Comparison of the Effect of Face to Face Counseling and Cognitive Bibliotherapy in Reducing Depressive Symptoms

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Beck’s cognitive therapy, face to face counseling, and bibliotherapy on the treatment of patients with mild to moderate depression. The subjects consisted of 30 clients referred to the Isfahan University Center for Counseling, who were diagnosed with mild to moderate depression via Beck’s Depression Questionnaire and were randomly divided into three 10-person groups (two treatment groups and one control group). Subjects in the face to face treatment group took part in six 45-minutes weekly sessions of cognitive counseling. Also, the bibliography group read the book “Psychology of dep-ression” by Burns over a six week period and had weekly 15 to 20 minutes discussions with the psychologist about the methods of carrying out the assignments as well as the contents of the book. Descriptive analysis and covariance analysis were used for data analysis. Cognitive counseling and bibliography were independently effective in Reducing depressive symptoms (p<0.001). No significant difference was seen between the two therapeutic methods with regard to Reducing depressive symptoms in patients. If cognitive counseling and bibliography are carried out in an organized way and on an appropriate theoretical basis, they will be effective.