing, boundary-setting, behavioral activation, and the role of nutrition, exercise, and sleep in mood regulation. The course also provides techniques for building circuitry for joy, encouraging gratitude, and addressing early-life adversity and situational stressors.

Key Takeaways:

• Reignite client motivation: Learn how to help clients shift from “I can’t” to “I choose to,” restoring their sense of agency.

• Transform cognition and behavior: Apply neuroscience-informed interventions to reduce negative thinking and encourage action.

• Develop practical tools: Use replicable techniques to address hopelessness, increase resilience, and build positive emotion circuitry.

Why this course?

• Expert-led instruction: Learn from Dr. Margaret Wehrenberg, one of the most trusted and engaging voices in the field of depression treatment.

• Evidence-based and actionable: Gain tools you can immediately apply in session to help clients move beyond inertia and into meaningful change.

• Mission-driven learning: Offered by Telehealth Certification Institute, where we are dedicated to equipping clinicians like you with the highest quality education to deliver exceptional care.

Learning Objectives:

• Enhance motivation and mobilize the client with lethargy

• Diminish the impact of negative attention bias

• Build the brain circuitry for joy and positive emotions

• Stop the damage of chronic stress

• Interrupt the plunge to despair common to the depression of trauma survivors and interrupt self-destructive coping styles

• Reset the cognitive default to hopeless/helpless pessimistic style of depressed thinking

Depression doesn’t have to dominate your clients’ lives—or your sessions. With the right tools, you can empower them to reclaim energy, reframe their thinking, and move toward recovery. This course offers that path forward—thoughtfully, compassionately, and effectively.

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Format and Access

This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Instruction consists of 3 hours of video instruction and a post-test.

Course Details

Availability: 

From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.

Who Should Attend: 

This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.

Teaching Methods: 

This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.

How to Attend: 

Course access and completion instructions.

Instructor and Disclosures

Instructor

About Dr. Margaret Wehrenberg, Psy.D

Margaret Wehrenberg is a clinical psychologist, an author, and an international trainer and speaker. She is a practicing psychotherapist and has been a trainer of therapists for over 25 years. She is a sought-after speaker for continuing education seminars, consistently getting the highest ratings from participants for her dynamic style and high-quality content.

Dr. Wehrenberg has contributed articles to the award-winning Psychotherapy Networker Magazine and she blogs on depression for Psychology Today. She has written 7 books on topics of anxiety and depression published by W.W. Norton. The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques and its accompanying workbook, consistent best-sellers, were released in revised editions in 2018. Her newest book, Pandemic Anxiety: Fear, Stress and Loss in Traumatic Times was released in January 2021 by W.W. Norton. Visit Margaret on Facebook @DrMargaretW. Dr. Margaret Wehrenberg's website.

Disclosure Statement: 

The instructor for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.

CE Hours

Credit Hours:

This course consists of 3 continuing education hours of credit.

Counselors:

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No, 6693.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors. #MHC-0048.

Marriage and Family Therapists: 

Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations.  You can check with your board to determine if your licensing board would accept this course.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0135, effective May 8, 2025.

Social Workers:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credits.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.

Addiction Professionals:

This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.

Psychologists:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists #PSY-0128.

Art Therapists: 

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.

Other Professionals:

This course qualifies for 180 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations.  Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.

This is a non-interactive, self-study course.

Accommodations and Policies

Close Captioning is available for live webinars and recorded video presentations.

You can click on the following links to view our policies:

• Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.
• Cancellation Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Support Options
• Disclosure Statement