How many times have you purchased a workbook and then put it on your shelf, never to be opened again? (Trois pour moi.) Now compare that to the progress you made when the workbook was tied to a class and there was an element of accountability—probably got more done, huh?

A variant of this concept was recently tested by the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom. BBC News reported that in an effort to cope with high demand for therapy, more than 200 patients who had already been diagnosed with depression were assigned self-help cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) workbooks. They were also given up to four guided sessions of approximately 40 minutes each with an adviser.Continue Reading