Depression Therapy
Is Low-Grade Depression Impacting Every Aspect Of Your Life?
Do you feel depleted of your joy and energy?
Are you struggling to find meaning or satisfaction in the activities and relationships that once fulfilled you?
Do you feel like you have “lost” yourself—or had nothing meaningful to look forward to in the first place?
Depression changes the way we engage with the world around us, affecting everything from our outlook to our relationships to our daily routine. Especially if we experience disruptions to our sleep and appetite, we’re likely to notice a significant decrease in our energy, mood, and ability to function on a daily basis.
Of course, there are more severe forms of depression, like manic and clinical depression or symptoms of suicidal ideation. And conditions like Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) include symptoms of depression in correlation with the weather/season. However, there are also less obvious signals of a depressive mindset, like an ongoing, persistent “low” mood that can have a negative impact for months or years at a time. This form of depression is called dysthymia and can lead to major or chronic depression if left untreated.
How Can Treatment Help?
The clients I work with in depression treatment come to me not necessarily because they have a clinical diagnosis but because a sense of normalcy is missing from their lives. They experience immense pressure to put on a happy face despite feeling indifferent, unmotivated, and regularly sad on the inside. And feeling as though they have to hide their pain from those around them, they’re isolated, afraid that they’ll never be fully seen and understood in their struggles.
But therapy can change that. In counseling, I will work with you to adjust your thoughts so that you can have a healthier, more adaptable mindset—one that’s not at the mercy of depression. Together, we can transform a sense of emptiness into fulfillment so you can find mental clarity, peace, and happiness.
People Develop Depression For A Wide Range Of Reasons
Depression is an incredibly common condition affecting a diverse range of populations throughout the world. It often stems from situational factors, including grief and early trauma, but it also has genetic components. Because depression affects populations that are at higher risk of post-traumatic stress and social isolation, it has been shown to be more common among women and elders.
In addition to these factors, there are certain transitions in life that make us more susceptible to symptoms of depression. Any instance of loss—including a move, job loss, breakup, or death of a loved one—can trigger deep feelings of sadness. And even welcomed transitions can cause us to feel depressed if certain expectations aren’t met or we don’t experience the amount of joy, happiness, or relief we anticipated. This is particularly evident among new mothers experiencing postpartum depression, which is relatively common, affecting one in seven women within the first year of giving birth.[1]
Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness can become so overwhelming that we begin to reject the idea that change is even possible. And there is often an immense pressure from those around us to simply “snap out of it,” as if depression was a switch we could turn on and off. As we internalize the stigma and doubt that we have the resilience it takes to get better, the inner drive to heal is quickly replaced with an inner drive to perpetuate the cycle.
As a skilled, empathetic therapist, I am here to help you escape the cycle of depression and let go of the voice inside that says you aren’t strong enough. Working together in therapy, you can learn how to disengage from negative thought patterns to approach problems more realistically and objectively so you can live with less stress and more satisfaction.
Therapy Allows You To Challenge The Story Depression Is Trying To Tell
Depression has a great way of distorting uncomfortable thoughts and feelings into what we perceive as cold, hard truths; almost automatically, our inner critic takes any information that is given to us and finds a way to make it about our shortcomings or the shortcomings of the world around us. Therapeutic treatment allows you to put those self-critical beliefs into perspective, identify where they come from, and adjust the way you respond to them, ultimately reducing the influence depression has on your mindset.
What To Expect
My approach to therapy for depression centers you—your strengths, relationships, and skill sets—in a way that will individualize the treatment process to meet your needs. Because I am an interpersonal, psychodynamic therapist, I value the therapeutic relationship itself and recognize its potential to act as a healing, compassionate model for you to draw from. Holding a mirror to your depression, I will help you gain perspective on your feelings and learn how to treat them with curiosity and compassion rather than criticism.
Alongside learning how to create distance from negative thinking patterns, you will be given coping strategies to help you tolerate distress and uncertainty. Therapy will be a chance to illuminate your strengths so that you feel better prepared to solve problems and handle adversity. As such, much of treatment will focus on identifying the circumstances you can’t control and changing the ones you can.
Elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be incredibly useful in depression treatment, for these skills can meaningfully change your thought process and, by extension, your emotional response. CBT helps you foster a healthier, more adaptable worldview that will improve your mood and outlook.
Depression can feel like one of the loneliest, lowest, and most relentless disorders—but it’s also among the most treatable. Especially when CBT is involved, the vast majority of clients respond positively to therapy for depression. I will be here to guide you throughout the counseling process, giving a voice to the parts of yourself that have been hidden away by depression. And once you know more about what that voice is telling you, you can figure out healthy, affirming ways to respond.
Common Questions About Therapy For Depression
What’s the difference between healthy grief and depression?
It’s completely normal to struggle with a wide range of emotions following a loss or disappointment. Symptoms of sadness, tearfulness, and loneliness will likely surface in the days and weeks following a significant loss or stressor. When these symptoms are grief-related, they typically ebb and flow—whereas when depression is present, a constant heaviness sets in.
From my experience counseling clients with depression, they have a harder time feeling comforted and consoled in their emotions, and they would gladly welcome a “normal” day of sadness in comparison to the persistent, unchanging depression they live with on a daily basis.
How long does depression last?
There is a wide range of depressive disorders that affect people in different ways and for different lengths of time. Major depressive disorder may last for several months, while Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects people for a relatively short period of time (during the winter months). For other conditions, like bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic depression), symptoms may fluctuate and last for life, requiring ongoing treatment.
Regardless of diagnosis, mental health can easily deteriorate if depression symptoms are left untreated. As a therapist, my treatment specialties best align with those struggling with dysthymia (mild yet persistent depression) or those who develop symptoms following a loss or major life stressor. If you’re in need of therapy for more severe forms of depression, I will work to get you resources that can help.
Why are women more likely to be depressed?
Research shows that women are, in fact, twice as likely as men to experience depression.[2] There are many theories as to why this is, but evidence points to hormonal differences—especially as we see rates of depression often fluctuate with a woman’s reproductive cycle (PMS, menopause, and postpartum symptoms).
Women are also more likely to take on emotional stress and suffer from gender-based trauma, making us more susceptible to feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and isolation. Fortunately, therapeutic treatment can be multifaceted in its approach: addressing symptoms on a mental, emotional, neurobiological, and spiritual level.
Replace That Inner Voice Of Criticism With One Of Affirmation
If you struggle with a low mood and inability to find joy in life, therapy for depression can shift your mindset and help you feel more positive. For more information about how I can help or to schedule a free 15-minute consultation, contact me.
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