Depression Counseling in Brentwood Los Angeles, CA.

In treating mood problems, the most important piece in collaborating is to find rays of hope in your life. What did you love to do before that you no longer enjoy? What are/were your interests in life? Who are the people in your life you want to feel closer to? What are your strengths? How can we interupt habitual feelings of hopelessnes, by changing the way you think about triggers that lead you to depressed feelings? How can we challenge negative or unrealistic thinking? With sensitive, open communication in sessins, we can find answers to these questions that can curtail habitual depressive thought and feelings. Coping skills can be taught and mastered.

Depression drains the color out of life: heaviness in the morning, loss of interest in things you used to enjoy, a sense that effort no longer pays off. It can be quiet and grinding or acute and frightening, and from the inside it often feels like it will never lift. It can, and it does! I work to understand depression rather than just label it. Low mood is frequently carrying something: grief that wasn't fully felt, anger turned inward, a loss or disappointment that never found words. As we make sense of what your depression is expressing, its grip will ease, and energy and meaning will return. I've helped many people resolve depression, and I have full confidence that we can do the same!

I wish to assist clients in exploring what underlies the depressed mood, the contributing factors as well as reconnecting and identifying inherent strengths. My aim is to collaboratively develop strategies to improve mood, motivation and an overall sense of wellbeing. I wish to instill hope, promote self understanding and self acceptance. Depression can leave you feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, or as though it is difficult to see a way forward. Therapy provides a supportive and compassionate space to explore what you are experiencing, better understand the patterns that may be contributing to your depression, and develop healthier ways of coping. Together, we can work toward restoring a greater sense of hope, connection, and meaning in your life.

The therapeutic process and, applying a psychodynamic foundation, will assist one through healing from difficult moods and behaviors with a treatment model especially tailored to fit your emotional needs. We will discuss moods and behaviors related to negative processing of information and positive processing. Depression can become overwhelming and is often related to memories of chilhood trauma. We will work together at healing and letting go of the painful responses of traumatic injuries.

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.

First, it's important to me to understand what my clients mean by "depression" because how one client experiences depression can be very different than another client. This is necessary so I can customize the strategies I use for each specific client based on their unique experience of depression. Ultimately, my clients can expect to discover real-world steps they can take to feel not just "less depressed" but better about their life - and more positive and hopeful.

You can fight depression by exploring how your present emotions relate to past experiences. These insights, gained under the guidance of a caring professional, can deliver release, increase your understanding, build self-esteem and lead to healing. In parallel, you can learn ways to examine your thoughts regarding negativity, distortions etc. This helps you create more positive and realistic thoughts, moving away from having no control towards taking control. In addition, relaxation/meditation techniques can bring you a sense of balance and peace. If poor exercise, nutrition, sleep and social support contribute to your depression, I'll guide you to make changes and keep track of them