Clinical Topics & Methods Category

APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts

6 CE Hours
491 members have taken this course
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About the Course

The American Psychological Association developed this clinical practice guideline to provide recommendations for the treatment of depressive disorders (including major depression, subsyndromal depression, and persistent depressive disorder). It addresses three developmental cohorts: children and adolescents; general adults; and older adults (ages 60 and over). Ten systematic reviews and meta-analyses, along with other literature and observations from practitioners and patients, served as the basis for the guideline. The guideline development panel consisted of health professionals from psychology, psychiatry, and primary care as well as community members who self identified as having had depression. The panel examined the efficacy of psychological treatments and of complementary and alternative medicine treatments. It also examined comparative effectiveness among psychological treatments (by themselves and in combination with pharmacotherapy) and comparative effectiveness of psychological treatments in relation to pharmacotherapy and to complementary and alternative treatments. The panel made no treatment recommendations specific to children but did make recommendations for treatment of depression in adolescents, adults, and older adults. These recommendations are detailed in the guideline.

This course is based on the reading online article, APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts created by American Psychological Association in 2019.

Publication Details

Publication Date: 2019

Course Material Author

American Psychological Association

American Psychological Association authored the material only, and was not involved in creating this CE course. They are identified here for your own evaluation of the relevancy of the material this course is based on.

Target Audience

Counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists and social workers. This course is appropriate for all levels of knowledge.

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

  1. 1 Recognize the prevalence of depression in children and adolescents, adults, and older adults.
  2. 2 Discuss how depression impacts diverse populations.
  3. 3 Identify factors that influence receiving treatment for depression in all three age cohorts.
  4. 4 Summarize the treatment recommendations for depression in children and adolescents.
  5. 5 Summarize the treatment recommendations for depression in adults.
  6. 6 Summarize the treatment recommendations for depression in older adults.

Disclosure to Learners

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Material Authors

Any relevant financial disclosures for course material authors can be found in the article.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (Social Worker)

6 CE credit hours Clinical
Eligible until Feb 1st, 2028
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, CE Learning Systems LLC is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 6 clinical continuing education credit(s).
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Joint Accreditation (JA)

6 Psychologist CE credit hours
6 Social Worker CE credit hours Clinical
Eligible until Feb 1st, 2028
In support of improving patient care, CE Learning Systems, LLC, is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
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Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB ACE)

6 CE credit hours Clinical
Eligible until Feb 1st, 2028
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, CE Learning Systems LLC is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 6 clinical continuing education credit(s).
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Logo: ASWB ACE approved continuing education

Course Material

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