Depression

This is one of the signs of depression. It robs you of your joy. It is with you from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep, and if you wake up in the night, it's there waiting for you. It greets you in the morning and has you procrastinate until the last possible moment you can get out of bed, rush to get ready, and barely get to work on time. While you are still in bed, you are digging your way through miles of depressive concrete and negative self-talk - just to spend another day barely hanging on inside. If you watch a lot of news in the morning, do you feel like you start your day with a cup of coffee and a bowl of depression?

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If you can relate to this, you are one of over 20 million people in the U.S. who live with depression. About 20% of the population worldwide will experience at least one depressive episode in their life. While some experience depression occasionally or briefly, others live with it like a bad roommate - always there and always unwelcome.

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Depression wants you to believe that you are worthless, not wanted anywhere you go, and don't deserve a seat at the table. At its worst, it wants you to believe that you are a burden to everyone around you. It says, "Why bother?" "What's the point?" and "You're going to fail, anyway."

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What Causes Depression?

Sometimes clinical depression is linked to a medical condition, substance use disorder, or hormonal fluctuations. In other cases, what started as grief morphed into depression. In yet other cases, it can be traced to a traumatic experience, rejection, betrayal, or an unsuccessful attempt to achieve a personal goal. Sometimes, it is easy to pinpoint the cause of depression to a single event. Other times, clinical depression develops over time as a result of the accumulation of unfavorable life circumstances that one was subjected to for a long time. 

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I am often asked why two people who went through the same upbringing, negative event, or loss can respond with such a variety of resilience. Perhaps you feel depressed after a disturbing encounter, while a family member or friend seems to have bounced back from what happened. The answer lies in the fact that our differences are rooted in a complex interaction of innate temperament and individual development, starting very early in life, when our emotional environment shapes our most basic ways of thinking, feeling, and being in the world, and more importantly, how we see ourselves in the context of each of our encounters. 

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Factors in our environment, such as our family upbringing, experiences in school, culture, and community play a significant role in how we think, feel, and behave. If you were exposed to a parent that was harsh or critical, for example, or if you experienced them as absent, then you might re-experience that sense of harshness or abandonment when you encounter a setback in your present life. I can help you have the corrective emotional experiences to transform these painful moments into sources of deeper self-awareness and resilience in the present.

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How Counseling Can Help

Un-doing your alone-ness is the first step, and why people often report symptoms lessening a little after scheduling their first appointment. Having your emotions heard signals that you matter, that you are not, in fact, worthless. Together, we will identify when and how depression started, what it is like for you, and develop a treatment plan. Each session, we'll work on therapeutic tasks in alignment with your goals and the plan.

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I'm sometimes asked about medication in conjunction with therapy for depression. Some research shows that the combination can produce improved results, especially in cases of chronic, persistent depression. If this interests you, I can refer competent, credible prescribers who specialize in mental health medication.

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As you work through your depression with me, you will notice:

• Experiencing of emotions not previously seen or dealt with

• Greater understanding of yourself and others

• Increased self-compassion 

• Insight about patterns that perpetuate feelings of isolation, depletion or self-criticism

• Better understanding of your unique personality

• Improved management of stress and emotional reactions

• Greater, lasting capacity for emotional experiencing and communication

• Improved social relationships

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Why Meet with Me?

Depression already makes it hard to go anywhere. I offer telehealth sessions over HIPAA-compliant video platforms. You can meet with me from the safety and comfort of your home without taxing your already-stressed system to do more than turn on your computer and join a video call. This allows for:

• Attending sessions in complete privacy without having to drive anywhere or walk into an office building

• Less effort to ensure regular sessions

• Secure communication

• Flexible scheduling, including evening appointments

• Reduced costs related to transportation, childcare, or taking time off work

• Ability to attend sessions more easily if you have mobility limitations, disabilities, or chronic illnesses

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