Therapy for Depression
Feeling depressed, low, or not your best self?
Are you struggling to find meaning and satisfaction in life?
Has a chronic depressed mood left you feeling numb?
Perhaps you have a strong inner critic: that voice that impacts your self-esteem and makes you feel unworthy of experiencing love and acceptance.
No matter the rhyme or reason, therapy can help you make sense of depression and pave the way out of the fog.
When Depressed, Every Day Can Feel Like A Struggle
Depression can present differently for different people. For some, getting out of bed can feel challenging. Others function throughout their daily lives but carry an internal sense of deflation or flatness that isn't apparent to people around them. This sense of not being accurately seen only contributes to isolation and loneliness.
Depression might show up through symptoms of intense emotions like anger, irritability, and anxiety, or it can display itself through behaviors like impulsiveness and lack of energy or motivation.
Even though our emotional selves can appear complicated, finding the right therapist can help you gain perspective and insight into what contribute to the depression and begin to find a way out.
Our Social World and Its Effects On Depression
Depression is unfortunately prevalent, and yet it can sometimes be challenging to see in ourselves. Men and women can experience depression in unique ways.
U.S. culture conditions men to solve problems through action and encourages a disconnection from their emotional selves. Instead of attending to their deeper selves through emotional reflection and understanding, men often try to change their situation or may turn to soothing through substances or addictive behaviors.
Additionally, the stigma around therapy fosters further alienation from the self, and many men develop a belief that experiencing trauma, depression, or engaging in counseling is somehow a sign of weakness or anti-masculine. (1)
Women often face societal pressures to be caregivers for others' needs, making it difficult to attend to themselves and know what's right for them. This over-attendance of others leaves women struggling with burnout and lacking vitality and joy. Not surprisingly, women deal with depression at higher rates than men, especially when you consider the biological and hormonal issues women face. (2)
Everyone experiences challenges through life transitions at some point. Some of us have difficulty adjusting to midlife or suddenly need to take on new responsibilities, like caring for an ill relative. Difficulties can bring on fear, trepidation, and unease and can lead to symptoms like depression.
Misunderstanding or dismissing your emotions of depression can easily lead to repressing parts of yourself. Treatment through therapy can help you understand, reconnect, and trust your feelings as guideposts for your life journey.
Therapy For Depression:
Recover And Get On Living
My Approach To Depression Counseling
I draw from various approaches and customize therapy depending on each client's unique needs, style, and goals. Ultimately, I focus on the core challenges to support sustained relief.
I have an intuitive style rooted in a psychodynamic and relational approach. Much of our wounding happens in relationships, and it's also where we can find corrective healing. We will utilize our relationship to foster insight into your patterns and help us better understand your outer and internal world.
In psychotherapy, we're on a hero's journey. Jungian psychotherapy is depth-oriented and believes we all have unique paths toward becoming ourselves. The messages we receive throughout life can alter our beliefs and self-understanding, and we can shun parts of ourselves away out of awareness. Depression may be your soul calling out that you aren't living according to who you authentically are. A Jungian perspective allows issues to become opportunities to recover lost parts, freeing you to live in alignment with your unique self.
Weaving mindfulness into my practice, I help you notice the present moment, deepen insight into feelings, and practice grounding and relaxation techniques. These techniques can help ease depression symptoms and make space for understanding. This practice prepares you to use these skills in daily life whenever needed.
As your therapist, I commit to helping you explore your current situation, visualize overall goals for your life, identify how your depression manifests, and explore its message. Over our first couple of sessions, we'll explore and develop coping methods, foster self-compassion, and regain control over the negative inner dialogue. Many clients notice the relief and benefits of having a positive and kinder relationship with themselves, which is one of my primary goals when working with clients struggling with depression.
As we collaborate, we might examine your early life, review any past or recent trauma, and begin to identify suppressed emotions that maybe never had space to be appropriately processed.
We can help shift from the mentality that your depression means there's something wrong with you to understanding that there might be more to the story than what your depression is saying. We'll identify the core beliefs that limit your ability to live more authentically. For example, some people with depression feel selfish when asserting their needs or having boundaries. We might unpack those beliefs, explore your desires and needs, and practice asserting yourself. Self-respecting boundaries are a way to show up for ourselves and is the path towards a better relationship with all aspects of our lives.
You Might Still Have Concerns About Depression Therapy…
I had a bad experience with a therapist in the past, and I’m afraid of being misunderstood again.
Therapists come in many styles and personalities; not everyone will be the right fit for you. It's essential to find someone who's dedicated to understanding your depression in a way that suits you. It just takes one. The safety in our relationship is essential: I work to foster a space where you can share whatever's on your mind without judgment, and I seek feedback and encourage your honesty.
I am worried that talking about my issues in therapy will make things worse.
Many people are surprised that therapy is not the same as what their mind believes it will be.
It's normal to fear facing difficulties; however, making space for them allows us to better understand your needs and longings. We won't just focus on the challenges; we'll also explore what's going well, building on your strengths and recovering your dreams for yourself. Rediscovering joy, vitality, and creativity is also part of the healing process.
"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek." - Joseph Campbell
I’m concerned I’ll have to talk a lot about the past.
We’ll start by visualizing where you want to go and determining what might get in the way. The past can be helpful to understand only as much as it affects the present situation. Things happen to us, and we tend to "press down" certain situations, thoughts, and feelings, which can result in symptoms like depression. Making space for what's been forgotten, ignored, or missed can help you move forward again.
Reaching Out For Help With Depression Is The First Step
You don't have to continue living with depression. Therapy can help you pave a path toward living a better life. To schedule a free 20-minute consultation, please use my contact form or call (650) 449-6054.
I look forward to meeting you wherever you are.
1.https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/male-depression/art-20046216
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