Depression Counseling in Monterey Park, CA.

If the people in your life haven't ever experienced depression (which is different than being depressed), they can't understand why you can't get over it, move on with your life, or do the things that you used to do. Some people even get into "cheerleading" (c'mon-- you can do it!). That's why I work to understand your depression and help you to manage the feelings of helplessness, despair, and frustration related to depression--little by little, day by day, you might start to get better under my care as I would do my best to understand what you're going through.

I like to work collaboratively with my clients with a special emphasis on going at their own pace. When feelings of hopelessness, sadness, or lack of motivation is a primary concern, it is important to help clients find goals that they feel they are actually able to achieve. Providing a supportive, non-judgmental and peaceful atmosphere in therapy can help a client explore some of the more challenging struggles that has made him or her feel stuck, either in their personal goals or in important close relationships. Finding new strategies or coping skills to replace the ones that have stopped working becomes the new goal and transformations in outlook and relationships can begin.

When a loved one dies many people experience depression along with their other symptoms of grief. As a bereavement therapist I understand that grief takes a long time and that it is very difficult to learn to live without your loved one. Through grief counseling we can together help you regain your sense of balance and begin to lift the depressive feelings that can be overwhelming.

We all feel down sometimes. Real depression is when we can’t get back up. Or it’s when we do so only after great effort, and even then it’s not all the way back. If sadness, hopelessness, and helplessness get in your way, that’s depression. Even mild or periodic depression can interfere in your life. It can also increase conflicts at work and in your relationships. Therapy helps, even without medication. Some people may benefit from medication, but that’s on an individual basis, and research shows that medication works best when it’s combined with therapy. We’ll examine what causes the depression, what you’ve tried, and what else can be done. Depression doesn’t have to stop your living.

Depression often results in a person believing that the only position to take is one of helplessness and hopelessness. Friends and family often cannot understand why their loved one cannot take action. However, to the person affected by depression, ruminating is the action they are taking which feels just as valid as any other type of action. Negative memories and negative interpretation of events dominante. It is difficult to accept the unknown and they under-estimate their ability to cope. Fatalistic beliefs, ambiguity and unfocused attention add to the overwhelming power of depression. In therapy, I help clients accept the unknown, focus attention, and transform the critical voice.

As a couple we bring an enhanced experience of support and collaboration in dealing with feelings of depression. If you are feeling lonely, hopeless or isolated from your partner, we strive to put you back in each other's care. When we are both in the room we bring safety to the exploration of obstacles and patterns that are keeping you from getting what you need. We make it easier to ask your partner for what you want and bring connectivity back to your life.

The benefits of a successful treatment of depression include reductions in the severity and frequency of depressive episodes. The capacity to reframe depression as an experience of growth into wisdom, leads to recovery. This can include the return of the ability to enjoy life, greater clarity of thought, improved ability to relax, and greater social engagement. I practice a relational, psychodynamic therapy informed by psychoanalysis and Gestalt.

Depression may be caused by many factors and I look into a persons history to find the key to the beginning of the depression, many times in early childhood. As mentioned before I use Trauma methods to approach the trauma and to find the "keystone" event that may have started the trauma leading to depression. Sometimes there is a biological reason for this depression causing these triggers to go off. I can also then refer to a specialist MD.

There are two emotions which can be utilized in the process of healing from trauma: anger and sadness. Sadness can be a very effective vehicle for healing. The only problem with sadness is that it is such a short leap from there to depression. Sadness heals; depression does not. Depression can keep a person stuck in the same place for years without any progress. You must be very careful not to fall into depression when you decide to explore your feelings about the negative experiences of your life. Unfortunately, many people find the difference between sadness and depression to be obscure at best, and they often vacillate between the two. We encourage you to be very careful of depression becau....

Depression leaves people feeling powerless and helpless. The world becomes a dark and threatening place where the things that once were joyful and now dreadful. When in a state of depression, it can be hard to find the motivation to reach out and ask for help. That's because depression replaces feelings of vibrancy with an experience of deadness. Sharing one's experience from this state can be shameful and might feel that no one understands. I listen closely to all the details of this experience which helps to make the experience less lonely and less shameful. Ultimately this allows us to look at the underlying causes for the depression and start on a course of change.

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.

“Stinkin’ thinkin’” isn’t what causes depression. It’s just one manifistation of this bewildering, joy-sucking, often recurring illness. The good news is that depressive illness does not last forever, even though it can feel like it. The not-so-good news is that for many people, depression is a recurrent illness that hides in the shadows and may strike without cause or warning. MBCT (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy) is an 8-week program that’s been scientifically-shown to prevent—or at least, decrease the likelihood of— recurrence in people who have suffered from 3 or more episodes of depression. It is a skill-based program that reduces the body’s vulnerability to depressive illness.

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.