Welcome to Project CURB!

This website is designed to teach coping skills to teenagers and young adults. Coping skills like those taught by Project CURB have been successfully taught to youth through face-to-face counseling. The purpose of internet intervention is to help teach participants resiliency so they can take control of their lives, get to their life goals, and reduce risks of becoming depressed in the future. This program was developed by the University of Chicago, University of Illinois, Corazon Community Services, Positive Influence and Family Services of Cicero. This is a community and Internet-based program designed to teach teens and young adults how be resilient. This means dealing with life's ups and downs without becoming seriously (clinically) depressed. This program was designed by medical doctors, psychologists, and young adults using the best methods available today. It does not involve extensive face-to-face counseling or taking any medications; it's intended to help you teach yourself how to beat the blues at your convenience.

What's involved?

Project CURB is made up of fourteen “modules” that you can read on the Web. These modules will teach you 3 different ways to look at your life, your actions, and your thoughts. Each module is broken up into specific parts:

What you will learn: Module basics
Review and Warm up: Recap what you learned in the last module
Lesson: Questions, examples, and discussion to help you get the most out of each module
Stories: Read about how people like you apply the skills in each module to their lives
Skill Builders: Apply what you learned to your own life. Some skill builders are “thought exercises” that help you think about your life, and some skill builders show you how that information applies to your life
Feedback: Tell us what you think about the program or what you learned in that module
Wrap up: See the big picture of each module
Doing Goals: New things you can learn or ways of training yourself
Reward: Acknowledge your hard work in completing the different parts of the program.

There are 14 modules of about 20 web pages each. We recommend you try to do about 2 modules each week, but the pace is completely up to you. It will take you about 15-20 minutes to complete each module. Then you can practice what you learned for the next week, so it becomes a habit. Project CURB will only work if you apply these lessons to your life and really try to change some of the ways you act.

Module 1 is an introduction to the whole program. The introduction can answer many of the questions you may have about Project CURB.

How Project CURB can help you

The books and publications listed below are the scientific basis for this website. In most cases, the programs and/or techniques described in those publications have demonstrated benefits in multiple studies to either reduce the chances of getting clinical depression in the near future or reduce the symptoms of depression.

Project CURB teaches you how using regular, enjoyable, worthwhile activities, thinking positively, and building strong friendships can help protect you from depression and make the transition into adulthood. This program teaches you how to adapt and change to meet life's challenges without becoming depressed. The key is personal motivation. As you work on this program, you will learn how to build your personal motivation.

No one else has to know that you're participating in Project CURB. This website is for your personal use and learning. You may choose to talk to your family, your doctor, or friends about the program, but that is completely up to you.

You Should Know

This website is not a replacement for medical advice from your doctor, therapist, or psychiatrist so please continue to work with them and talk to them about how CURB is helping you.

If you or someone you know is dealing with thoughts of suicide or self-harm please go to a hospital, see a doctor, or call a crisis line like 800-273-8255 (TALK) right away.

Things you'll learn

Resiliency

Project CURB aims to help you build resiliency so you can deal with the rough parts of growing up. Resiliency is a way of acting and communicating that protects you against depression and allows you to grow into a mature adult. You can build your self-reliance and self-esteem through trust, optimism, and learning to react flexibly to challenging events. You can see examples of resiliency in everyday things: grass growing in a broken sidewalk or the way your body fights off colds. Resiliency covers everything from how you think about yourself and how you express your feelings to the sorts of people you hang out with and the sorts of ways you get involved in your community.

Resiliency affects your whole self - your whole body and mind - just like depression does. Throughout the 14 modules, Project CURB will show you how to build your resiliency and lower your risk of depression.

Project CURB teaches you 3 basic ways to build resiliency: Behavioral Activation (BA), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT).

Behavioral Activation

BA teaches you the “outside-in” approach to life. You're not just what's in your head: you change and are changed by your family, community, and the whole world around you.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

CBT does the opposite: it shows you how to better understand your thoughts and change them to improve your mood.

Interpersonal Therapy

IPT focuses on your relationships with other people-how to talk to people more effectively and resolve conflicts more easily.

While these 3 methods seem different at first, they can all help you solve problems, deal with life's challenges, and build resiliency. The goal of Project CURB is to help you meet your goals, whatever they may be.

Goals for Project CURB

Once you've completed the website, you'll learn different ways of being resilient and changing risk factors. Some of the things we hope to help you with include:

Improving your mood
Enjoying something that is a part of your routine each day
Getting more involved with your community and those around you
Identifying and stopping negative thoughts
Understanding and building your social support
Solving relationship problems
Not blaming yourself for things you can't control

Don't miss out!

The overall goal of this intervention is to help you master your moods so you can achieve your life goals. Letting depressed moods or even clinical depression take over your life can make it hard to keep on track. Worst of all, getting down all the time robs you of fun times and other things you value in your life.

If your ready to start CURB click on the Modules on the menu bar. Good Luck!