News

The ability to cope with stress and difficult situations is important for all adults in leading healthy, fulfilling lives. Mood Lifters is a 15-week program that guides members to improved mental health. With program materials developed based on the latest science, Mood Lifters aims to address problems in mental health care of accessibility, cost, and effectiveness. 

Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, and Associate Director of the U-M Depression Center, Patricia Deldin, Ph.D., had the idea for Mood Lifters as a participant in the Weight Watchers program. Dr. Deldin, having experienced the benefits of Weight Watchers, saw that WW’s research-backed system could be used as a model for the improvement of mental health. In 2016, with the help of funding from the U-M Depression Center, she was able to establish Mood Lifters.

During the Mood Lifters program, members have 60-minute weekly meetings to discuss aspects of their mental wellness including their sleep, exercise, relationships, mood, and social activity. Meetings also teach participants about mental health strategies and skills to implement in their lives. Participants are given weekly assignments that touch on the discussed topics of the week, encouraging them to apply what they learned at the meeting. At each meeting, they also check in with their program leader and complete a questionnaire regarding their happiness, depression, and what worked (and what didn’t) during the week. Members are able to track their progress using an incentivizing point system. Meetings can be held onsite at an organization, offsite, or even online, and are hosted by Mood Lifters staff or members of the participant’s home organization.

One participant compares the Mood Lifters program to physical training: “This program is like brain training – it’s training for your mind. Just like with physical exercise sometimes you do strength; cardio; or stretching, with Mood Lifters we switch topics to cover sleep, mood, or diet. I think of it as a coaching program for well-rounded mental health.” 

Because sessions are led by non-clinicians in non-clinical environments, Mood Lifters can often be more comfortable and less intimidating for participants than seeking professional help. Through this system of supporting adults’ mental wellness without a psychiatrist or psychologist, this program also helps to address the issue of physician shortage. Deldin says, “My goal is to treat those who cannot or will not get traditional care. In addition, it can be used in conjunction with traditional care like medications and psychotherapy.” The program makes use of evidence-based strategy such as those derived from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and others. 

"Mood Lifters has changed my life. When I started, I was clinically depressed, medicated, barely functioning and in therapy. Today I feel as though I finally have myself back, I’m no longer medicated, I’ve lost nearly 20 lbs, I’m dating, again, I have new friends, I’m attending new groups, I’m excelling at work... This program has helped me more than any medication, therapy or therapist or other method I’ve tried--and I’ve tried a lot. I will be forever grateful for Mood Lifters and I will continue to implement all the information and strategies."

As of now, a diverse group 450 people have attended  the program and even more are going through it now. Mood Lifters was able to effectively help participants reduce their depression and anxiety while improving their happiness, activity levels, and sleep. Another participant shares, “On the advent of me getting my life back, I want to thank you. Mood Lifters has changed my life in a short four months.” Mood Lifters participants continue to get better, showing lower anxiety and depression levels, despite current major stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, racial tensions, and climate change. As one participant said, “The content was applicable to our lives.  The leaders were genuine and approachable and made the best of this COVID situation!  They were wonderful.”

Currently, Mood Lifters does not provide services for children and teens under 18 or those with severe mental illnesses such as those that are actively psychotic, suicidal, or manic. Dr. Deldin hopes to be able to serve these groups in the future. Mood Lifters Kids and Mood Lifters Teens are currently in development. 

Please contact Mood Lifters at info@mood-lifters.com for more information.