Depression
Depression can knock you down and leave you feeling hopeless, sad, or plain uninterested in life. When you’re depressed, even small challenges can feel like huge, unconquerable obstacles.
Depression tells you lies such as “Nobody cares,” “Nothing matters” and “I will always feel like this.” It distorts the way you experience the whole world. Even the light at the end of the tunnel can look like a train wreck barreling towards you.
Symptoms of Depression
- Feeling down, sad, numb, or hopeless
- Lack of interest or energy for normal activities
- Feeling like a failure or like you have let yourself or your loved ones down
- Increased or decreased appetite
- Problems sleeping or sleeping too much
- Feeling more irritable than usual
The Benefits of Counseling for Depression
Your therapy session is a time for us to concentrate wholeheartedly on helping you feel better! The good news is, research shows that psychotherapy is highly effective in helping you feel better now and prevent depressive symptoms from reoccuring in the future.
(Source: Biesheuvel-Leliefeld, K. E., Kok, G. D., Bockting, C. L., Cuijpers, P., Hollon, S. D., Marwijk, H. W., & Smit, F. (2015). Effectiveness of psychological interventions in preventing recurrence of depressive disorder: Meta-analysis and meta-regression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 174, 400-410. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2014.12.016)
Important Therapeutic Tasks for Depression
- Teaching you how you can challenge the thoughts, feelings and responses that keep you stuck in a depressive loop
- Reconnecting with the sensations in your body, especially good and soothing sensations
- Learning how to experience emotional pain and big feelings without feeling overwhelmed (Hint: You don’t have to face them alone!)
- Sharing your fears, shame, self doubt and despair and receiving empathy and support
- Developing action plan to create meaning and purpose in your daily life
- Exploring the root causes of your depression and identifying short and long term solutions
Books and Resources for Coping with Depression
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David Burns. Also available is an accompanying workbook.
“A classic work that details how you can challenge your thinking, feeling and behavior to help yourself feel better. Many of the worksheets are available online.”
The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time by Alex Korb.
“Explains the neurobiology behind depression and teaches you how to rewire your brain by making small changes.”
Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristen Neff
“Feeling terrible about yourself is both a symptom and a cause of depressive feelings. Learn how to reframe how you react and speak to yourself during difficult situations.
Often, when new clients call me, they have already been working on these steps by themselves and are ready for to take the next step.
Counseling for depression can help you overcome these obstacles and develop a deeper level of clarity and insight than is possible by yourself.
If you’re ready to get started, call me at (512) 763-7002 or fill out the form below to schedule your free phone consultation. I look forward to connecting with you!