Therapy for Depression
Counseling for Depressed Mood
There are times throughout development when life can feel heavy and unbearable. It feels as though you are surrounded by darkness and there is no light around you or within you. Sometimes people experience situational depression which is usually related to an event or situation. Also, People can experience clinical depression which is chronic and ongoing. Clinical depression is usually related to chemical imbalance. Which ever type of depression you might be struggling with the thoughts in our heads often sounds the same and the thinking errors that are engaged in are often very similar too.
Our Thoughts are like seeds…What we Focus on Grows
- I am not good enough and I feel worthless
- I just want to be alone because no one understands
- I can’t handle this and it is never going to get better
- My feelings are burdens to others
- I hate my life but I can’t do anything to change it
If you have had any variation of these thoughts and you are feeling lost and trapped in your life with an overall sense of sadness chances are you might be experiencing some symptoms of depression. The stress in our lives can build up over time and situational conditions out of our control can impact low mood.
A few common symptoms of depression:
- feelings of hopelessness
- feeling sad, irritable, or “empty” mood
- low energy and lack of motivation
- not finding pleasure in the things that used to bring joy
- changes in sleep, appetite, and weight
- Physical aches and pains or digestive issues
- thoughts of death or suicide
If you are experiencing several of these symptoms we want you to know you are not alone. If you or a loved one is experiencing thoughts of suicide please seek help by contacting the National Suicide Prevention hotline (1-800-273-8255), or call 911.
Treatment for Depression
We help people battling depression and those feeling like nothing is ever going to get better through a structured therapeutic approach that helps people rekindle hope and restructure patterned ways of thinking.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidenced based practice and the gold standard for treating symptoms of depression. CBT is a psychological treatment focused on the thoughts and behaviors that accompany psychological distress. CBT treatment works on increasing the awareness of automatic thoughts and unhelpful ways of thinking. Through a structured process participants learn to observe thought patterns without reacting and through practice can work on replacing thoughts to be more helpful and accurate. CBT has been well research and is considered an evidenced based practice for treating depressive symptoms. CBT is focused on identifying and achieving well defined and measurable treatment goals.
We understand that depression has a way of sucking all of the joy and light out of life making the person feel trapped and lost within themselves but we have seen the profound improvement that can take place in treatment. Truly, the first step is deciding you deserve better and allow yourself to take up space. Give us a call today and we can talk through what treatment options sound best for you.