Depression Counseling in Walnut, CA.

Untreated depression can lead to destructive and often fatal behaviors if an individual has little or no social supports or coping skills intact, as well as vary between age, gender & cultural groups. Often what many depressed people feel is empty, hopeless, helpless and completely alone, even if family or others are physical nearby. Often clients report that they cannot function with what would be considered daily simple tasks, i.e., bathing, getting out of bed, and even making meals or eating can be taxing. Feeling excessively tired and worn out has been common with chronic depression. Psychotherapy can possibly make all the difference when individuals feel life is no longer worth living.

Through use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, I work with my client to identify and reduce negative thought patterns and behaviors that are common in depression. While taking a compassionate approach, I connect with my clients with empathy. I will assign homework assignments for my client to use outside of therapy to help them build practical problem solving skills.

Depression, just the very word feels hopeless and limited, there is a sense of internal and external collapse of the world. Yet it can also be used as a tremendous starting point to examine one's life, goals, expectations and longings, both current and historical. Depression can actually function to suppress emotional pain that has been cut off, denied and stuffed away. Depression is treatable today.

I practice a type of therapy for depression called Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which research has shown to be especially effective with depressive disorders. Using CBT, we work together to discover underlying beliefs (which we call cognitive distortions) that are causing or contributing to your depressive symptoms. Once identified, we then use a variety of techniques to help you correct those thinking patterns that are causing you difficulty. We measure progress constantly so that we can try new techniques if needed, to help you feel better.

Depression can be insidious and chronic causing you to feel like you can't connect, you're missing out on life or you're "going through the motions". This is no way to live! Don't settle for feeling detached and disconnected from your life, missing true joy and adventure. Tools can help you feel connected again and release buried feelings that keep you depressed. When depression becomes acute, you can't slow down, relax, can't sleep or sleep too much, feel a deep sadness, heaviness. Using tools for acute depression really helps you get back on track!

Working through depression is difficult. Finding what led to your depression can also be hard to recognize. Together we will find out why you're feeling sad and look for ways to overcome the depression with tools you'll learn in the therapy sessions. Through practice, you'll be able to use the newly learned tools to conquer your depression as easily as brushing your teeth.

Do you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders? Does the heaviness make it hard for you to get out of bed? Do you wish you could keep the covers over your head rather than face life right now? Are you sleeping too much or not at all? Are you having difficulty taking care of routine things like paying the bills or cleaning the house? All of these can be signs of depression and there is help. I know it’s hard to reach out when you feel so bad, but doing nothing will be harder in the long run. Please take the first step & give me a call at 714-751-0888. We will work together to release the grip that depression has on you and restore you back to the person you truly are.

It can often seem like society expects us to be happy and positive at all times, that any admission of sadness or a loss of motivation, energy, or engagement with life is a personal failure. But Depression isn't a personal failure, and it is also more than just "feeling sad". If you find yourself down in the hole of disconnection, surrounded by a fog that is interfering with your life and relationships, you need a hand to help you climb out. A trained therapist understands the mechanics of depression and can help you understand it and find strategies to make your way up and out of it, and back into the light. Please contact me so we can begin to work on this process together.

Life can be very stressful these days. Cell phones, I Pads, smart phones, e mail, social networks all are fun and wonderful but they also bring with them higher expectations from work, family, friends and even ourselves. Our world keeps speeding up and the pressures can be great. Depression as an outgrowth of the stresses and pressures that surround us is becoming increasing common and a part of each of our lives. Most of us will experience depression at one or more points in our lives. Medication can help but is usually not the long term answer. We will work to identify the problems, find solutions, set goals and work toward minimizing the causes and find more peace and calm.

Depression does not have to keep you from feeling like yourself any longer. You may be feeling unfulfilled, hopeless, discouraged- even seeking support in therapy can feel overwhelming. In the safety of our relationship, you can face these difficult feelings and gain insights into yourself and your relationships. We will develop necessary coping skills and work to understand what is contributing to your depression. As we process through painful feelings and thoughts you will be more free to re-claim the life you want and experience the joy and fulfillment that you deserve.

Not being alone and feeling supported when we are hurting is vital. I am a very active, encouraging, supportive therapist and I give clients homework and exercises to start seeing their power and impact from the start. There is a balance that needs to be found between expression and action. I assist clients in making certain that they are healing and growing.

Depression can be debilitating and lonely. I understand the complexities of depression and have found that my psychodynamic, psychoanalytically-minded technique is very successful in treating depression. I have found psychotherapy to be very effective in helping individuals find a way to overcome their struggles and reclaim energy and purpose in their lives.

Grey Matters International, Inc. and the work of Kevin J. Fleming, Ph.D. handles depression and other emotional disorders in a very unique way. Most of therapy or counseling processes utilize validation, unconditional positive regard, and reframing as common techniques to get someone to heal from their depression. Though this can be helpful, it rarely fixes the core problem behind it and for tough cases we then refer them usually to a psychiatrist for medication which can have tons of side effects. Instead, why not try a natural and arguably more effective way to not just change your mind, but change the brain--where the depression is rooted. Contact us at kevin@kevinflemingphd.com