Depression Counseling in Pinole, CA.

Depression is a complex condition that ranges from mild to severe and affects adults and children. I establish a therapeutic climate where my clients come to trust our relationship as positive and supportive. I’m often able to identify subtle signs and symptoms of depression that interfere with my client’s ability to function successfully. I utilize elements of Cognitive Behavior Therapy to help them change negative patterns of thought and behavior and self-defeating responses. My goal is to help my clients understand and appreciate how their emotional experience affects their behavior. I aim to help them improve their interpersonal skills and the nature and quality of their relationships.

Research shows that the most effective treatment for depression is psychotherapy. Depression can range from feeling down to major symptoms such as having trouble even getting out of bed or contemplating suicide (if you have suicidal thoughts or plans, call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255). Online counseling is effective for depression because it is easy to access: you can start treatment without even leaving the house.

Depression can have many different sources: isolation, unresolved loss, unconscious anger turned against the self, feelings of shame, inadequacy and low self-esteem. It is sometimes experienced as a kind of deadness or emptiness, an absence of feeling. Therapy offers you the opportunity to get to the bottom of what is troubling you, to find your way to solutions. By talking through your issues and feelings you know what you need to do to change and you have support for taking the steps to make the change happen. Everyone needs to feel heard and understood, to feel empathy for their suffering, in order to do this. I offer this empathy, support and guidance to you.

As a relationship therapist with over 30 years experience I help people who suffer from depression connected with relationship difficulties. When you become overwhelmed with painful emotions such as sadness, fear, hurt or humiliation, a common response is to retreat into depression. In therapy you can learn more effective responses, experience your whole range of emotions, and be more fully alive and connected with the people who matter to you. For more, visit KinseyLeaseCounseling.com.

Depression can grow on you. Once you experience it, you must find a way out of it or it becomes you. Depression can develop because of loss, trauma, chemical imbalance, or chronic pain and other reasons. Some people believe they have been depressed all their lives. I will help you figure out what is feeding it and how you can get out from under it. We will explore the best way to treat your depression. That includes an assessment, psychotherapy with or without medication or Lifespan Integration to help you out of your depression.

Depression can be overwhelming and cause people to feel hopeless and helpless. Unfortunately depression may not subside without some kind of intervention. The good news is that once someone is able to develop the understanding of their depression and he/she can learn what coping skills work best for him/her, they will be able to use those in the future should the depression ever return.

I have specialized in treating depression for many years. Rather than viewing this as a 'pathology,' I see depressed moods as a form of dispiritedness- i.e. a loss or breakage of our inner spirit. This condition is a signal that some aspect of our life and/or self needs attention and healing. Often, we can sense the dispirited self through posture, life-stances, behavioral patterns, lack of energy and drive, and an inner sense of resignation or defeatism. When we allow the body freedom to experience, express and move, then its energy comes alive and leads us to discover how the spirit was broken. I show us ways that we can recover the wounded self, restore spirit and rejuvenate life energy.

Depression originates and presents in subtle ways that are unique to each individual person. Yet it is common to feel taken over with hopelessness and indifference. You may feel as though any other way of experiencing the world is inaccessible, if not impossible. While in it, it can be helpful and less isolating to have a therapist enter into this world with you, come to understand it's origins, it's nuances, how it gets perpetuated and together potentially feel something new.

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.

Clients usually experience a progressive decline in mood, which can impact their emotions, the quality of their sleep, relationships (they may even begin to withdraw from others), and have persistent negative thoughts. Many clients prefer to explore viable holistic and integrative strategies before trying medication. In our collaboration, we will design a plan to explore possible options, strategies to strengthen effective coping mechanisms, and identify a plan to enhance the opportunity for recovery.

Depression is a mood disorder that can cause a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest that can interfere with daily functioning. Reaching out for help is a step towards wellness. Symptoms of depression can vary from person to person, but it is a very treatable condition. Therapy for depression helps you overcome the feelings of hopelessness and despair and to gain control of your life.

Depression (and anxiety) are normal responses to painful environments. Are finding it difficult to be motivated? Are you lower energy than you should be? Is it hard to get out of bed? Do you get irritable for no reason at times? If so, you may be suffering from depression. I attack depression from two angles. One strategy is using CBT strategies to help you manage some of your symptoms. I also use EMDR, attachment based psychotherapy, and body / nervous system informed strategies to help you transform some of the underlying brain mis-wiring that is there from your past. Don't find somebody that just stares at you and lets you continue to be depressed. Let's do something about this!

Frequently, the things we want or need to change serve a purpose for us. They become a part of our identity and while they can cause us distress, their removal from our lives threatens us at a deep level. We are constantly creating an identity for ourselves and the very idea of change represents a threat to that identity. I can help you work through your depression by getting you to focus more concretely on the issues and symptoms you face in a safe and supportive environment. Together we will process some of the various things contributing to your depression, and creatively collaborate on how you can use your internal strengths to change.