**3.10. Activity scheduling**

Another technique found in CBT programs planned for the treatment of childhood depression is technical activity planning. In this strategy, therapist finds the pleasing activities that will increase the functionality of child and enable him/her to receive the natural reinforcers in life, and encourages the child to perform them. The main behavior pattern that is frequently observed in depressive children is avoidance. Along with the avoidance behavior, depressive symptoms such as withdrawal, inertia, immobility increase further, and thus a reduction is observed in child's self-confidence and self-efficacy perceptions. Therefore, activity planning has become the primary technique in CBT manuals on childhood depression.

At activity planning stage, the child is first asked to keep an activity diary to understand his/her daily routine better, and the list is examined together with the child in the next session. Then, the current joys of the child and interests in his/her life before depression are researched. This might be done with the child or help of parents might be asked. All these activities are listed, and child is encouraged to take action by including rewarding into the process. The point to take into consideration here is avoiding establishing very high targets for the child considering the current state, developmental characteristics and social skill level of the child, and forcing him/her at this direction [43, 46]. The activities that can be performed must be gradually included in the daily routine of child, and some new activities to be performed at certain times of the week must be targeted for the next session.

Activity scheduling and homework as well as putting these into practice are techniques that can be applied throughout the whole therapy program. For this reason, activity records kept by the child, and proving that there is always something that can make him/her feel good by this way will positively affect the emotions related to depression such as despair, self-esteem, and self-sufficiency [46, 89, 98].
