People with depression in Parkinson's disease are rarely offered therapeutic assistance. This study set out to investigate the efficacy of an eight-session structured cognitive behavioural. intervention in reducing symptoms of depression. Five depressed patients (age range 54 to 82) attending a North Wales movement disorder clinic agreed to participate. Outcome was assessed using mood and quality of life inventories (Beck Depression Inventory; Geriatric Depression Scale; Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire). Four individuals demonstrated a clinically reliable reduction of symptoms according to the GDS scores, with greater improvement reported for the two individuals with more severe pre-therapy levels of depression. The BDI findings suggested most of the improvement related to the cognitive dimensions of guilt, pessimism and failure. The change in mood was not generally accompanied by an enhancement of perceived quality of life, and little variation in the frequency of activities was reported over the course of therapy. The difficulty in challenging rational cognitions and organic factors are highlighted as key issues in the psychological treatment of depression for this population.