Navigating the Winter and Holiday Blues

Course overview

This course, based on the Ask the Expert webinar series by NAMI, reviews common contributors to "holiday blues" and winter-related mood changes, including stress, grief, disrupted routines, and social isolation. It differentiates subclinical seasonal mood worsening from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and explains key biopsychosocial mechanisms (e.g., circadian rhythm disruption and light-related effects on mood). Participants learn evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies - such as behavioral activation, sleep hygiene, boundary-setting, and when to consider clinical treatments. The training also addresses clinical considerations that can influence risk and treatment planning. The course, with an intended audience of social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors, provides evidence-based assessment considerations and intervention strategies for seasonal and holiday-related mood symptoms commonly encountered in clinical and community practice.