Depression Therapy

Holistic Counseling in Sacramento

Is Depression Making It Hard To Live Your Best Life?

Are you too tired and overwhelmed to adequately manage life’s responsibilities and commitments? Have hopelessness and despair made it impossible for you to enjoy the activities and relationships that you once did? Maybe you are more irritable, short-tempered or negative than you used to be but aren’t sure why.

Perhaps you feel like you are sacrificing the deepest parts of yourself because it takes so much energy just getting through each day. Or maybe you’re yearning to find a way to be happy with yourself and your life again.

The pain of depression can affect everything in your life, from your emotions and relationships to distressing physical symptoms. Sadness and weariness may color your perception of life, leaving you feeling drained and less energized or motivated than you once were. Your appetite and sleeping habits might change, as well, affecting your mood, behavior, and overall health.

Depression places a grey cloud over your life that blocks out the joy you once found in relationships, work, and life in general. It changes you into a version of yourself that you may not like or recognize: unhappy, irritable, or hopeless. It tells you things about yourself that are not true but that you may not be able to stand up to on your own. Fortunately, with a therapist’s help, you face the depression and the symptoms that are holding you back.

Sadness Is A Universal Part Of The Human Experience

Everyone goes through times in their life when they feel overwhelmed, hopeless, or defeated. The challenges we face are part of the universal story of humanity and are often out of our control. Going through great adversity and loss—such as a death, divorce, or illness—can contribute to depression. The demanding world we live in may lead to chronic stress and unrelenting pressures that wear us down. We place unrealistic expectations on ourselves, as do others in our life.

Any of these factors, whether on their own or combined, can leave you feeling inundated and unable to escape your current situation. In a sense, depression is like a series of waves threatening to pull you under. And just like a drowning person struggling to reach shore, the effort it takes to keep moving forward can leave you too mentally and physically exhausted to keep going. You try to tread water, but even that becomes difficult.

However, therapy can provide you access to a lifeguard—a therapist whose training, strength, and skills are like a life raft, giving you the support you need to bring you safely into shore.

Depression does not have to pull you under. With help, you can resurface and find the solid ground you need.

Depression Therapy Can Help You Navigate Life’s Challenges

As a therapist with over a decade of experience, I am skilled in helping people navigate their way through depression. With my guidance, you can make the journey to finding healing and relief.

In therapy, you can begin to recognize the emotions and reactions that are contributing to your symptoms. In many cases, the factors that cause the most distress can be hard to identify on your own. And because they are the cause of so much pain, it’s often easier to deny the things that are keeping you stuck rather than confronting them. I am here to support you as you look deeper at these causes and find the courage to experience and process your feelings and responses.

Because trauma, grief, and loss affect your body as well as your emotions, I employ a mindfulness, body-centered approach to depression treatment. You will learn techniques to help slow down your mind and find a greater sense of calm and awareness. We’ll work together to help you pay attention to what is happening in your body and what it is telling you. As your nervous system relaxes, you’ll find you’re able to slow down and approach negative thoughts with greater calm and awareness. You can identify and explore thoughts, emotions, bodily responses, impulses, and memories with increased confidence and resilience. Through this approach, you learn to acknowledge what matters most to you and push back on what is interfering with your dreams, goals, and aspirations for the future.

Depending on your needs, I may also incorporate brainspotting into our work together. Brainspotting is a scientifically-validated method that supports the healing process around traumatic memories and the emotions associated with the memories by establishing new, healthier neural responses in the brain and body. Click here to read more about Brainspotting.

All heroes have challenges to overcome.
You are the hero of your story.

You may feel as though you’re all alone in your struggle against depression, but that doesn’t have to be the case. I believe in helping you see beyond your symptoms and build on your strengths so you can find your way through this challenge. Because every person has unique needs, we will work together to find individual solutions and practice concrete skills that empower you to address depression symptoms and forge a new path ahead.

Even though depression can be daunting, I believe that our capacity to heal, grow, and recover from challenging circumstances is much greater than we may think. We can see this in the universal, timeless wisdom of ancient mythology and fairy tales. All heroes must walk through difficulties in order to find new strength and new understanding. You have the power to overcome depression and be wiser on the other side. You truly are the hero of your own story.

You may have questions about depression therapy...

I’ve tried therapy before and it didn’t work. Why should I bother again?

A skilled therapist will work with you to identify your unique needs and tailor an approach that works best for you. It’s possible the therapist you worked with in the past didn’t use scientifically-supported treatment methods. And trying again with a new therapist at a different time in your life can provide much needed breakthroughs and insight.

I think I should be able to overcome depression on my own.

This message is common in our society. But asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Instead, it is a sign of strength. If you’re speeding along the freeway at 75 miles per hour, it’s difficult to see the small details, such as flowers growing along the side of the road. A therapist can help your mind slow down enough that you begin to see and address the little things that may be contributing to your depression so you can find meaningful and lasting healing.

Will you be a good fit for me?

I invite you to participate in 2-3 sessions with me. During this time, I encourage you to be very transparent about what you need and want in therapy. The more open you can be about your needs, the better I can adjust sessions to fit your needs, goals, and where you are at in your journey to wholeness.

Don’t Lose the Spark that is YOU!

People tend to come to therapy because there is a belief (or a hope) that things can and will get better. The pain or discomfort connected to depression may be a signal you are ready to grow or expand in new ways, shedding the skin that no longer seems to fit in order to grow and blossom into the person you are becoming.

As with so many things in life, a depressed mood is easier to treat the sooner you begin. It is my aim to provide support and guidance as you navigate your current challenges so you can rekindle your unique flame and more fully enjoy your life.