Depression Therapy
Are You Ready To Address Your Depression In Therapy?
Is finding meaning and satisfaction in life a struggle for you right now?
Has a depressed state of mind left you with sadness and hopelessness that you find difficult to manage?
Maybe you feel like your life isn’t transitioning or moving in a direction you’d like it to. You might have unresolved issues with your relationships, family, or work that make you feel stuck and wonder how you can create positive changes in your life.
Maybe you also deal with physical symptoms like fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbances, or aches and pains, and you are tired of feeling unwell in your mind, body, and spirit. You probably wonder if therapy can help you resolve your depression so you can live the life you want to live.
Depression Symptoms Can Look Different For Everyone
You might be very functional despite your depression but have a pervasive sadness that keeps you feeling down. Or, you might be really struggling to get out of bed or take care of yourself every day. Depression can prompt you to limit your interactions with others, disengage, and avoid relationships, so you may be missing out in your personal and professional life. Overall, you might feel alone and stuck without knowing how to help yourself or assume no one can help you.
Depression keeps you in your own way, preventing you from taking action, which only keeps the cycle of negativity going. Luckily, depression is very treatable, even if it seems like a fantasy you can only imagine for yourself. Therapy can help you learn skills and techniques for combating depression and help get you back to being you and accomplishing all you have in mind for yourself.
Reach Out
Depression Is A Common Result Of Our High-Pressure World
Millions of people are diagnosed with depression every year, but not everyone seeks help.* Depression can come from genetic causes that give us a predisposition to develop it, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be managed. Circumstantial reasons like health issues, chronic stress, any grief or loss including the ending of a relationship, or relationship problems in general can lead to a depressive state.
Society can also be a factor in developing depression, due to constantly comparing ourselves to others and having unrealistic high expectations for what life is “supposed” to be like. Superficial concepts of the idea of “happiness” in general can put unneeded pressure on us to equate a good life with having the right partner, a certain amount of money, or the perfect job.
Our Individual Cultures And Communities Of Origin Can Also Keep Us Feeling Low
The constraints and pressures our families place on us to look, behave, or live a certain way to be successful and worthy of praise can really weigh on us. Unfortunately, a stigma over mental health issues and seeking care persists in some communities as well, which makes reaching out for help even more of a struggle.
Severe depression can be difficult for us to navigate on our own without therapy. We often need validation of our feelings as well as a support system to help us understand we are not alone and that depression is very common. Seeking help for your depression is a courageous step in the right direction, and psychotherapy at my practice can be a resource for understanding and compassion, as well as transformation for you toward the life you dream of living.
Depression Therapy Can Help You Find Hope Again
Whether this is your first time seeking therapy for your depression or you’ve had previous counseling experiences, I am a therapist who will focus on your individual needs and values. We will determine your goals collaboratively, and that begins with gaining your trust so you feel capable of opening up about the roots of your struggles.
I utilize several trusted, evidence-based modalities for major depression therapy that can provide a foundation of inner strength and stability while creating space for new opportunities and possibilities for your future. I can help you develop habits like journaling, which is surprisingly effective for helping you express your feelings, in addition to developing other self-care habits, including exercise, which are difficult to maintain without support when you have depression.
Depression Treatment Modalities To Bring Lasting Change
We will engage in mindfulness for depression which will help you feel safe and grounded during sessions. This includes meditation and breathwork exercises, as well as progressive muscle relaxation, which are beneficial for helping you stay in the moment and soothe your nervous system from the symptoms of depression.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is helpful with clinical depression because it can determine how your thoughts influence your feelings, which then also influence your behavior. Staying in a negative mindset can create a pattern of inaction, which then leaves you feeling like nothing ever changes, or even taking self-destructive actions that keep you feeling down about yourself.
Psychodynamic Therapy enables us to explore your life and truly understand what's going on and how you have developed depression. We will explore family dynamics and any underlying issues you may not have realized can create a depressive state, including making connections to any childhood trauma.
You can learn how to manage your symptoms and find some hope and motivation again while working out why you are dealing with depression in the first place. Please understand that you are not alone, and just because many others also struggle with depression, that doesn’t mean you have to fight it on your own. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and healing is possible.
You Might Still Have Questions And Concerns About Depression Therapy…
I am worried about the cost of therapy.
Therapy is truly an investment in various ways, including financially. You are worth the investment and this can be an important step to your healing journey—acknowledging your worthiness. Going to therapy can be seen as another type of self-care like going to the gym or going to the doctor. Mental health care treatment is becoming more common for depression, and the benefits of investing your time and energy into it can bring life-long benefits even for your most severe symptoms.
I am worried I won’t be able to open up to a therapist about my depression.
The therapy process asks you to open up to the possibility of change and take an active step toward healing. It requires time for your mind to acclimate to sessions, to become comfortable enough to discuss your history, and to establish goals and make strides toward reaching them. Each part of the process is important, and taking baby steps is key so you don’t become overwhelmed.
I am worried nothing will change in therapy.
It might seem overwhelming to tackle your depression, but that is just one long-term goal of counseling. We can create smaller goals that are achievable in the short-term, so you can see that change is possible, which can help your motivation for our longer-term goals.
Such changes might include shifts on your interpersonal relationships, better self-care routines, and even something as simple as healthier diet choices. I can help keep you accountable to your goals week by week as well. Therapy might get a bit more challenging before it gets better because you will likely be processing a lot of difficult stuff, but this is the path to healing.
Let's Talk About How Depression Therapy Can Motivate You Again
You don’t have to go through depression alone, and therapy can help you find a renewed sense of hope, optimism, and inner strength. Call 626-684-4906, or use my contact page to book a free, 15-minute consultation to learn more about how therapy can help you.
*https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression