Client Workbook Series No. 03 · Low mood & depression
Action Before Motivation
A workbook for low mood, low motivation, pulling away, and depression, to use with your therapist.
52 pages · full-color PDF + low-ink print-friendly PDF · 29 sources · edition 1.1 · by Mason Anglin, PsyD, LMFT, MBA
Instant PDF download right after purchase (full-color and print-friendly versions). Questions or refunds: contact us. Checkout is by Stripe; the seller on your receipt is Advantage Coaching, LLC.
Mason’s own product; Therapist Front Page earns from these sales.
You don’t have to feel like it to start
When mood is low, it can feel like you need energy or motivation before you can do anything. This workbook flips that around. Small actions come first. Better mood often follows.
Low mood can drain the color out of life. Things you used to enjoy feel flat. Tasks pile up. You may pull away from people. Then life gets emptier, and mood drops more. It is a loop, and it is not your fault. This workbook will not tell you to “just cheer up.” Instead, you’ll take small, planned steps back toward the things that matter to you.
What’s inside
Part 1, Understanding low mood. What low mood can look like, a plain-language low-mood loop, what low mood has taken and what you want back, and why action comes before motivation.
Part 2, Ten skill modules. Each has a short reading, one core skill, and worksheets.
Module 1: Tracking mood and activity
Activity and mood log; what my log shows
Module 2: Finding what matters to you
What matters to me; from values to activities
Module 3: Planning your week: action first
My activity menu; my weekly activity plan
Module 4: Tiny steps and if-then plans
Breaking it down; if-then plans and roadblocks
Module 5: Checking stuck thoughts
Thought check; thinking traps I fall into
Module 6: Getting out of the thinking loop
Catching the thinking loop; my switch plan
Module 7: Solving problems step by step
Problem-solving steps; my problem list
Module 8: Move your body, steady your sleep
My movement plan; sleep and daily rhythm log
Module 9: Reconnecting with people
My people map; my reach-out plan
Module 10: Staying well
My mood zones; my staying-well plan
Part 3, Tools. Questions for my prescriber, a weekly tracker, a weekly reflection, and pages for before and after your therapy sessions.
All 52 pages
- Cover, welcome & how to use, contents · pp. 1–3
- Before you begin: important notes · p. 4
- Safety first: if you have thoughts of suicide; my safety plan · pp. 5–6
- Part 1 · Understanding low mood: what it can look like, the low-mood loop, what low mood has taken, action before motivation · pp. 7–10
- What the research says, and why this matters now · pp. 11–12
- Part 2 · Ten skill modules · pp. 13–43
- Part 3 · Tools: medicine questions for my prescriber · p. 44
- Weekly tracker, weekly reflection, before and after my session · pp. 45–48
- References (29 sources) · pp. 49–51
- About & license · p. 52
Page 8: The low-mood loop 
Page 11: What helps? An honest look 
Page 15: Worksheet 1A: activity and mood log 
Page 22: Worksheet 3B: my weekly activity plan 
Page 27: Worksheet 5A: thought check 
Page 42: Worksheet 10A: my mood zones
Safety comes first
Thoughts of death or suicide can be part of depression. Having them does not make you weak or bad. That’s why the workbook opens with a “get help now” page and a safety plan to fill in with your therapist on a calm day, so it is ready on a hard one (pp. 5–6). Near the end, a “questions for my prescriber” page helps you get the most out of a medicine visit, without giving medical advice (p. 44).
In crisis? If you’re thinking about suicide or are in danger, call or text 988 (US), chat at 988lifeline.org, or call 911 or your local emergency number now.
How to use it
- Go slowlyOne module every week or two is plenty.
- Work with your therapistBring pages to sessions and plan the practice together.
- Practice, don’t just readSkills grow with small, repeated tries.
- Skip aroundYour therapist may suggest a different order. That’s fine.
- Go at a kind paceIf a page feels like too much, skip it and talk about it in session.
- Keep it privateWhat you write is yours. You choose what to share.
Who it’s for
Made for
- Adults whose low mood, low motivation, or pulling away from people is getting in the way of life
- People working on depression with a therapist. A label is optional
- Therapists who want a structured, behavioral-activation-based between-session workbook. Purchase covers use with your own clients
Not made for
- Deciding whether you “have” anything. Only a licensed professional who knows you can do that
- Replacing therapy. It’s built to support therapy, not stand in for it
- Medical advice. Medicine is a choice to make with a prescriber; page 44 helps you prepare questions for that visit
- A crisis. If you’re in danger, call or text 988 or call 911
An honest look at the evidence
The workbook grades each therapy and self-care approach in plain words (studies through 2026):
| Approach | Grade |
|---|---|
| Behavioral activation (planning small, valued activities)Beat control conditions and worked about as well as CBT, even when taught by junior staff. Caveat: many older studies were low quality. | Strong |
| Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)Over 400 trials show moderate to large benefits that last 6–12 months. | Strong |
| Problem-solving therapyHelped depression across 30 trials. In the best-run studies the effect was smaller, but similar to other therapies. | Good, with limits |
| ExerciseWalking or jogging, yoga, and strength training all helped, and harder workouts helped more. Caveat: many trials had some bias risk. | Good, with limits |
| Better sleep (including CBT for insomnia)Improving sleep improved depression and rumination. | Good, with limits |
| Staying-well skills (relapse prevention)Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy lowered the risk of depression coming back. | Good, with limits |
| Self-help and online CBTGuided online CBT helped most, especially for moderate to severe depression. For mild depression, self-guided worked about as well. | Helpful; best with support |
| Reconnecting with peoplePhone-based activation sessions from trained lay helpers eased loneliness in older adults. | Promising |
| Rumination-focused CBTOne small trial found it helped leftover symptoms. More research is needed. | Promising |
| Healthier eatingOne small trial. Fine to try alongside care, not instead of it. | Very limited |
About medicine. This workbook does not rate or rank medicines. Medicine is one option for some people, alone or with therapy. A prescriber (a doctor, psychiatrist, or nurse practitioner) can talk through whether it fits you. Page 44 has questions to bring to that visit.
- 29 sources, each checked against PubMed or Crossref in October 2026. The worksheets and wording are original.
- No diagnostic manual text and no items from copyrighted questionnaires are reproduced. The weekly tracker is not a validated measure.
Get Action Before Motivation
Instant PDF download right after purchase (full-color and print-friendly versions). Questions or refunds: contact us. Checkout is by Stripe; the seller on your receipt is Advantage Coaching, LLC.
Mason’s own product; Therapist Front Page earns from these sales.
In crisis? If you’re thinking about suicide or are in danger, call or text 988 (US), chat at 988lifeline.org, or call 911 or your local emergency number now.
For education and skill-building alongside professional care. It is not a diagnosis, treatment plan, or substitute for therapy or medical care. The weekly tracker is not a validated measure. Questionnaires used in research are not reproduced.
Created by Mason Anglin, PsyD, LMFT, MBA · LMFT #121211 · Registered Psychological Associate #PSB94029529
© 2026 Advantage Coaching, LLC (Therapist Front Page). Licensed to the purchasing clinician for use with their own clients, or to the purchaser for personal use. You may print worksheets for those uses. Please don’t resell, post online, or share the file.