Freedom from Depression

Don’t lose hope—joy is possible again.

DEPRESSION IS HEAVY…

…and it can be accompanied by an overwhelming sense of failure and/or hopelessness. Feelings of sadness, emptiness, worthlessness, and hopelessness characterize depression. It's not fun. And beyond the bad feelings, depressed mood is often accompanied by lack of interest or pleasure in daily activities, sleep and appetite disturbances, low energy levels, trouble concentrating and sometimes thoughts of suicide.

Part of the problem with depression is that you may not have the motivation or energy to take the first step to reach out and get support. You may find that you have been stuck in this mood state for quite a while. It's important to remember that your depression, whether it is situational, biological, or both, can be treated. It may be hard to see right now, as it may be a very dark time, but your future can be brighter than your present.

Together, we’ll find ways to help you feel lighter.

Treating depression often involves a multifaceted approach as there may be several aspects of your life that are fueling your depressive symptoms. Collaboratively, we will work towards exploring and understanding the underlying causes of your depression, be they biological, situational, or both. Together we will target your hopeless and sad, or irritable, symptoms that accompany depression.

Often, depression may stem from automatic thoughts and core beliefs that perpetuate your negative mood and mindset. Challenging these thoughts and beliefs through the therapeutic process (using CBT techniques) can often lead to healing and positive shifts in the way in which you perceive yourself and the world around you.

Therapy for depression may also involve developing new strategies to cope with life’s hardships and unpleasant emotions. Learning distress tolerance and emotion regulation skills through a Dialectical Behavioral (DBT) framework can lead to alleviation and de-intensification of depressive symptoms.

Depression is also often characterized by a ‘joy deficit,” and often involves disconnection and retreat. To address this, we will work to increase the ratio of joyful experiences in your life, by working on reconnecting to self and others, and re-engaging with people and things that might spark joy.