NAMI Ask the Expert: Navigating the Winter and Holiday Blues OD040

An on-demand video and transcript of the presentation are available here [opens in new tab].

About The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. They are an alliance of more than 650 local Affiliates and 49 State organizations who work in your community to raise awareness and provide support and education to people with mental illness and their loved ones. Through awareness, advocacy and education, NAMI is committed to building stronger communities and a better future for everyone affected by mental illness.

Course Summary

Practice Level: Beginner

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. 

Course Format

This course contains a participant guide, practice test, and on-demand video. When you’re ready, purchase the course by clicking the “Add To Cart” or “Enroll” button. This will let you take the test, complete the course evaluation and receive your certificate for CE credits.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify distinguishing features of holiday blues, winter blues, and seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
2. Describe evidence-based strategies to reduce seasonal mood symptoms, including behavioral activation, sleep hygiene, and boundary-setting.
3. Recognize indications and precautions for clinical interventions for SAD, including light therapy, psychotherapy, and antidepressant pharmacotherapy.

Course Syllabus

• Holiday-related stressors and psychosocial risk factors (grief, family dynamics, isolation, routine disruption)
• Winter blues vs. seasonal affective disorder: presentation, mechanisms, and differential considerations
• Evidence-based prevention and treatment approaches (behavioral activation, sleep, light therapy, psychotherapy, medications, vitamin D considerations)
• Clinical communication, safety considerations, and appropriate referral/escalation

Current References

Ahl, N.-M., Hantunen, S., Tuomainen, T.-P., Lamberg-Allardt, C., Manson, J. E., Nurmi, T., Uusitupa, M., Voutilainen, A., Tolmunen, T., & Virtanen, J. K. (2025). Vitamin D supplementation and incidence of major depressive disorder – A randomized clinical trial. Clinical Nutrition, 57, 106570. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2025.106570[opens in new tab] 

Melton, S., Wieland, S., Bastounis, A., & Carter, T. (2025). Cognitive behavioural therapy for seasonal affective disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 18, e41. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1754470X2510024X[opens in new tab] 

National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2014). Mental health and the holiday blues [Survey/news release].

Rosenthal, N. E., Bradt, G. H., & Wehr, T. A. (1987). Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ).

Rosenthal, N. E., Sack, D. A., Gillin, J. C., Lewy, A. J., Goodwin, F. K., Davenport, Y., Mueller, P. S., Newsome, D. A., & Wehr, T. A. (1984). Seasonal affective disorder: A description of the syndrome and preliminary findings with light therapy. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41(1), 72–80.https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1984.01790120076010[opens in new tab]  

Srivastava, T., Lee, K., Ehrenkranz, R., Cozzolino, P. J., Wise, F. A., Burns, M., McCormick, T., Yaden, D., Agrawal, M., & Penberthy, J. K. (2025). The efficacy of psychotherapeutic interventions for prolonged grief disorder: A systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders, 380, 561–575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.03.173[opens in new tab] 

Wang, L., Su, S., & Liu, Y. (2025). Meta-analysis of the effect of vitamin D on depression. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16, Article 1622796. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1622796[opens in new tab] 

Wu, C.-J., Phiri, D., Jen, H.-J., Setyowati, A., & Chung, M.-H. (2026). Light therapy in seasonal affective disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled and crossover trials. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 24, 101021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2025.101021[opens in new tab]

Instructors

Dr. Christine M. Crawford, Associate Medical Director for the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI)

Dr. Christine M. Crawford currently serves as the Associate Medical Director for the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI). She is also an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and the Associate Director of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine.

She completed her adult psychiatry residency as well as child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital. She received her M.D. from the University of Connecticut and her MPH at BU School of Public Health, where she concentrated in Social and Behavioral Sciences.

She has been engaged in a number of community outreach initiatives through the Boys and Girls Club of Boston, NAACP and NAMI. She has authored multiple book chapters and peer reviewed publications on mental health disparities, black mental health and sociocultural psychiatry. She has made appearances on numerous media outlets and provides seminars on mental health and racism at various corporate and community-based settings.

Nicole Errickson, LCSW

Nicole is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the state of Georgia. She brings over 19 years experience in the social work field, primarily working in school systems as a school social worker and with the McKinney-Vento grant. Over her career, Nicole has had several opportunities to help develop and execute professional development events. Nicole has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of South Alabama and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Alabama.

Accreditation Approval Statements

CE4Less.com is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CE4Less.com maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

CE4Less.com, provider #1115, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 8/8/24-8/8/27.

Social workers completing this course receive 1 general continuing education credits.

We are committed to providing our learners with unbiased information. CE4Less never accepts commercial support and our authors have no significant financial or other conflicts of interest pertaining to the material.