Depression Counseling in Olivenhain, CA.

Working with the experience of depression is much more than changing our thoughts to change our behavior. Our brains are wired to notice the negative; it's part of our survival. I support my clients in expanding what they notice, and help them discover what works for them by creating a tool kit through experiential relational interventions in session. When I see children, I utilize play therapy as the modality, including Child Centered Play Therapy, Filial Therapy, and Prescriptive Play Therapy. When working with adolescents and adults, I utilize expressive arts, DBT, CBT and Narrative Therapy.

I use a blend of cutting-edge therapeutic techniques such as sensorimotor psychotherapy, internal family systems, and object-relations psychotherapy to create a personalized healing journey. Focused on working with individuals who desire more permanent solutions to their emotional pain, my approach to depression therapy is as compassionate as it is transformative. By engaging with these specifically tailored methods, clients find themselves nurtured, understood, and empowered, unlocking new pathways to well-being and joy. This personalized care provides clients with a value-driven and life-enhancing experience that goes beyond traditional therapy.

Are you sad? Having trouble functioning? Has life lost it's meaning? Are you outwardly successful yet wondering "Is that all there is?" Although many of us feel down from time to time, depression can sometimes feel debilitating. Depression has many causes. My approach includes work on various levels: emotional, relational, cognitive, and spiritual. Therapy can help you be mindful of your experiences, your emotions and your thought patterns, have compassion with yourself, develop resilience and hopefulness and get you back to living the life you desire.

I am an Emotionally Focused therapist (EFT). Research shows that those who suffer from depression actually benefit quite well from EFT therapy. Depression can be very isolating. The pain of isolation is inherently traumatizing. We are meant to be in relationship with others. I work with indiviudals and couples who struggle with depression by strengthening their relationship so that there is a deeper felt sense that the person who is suffering from depression can experience that they do matter, that they are important, that they are cared for and loved by another. This helps create a more secure attachment to self and others which is therapeutic and needed for healing.

Kicking the habits of thinking, feeling, and behaving that contribute to depression can seem like a monumental task. With an estimate of 50,000 thoughts a day there is a lot of opportunity to get stuck in negatives thoughts of anger, fear, worry, and pessimism. With the possibility of a genetic component and the effects of role modeling treating depression becomes even more complex. With a combined approach of cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, emotional release and relaxation skills training it is possible to find solutions for depression and to develop alternatives that contribute to happiness, both personal and relational. The joy of living in the present moment can be yours.

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.