Depression

Struggling with depression? We can rescript those shame-filled messages that have been written into our story and rebuild an even stronger belief of our worth.

I have a steadfast interest in and commitment to helping individuals escape from under the silent weight of depression. People suffering with depression often suffer a double injury: not simply depression's debilitating symptoms, but then having those symptoms be dismissed by others as a "choice" or "bad attitude," used as examples of personal failure or character defects, or metastasizing into sources of shame. I often combine schema therapy with person-centered care to help depressed clients.

We all get the blues sometimes. However, depression, in the clinical sense, is different. When someone's "blues" becomes depression it can be incapacitating and, in some cases, life-threatening. I am trained to accurately assess for depressive symptoms and determine the severity of those symptoms and when there may be a need for medications. In therapy I can provide support and teach you strategies to manage and recover from the tight grip that depression has had over your life.

Feeling like you suck, everything sucks, & will always suck? Having trouble sleeping, withdrawing from your friends or family? Wondering what the point of life is anyway? Finding it harder to motivate yourself or enjoy things you used to like doing? Therapy can help you feel like yourself again. Through CBT, let's upgrade the thoughts & behaviors bringing you down. Through DBT, we'll develop personalized strategies for stress management, emotion regulation, & interpersonal effectiveness.

Sometimes when we feel stuck, the situation can seem hopeless. But no matter what you’re facing, you can feel better. Our time together will help you recognize your worth as an individual and appreciate the things that make you uniquely you. Together, we will use evidence-based techniques to help you cope with challenges, overcome negative thoughts about yourself, and start enjoying life again.

Therapy for depression is individualized based on your circumstances. There may be grief or past trauma that contributes to your low mood that we work through in therapy. Current stressors might have pushed you past your limits, & we will work to get you back on track. Some common areas addressed in therapy for depression are dealing with negative thoughts, learning new ways to interact with your emotions, exploring coping patterns, & trying out new ways of interacting with yourself & others.

I have clinical experience as well as training on how to therapeutically engage with depression.

I have experiencing working with individuals to manage depression through CBT, DBT, and other modalities.

I have taken several classes on depression and worked with both children and adults on handling their depression and developing coping skills and a support system.

There are many different levels of depression. Some make it seemingly impossible to get out of bed, while others go to work and participate in daily life without as much joy as they once had. Finding a way forward to happiness or back to a happier place is hard work. Having a professionally trained person on your side at times can be the key to moving towards being happier.

Unresolved, complicated grief, loss, changes and transitions Survivors of childhood abuse/Trauma Self esteem Self confidence Loss of meaning, life direction problems with assertiveness or passivity Major identity issues, adjustment and mid-life crisis Survivors of cults/communes/communities/religions Women's issues Multicultural issues Anger

While everyone has experienced sadness, not everyone has experienced depression. If you’ve never been depressed, chances are you don’t have a real grasp of what living with this complex mental illness is like. Depression is insidious. It affects not only your mood, but also your ability to feel, think, and function. There is a bright side. Although there is no one-size-fits-all cure for depression, there are many effective treatment options, one of which is bound to help you heal.

I believe that depression is rooted in past trauma. In order to address past trauma, we will complete inner child work. Retroactively, we will heal the trauma that impacts our mental well-being today.

I educate clients on cycles of depression, and teach helpful coping skills to improve mood and motivation.

Sometimes running away from your problems seems like the only solution, but that often leads to isolation, loneliness, and irrational thinking patterns. Ultimately, you get stuck and can see no way out. But it wasn't always like this and it doesn't have to continue to be this way. Get unstuck and start to let people back into your life again. And, sometimes, that starts with that one person you can trust.

Depression can envelop people's lives. Sometimes in obvious ways like staying in bed and not showering, but also in ways like hating a job, or forgetting to pay a bill. There is no easy fix here. However, when we can truly examine the narrative that was internalized over the years about ourselves and our capabilities, we can take control of that script and give the energy to get creative with it.

I've found that depression can have multiple causes. The first being environmental. If we are stuck in an environment that is continually harming us (emotionally, mentally, physically) this is the first thing we will work on addressing. The second cause usually stems from wounds we've long tucked away or kept hidden from others or ourselves. That's where trauma work comes in. Through gentle and loving exploration, you can reconnect and heal these wounds so they no longer weigh you down.