Depression Counseling in Castro Valley, CA.

When depression hits, it's like a ton of bricks weighing on you. It feels like there is no way out of the fog. It can be helpful to have a place to explore this and validate how difficult it can be to experience depression. Therapy is a safe place for you to understand what underlying issues might be making the depression more difficult to manage. I will provide that safe place for you to gain understanding about yourself and the depression you experience. I will also work with you to find tools that can help you move through it with more ease and confidence. I look forward to supporting you through this process.

Depression can be experienced in a number of different ways. It can feel like an overwhelming sense of sadness or grief, which can make it difficult to get out of bed and carry on your daily functions. It can also emerge as irritability or even boredom. Depression can cloud your judgment and can make being in relationships challenging. Depression can also be confusing, particularly if you don't know what caused it. In psychotherapy, I can support you in discovering insights that can help you find relief. I can support you in finding ways to better cope with your feelings and process whatever old internal wounds may be lingering, which has led to your depression.

Jonathan is highly skilled at cognitive-behavioral work with depression and at shifting personal relationships that contribute to depression. At the same time, Barbara excels at empathetically guiding clients out of depression. She grew up with a depressed mother and has become an expert at reaching pain and fear that many clients are otherwise unable to access. She also has exceptional intuitive powers for understanding the source of a depression.

Depression definitely has physiological components that are present because of our unique chemistry we come into the world with. But a more significant part of what causes depression is emotional problems. Our nervous system and our psyche's can be very sensitive to things that happen to us. So much so that we feel overwhelmed by these experiences. When this happen our psyche and our instinctual survival system will "depress" these feelings and experiences to try to protect us from the pain and overwhelm they can cause. This is why we have depression. So an important part of how I help you with your depression is by creating an environment where you can gently explore and heal the pains

Depression means feeling down or blue for at least two weeks and/or not finding pleasure in activities or relationships that typically make you happy. Nobody chooses to feel depressed, but those who suffer from it may blame themselves. The first step in recovering from depression is cultivating an attitude of patience and empathy towards oneself for feeling depressed. I offer therapy models this attitude and equips clients with the tools to help them cope. We also address the underlying beliefs that may be contributing to the depressive symptoms.

Are you feeling down, depressed, having negative thoughts, and feeling stuck, out of energy? Depression affects most people, to some degree, at some point in life. Seeking help is enormously important because the cycle of depression needs to be interrupted. When I work with depression, I focus on the interaction between the thoughts that we tell ourselves, our day-to-day behaviors and our mood. This is called CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), and is the treatment of choice for depression. I also use positive, strength/values based interventions from the field of Positive Psychology, which has also been found to be a strong intervention. Break the cycle, reach out.

Our understanding of depression and its origins has deepened in recent years, especially with the much more nuanced knowledge we now have about the influences of both our early lives and neurobiology in shaping how we experience and respond to stress and adversity. If you are depresses, it is important to understand whether it is a response to situational, and possibly temporary circumstances, a biological tendency, a response to long-term trauma or a combination of triggers. If you wish to explore how I could help with your particular situation, please call me at 415-533-9724.

Depression can feel overwhelming, debilitating and just plain no fun. Sometimes there is a clear reason for depression such as a loss or a difficult transition. Sometimes the reason is unclear. Whatever your situation, my goal as your therapist will be to help you better understand the source of the pain and use concrete tools and skills to help you overcome it. Using a variety of methods, we can find ways to help you feel a renewed sense of purpose, confidence, and joy in your life. I offer EMDR therapy which is a highly-researched, effective form of therapy that often creates positive change in fewer sessions than talk therapy alone. Contact me for more details.

I want to help you feel better, in a way that is deep rooted and lasting. When suffering from depression, it's difficult to believe that your outlook or life will ever improve. While the hopelessness you may feel is all too real, the bleakness of the future it points to is not. Whether your depression is long-standing or traceable to some recent situation, I believe a different reality is possible. I could not do this work if I didn't trust this to be true, or see evidence of it with others I've helped. My focus will be to help you find your own lost source of vision and contentment. Regarding medication, it's one option of many and not warranted in every case, but best discussed together.

Emotional or physical pain sends us the signal that something is wrong, its critical that we pay attention and hear what it has to say. We spontaneously brace against physical and emotional threats to our survival, yet ongoing resistance to the pain and our circumstances cause further pain. To avoid feelings of discomfort many attempt to numb their distress or tune it out, temporary fixes that will not end the suffering. I will support you in giving voice to what needs to be healed as you discover your individual path to freedom from ongoing depression.

If you are feeling persistently sad, unmotivated and hopeless, I can help you to gain insight into why as well as giving you tools and strategies to improve your sense of well-being and zest for life. This can include identifying the unhelpful thoughts you have that cause you to feel low and affect your behavior and replacing those thoughts with ones that are more conducive to improving your life and well-being.

Depression robs us, not only of our happiness and sense of well-being, but also of the hope that things will get better. Depression makes us feel we are worthless, so it is hard to reach out for the help we need. I help clients defeat depression through reestablishing hope and improving self-esteem and self-care. I have worked with clients suffering from chronic, lifelong depression as well as those experiencing their first depressive episode. Overcoming depression restores resilience and can teach lifelong lessons in self-care and the path to emotional health. I have been there myself, so I know that there is hope. You will overcome depression and feel like yourself again.

Depression can be relieved by getting out of your house or apartment to come to therapy. Talking to a therapist moves some of the stuck emotions and gets energy flowing even if only for a short while. By talking and other non-verbal techniques such as sandplay therapy and dreamwork, we can discover what your psyche and unconscious needs to grow and heal. Depression signifies the need to change direction. Therapy can help you see what changes you may need to make to live a happy life.