Refer patients in cognitive-behavioral therapy to adult education programs. The National Center for Biotechnological Information cites research showing that cognitive therapists have successfully treated depression in illiterate adults by referring those clients to adult education. Being responsible for their own treatment and the sense of accomplishment, as well as the disappearance of shame that comes from literacy helped decrease depression in these patients.
Counsel illiterate adults to recognize that illiteracy is something that can be overcome and that continued illiteracy is not the result of life circumstances, but a choice. Cognitive therapy focuses on internal behavior motivation rather than external circumstances. This therapy helps patients understand that they can choose to become literate and take control of their lives.
Teach children that they are responsible for their own education rather than being victims of outside circumstances. Teachers can practice cognitive therapy by instilling in students the responsibility for their own success in spite of challenging circumstances.