Are You Struggling With Damaging Beliefs About Yourself And The World Around You?
Has a negative view of yourself led to feelings of hopelessness, despair, and low self-esteem? Are cognitive changes like a lack of focus, concentration, or memory issues impacting your ability to perform at work, home, or school? Do you simply feel as though you haven’t felt like yourself in a while?
You may be struggling to find the energy to do things as a result of sleeping too much or too little. Or perhaps your sleep patterns have not changed, yet you feel as though you are constantly fatigued and unmotivated to complete certain tasks.
It may be that a pervasive feeling of sadness has impacted your view of yourself and others. You may have lost a sense of hope and worthiness as you look to your future with anxiety and dread. And these feelings may have also affected your social life, resulting in isolation from friends, family, and coworkers. Perhaps you feel as if you would be a burden to those around you if you share anything about the pain you are enduring.
While it may have been some time since you felt like your old self, a sense of normalcy is not lost forever. Happiness and joy are within your reach, and depression treatment is the first step in regaining the positive elements of life that make it worth living.
Depression Is Becoming A More Pervasive Condition
Though everyone experiences symptoms of depression from time to time, clinical depression creates a more enduring and stubborn cycle of negative self-beliefs. This form of depression affects 17.3 million American adults, according to a 2017 study.[1] And given the tumultuous events of the last few years, we can only assume that number has been steadily on the rise.
So much of depression and anxiety stem from not meeting the expectations we have of ourselves and our lives. Growing up, we are conditioned to believe in very stringent criteria of success (a high-paying job, a happy family, and a fulfilled personal life) and that if we don’t meet those qualifications, we have failed in some way. Moreover, in this era of social media, we are constantly confronted with snapshots of perfection that stray from reality but, nevertheless, skew our perceptions of ourselves and the world.
It doesn’t help either that our country is facing unprecedented global, political, and financial crises. As we are forced to isolate ourselves from each other during a worldwide pandemic, we feel increasingly alone in our grief and fears about the future. These events certainly don’t match our expectations of the lives we have imagined for ourselves and, thus, a sense of failure persists.
Though depression can make it extremely difficult to motivate yourself to make changes, seeking help is a way of finding the light at the end of the tunnel.
Undergoing treatment for depression is not a sign of weakness. In fact, it’s an indicator that you have the wherewithal to recognize you are struggling and that you are invested in yourself enough to believe that positive change is possible—and I’m here to tell you that it is!
Therapy Gives You The Opportunity To See Beyond Your Depression
Oftentimes, the fundamental antidote to the negative self-talk and beliefs fueled by depression is developing compassion and empathy for yourself and what you are going through. Providing a warm, safe environment where you will feel encouraged to honestly discuss your feelings, therapy is the precise location in which you can develop the self-esteem and positivity needed to overcome depression. In challenging those negative perceptions of yourself, you will be able to think more rationally and see the world from a refreshed perspective.
As I get to know you on an individual level, I will work with you to develop an action plan so that you can emerge from the anguish of depression with a clearer view of yourself and your abilities. In tailoring all of my sessions to meet the needs of each unique client, I am prepared to help you cultivate the tools you need to understand what triggers the negative feelings and beliefs you maintain while gaining a better understanding of your reaction to those triggers. With a fuller understanding of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, you will be better suited to sort rational responses from irrational ones.
Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), I will help you understand the relationship between your cognitive patterns and the feelings and actions that stem from them. Taking an objective and unbiased view, I will gently challenge your thinking patterns where necessary in order to encourage a more compassionate view of yourself. I believe this process can help to lift the heaviness of your life’s problems and ease the burdens of the outside world.
Research has shown that CBT is considered the “gold standard” for treating depression and that talk therapy in general is extremely effective in combating the feelings of isolation, sadness, and lethargy associated with this increasingly common disorder.[2] In witnessing my own clients develop a more positive view of themselves, I can attest to the validity of this therapeutic treatment in promoting a stronger sense of self-compassion.
I have seen a wide range of individuals become more hopeful throughout the course of treatment and find sustainable relief from depression, leading them to happier and more productive lives. I invite you to join them.
Maybe you are considering enlisting a counselor to help with overcoming depression, but you have some concerns…
Nothing has helped me before—what makes you think depression treatment can work now?
I firmly believe that the vast majority of people can find relief from their depression, even if it requires some trial and error. My strengths as a counselor lie in my empathetic nature and ability to truly listen, which allows me to foster deep and meaningful connections with my clients. I encourage you to simply try a few sessions with me so that you have the opportunity to see—as many of my clients have—that relief from depression is possible and, in many cases, speedier than you might think. There is hope; let’s find it together.
I don’t have the money to invest in therapy for depression.
Just because you begin the process of treatment with a counselor, you are not expected to commit to a lifetime of sessions. You are simply investing the time and money now to save yourself time and money in the future, often in the form of chronic illness, drug/alcohol abuse or other forms of dependency, and financial consequences due to a lack of productivity. Think about it this way: if your work or earning potential is suffering as a result of depression now, developing the tools needed to overcome these challenges will likely open up better opportunities in the future.
Why can’t I just take medication to treat my depression?
Studies show that using medication to treat depression is much more effective when paired with talk therapy.[3] While I am open to the idea of treating depression with medication in conjunction with talk therapy, I am more interested in helping you to develop the skills needed during triggering moments so that you can find sustainable, deep-seated relief.
I view depression as being multidimensional, and in that regard, I am not confident that medication can solve every component of the disorder. Moreover, the use of medication will always run the risk of being accompanied by uncomfortable side effects. As such, I believe that psychotherapy is the most useful resource for finding lasting relief from depression. During the course of treatment, if you want to explore options for medication, we can further discuss that option when we meet.
Let’s Stop Depression From Clouding Your View
If depression has caused you to lose sight of hope and happiness in your life, counseling can help you develop personalized tools and find effective solutions. For more information or to schedule a free, 15-minute consultation, contact me today.
Please note that due to COVID-19, I am conducting all sessions online for the time being.
[1] https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression.shtml
[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/06/15/the-strategies-that-science-actually-shows-are-effective-for-depression/?sh=546bd05d5117
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2748674/
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