Counseling for Depression

Feeling down or low occaisionally is a normal part of life. But when emptiness and despair take hold and won’t go away, it may be clinical depression. More than just the temporary “blues”, the lows of depression make it tough to function and enjoy life. Hobbies and friends don’t interest you like they used to. You’re exhausted all the time. Just getting through the day can be overwhelming. Life can feel pointless.

You can also have subtle symptoms of depression, such as difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, sleep problems, low energy – especially in the morning – or other health problems. Sometimes people don’t know they are depressed. They may feel that something is wrong, but they can’t quite put their finger on it.

Depression is a very common mental health concern, affecting an estimated 10% of American adults in any given year. Unfortunately, depression is often not well understood. And although depression is a very treatable condition, many people don’t seek the help they need. Instead, they may suffer needlessly.

There are several evidence-based practices that have been scientifically proven to treat depression. In most cases, I use Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) for treating depression. IPT is an evidence-based therapy that is well-proven through numerous controlled research studies to be effective in reducing symptoms of depression in a relatively short period of time.

Since research shows us that most depressions are linked to problems in our primary relationships, Interpersonal Psychotherapy focuses on identifying and changing the interpersonal or relationship-based factors that contribute to depression — such as loneliness, lack of closeness in important relationships, chronic relationship conflicts, or unresolved interpersonal losses that keep us stuck in grief and unable to move forward in life.

For complex depressions that involve past trauma, abuse, or neglect, or for depressions that result from complicated or unresolved grief, I use Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), a longer-term research-based treatment modality that addresses unresolved emotional wounds and traumas, helping you to work through and resolve deep or long-standing emotional pain.