Depression Counseling in Playa Del Rey, CA.

Are you struggling with depression or other emotional concerns? Feeling stuck or unable to get out of unhealthy patterns that don't feel good? Depression doesn't have to take over your life - relief is possible. Together we will explore the challenges that are keeping you from living your preferred life and identify new possibilities for growth and change. I will support you in working toward your goals so that you can achieve a sense of well-being and live a more meaningful life.

Depression and Anxiety are the number one mental health issues in the United States. Most people who suffer from depression don't get help for it, instead they suffer alone. Rather medicating it away, therapy can help you understand the roots of the depression and/or anxiety and learn specific tools to find relief from it. You don't have to continue living with sadness.

Depression is a crippling experience that often goes unidentified by ourselves or those in our lives for way too long. It is self-sustaining, as it causes us to withdraw from our lives and from possible support. Mild to moderate depression may be treated with traditional "talk" psychotherapy, although severe depression may require pharmaceutical intervention. I work with you both to make sense of your depression and take steps to challenge it and move through it, into a better quality of life. We will talk. We will work somatically, with your breath and your body, to move stuck emotions and energy and remove the blocks to getting back into your life. Depression IS treatable. Seek out help.

There is no reason for you to go through this alone; depression is like a dark cloth over your life. I have years of experience in helping individuals to throw off the cloth and to reconnect with themselves and their loved ones. We will work together to reclaim your life, to build healthy habits for the future, and to build the life that see for yourself.

My approach to treating depression involves building a trusting and caring relationship. I value helping to explore what matters most in a patients life and to find a deeper sense of purpose based on what the patient wants their life to be about. Freedom from suffering requires an active approach, collaboratively working together to build empowerment, bravery, and inner strength.

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.

Depression can be experienced at any age and comes in various degrees impacting how we feel about ourselves and others. It can change our mood, eating, sleeping, thinking, and involvement in activities. Many individuals suffer in silence but their mood and behavior reveal a deeper turmoil within themselves. Talking to a trusted person about those inner thoughts is helpful but many friends and family members may not have the knowledge and skills to help you. Seeking a professional counselor can reduce feelings of isolation and provide you with feelings of hope. “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed” Proverbs 15:22.

Depression is stigmatized, leaving sufferers feeling isolated. Lack of education regarding depression causes others to assume its under the person's control; when often there are biological factors blocking healing. Callous terms like "Snap out of it" leave the sufferer feeling all the more hopeless, because they can't snap out of it any more than a diabetic can snap out of diabetes without medical attention or treatment. Depression can be the result of a depletion of significant hormones in the brain. The Word of God is a powerful tool I use with clients to stifle the negative cognitions of depression. I refer clients for medical intervention when depression is not responding to therapy.

CBT is a particularly effective treatment for depression, both as a combined approach with medication and as a stand alone treatment. Participating in CBT therapy for depression can help you restructure negative thought patterns and get out of negative cycles of thinking. Changing the way you think can help you interpret your environment and interactions with others in a more effective and positive way, improving the way you feel about yourself and helping improve your relationships with others. It may also help you recognize things that may be contributing to the depression and help you start doing things that lead to a reduction of symptoms and feelings of meaningful happiness.

Life can be very stressful these days. Cell phones, I Pads, smart phones, e mail, social networks all are fun and wonderful but they also bring with them higher expectations from work, family, friends and even ourselves. Our world keeps speeding up and the pressures can be great. Depression as an outgrowth of the stresses and pressures that surround us is becoming increasing common and a part of each of our lives. Most of us will experience depression at one or more points in our lives. Medication can help but is usually not the long term answer. We will work to identify the problems, find solutions, set goals and work toward minimizing the causes and find more peace and calm.

Many people have felt sad or depressed at times. Our moods go up and down based on our experiences, physical wellbeing, affected by our day to day encounters. Feeling depressed can be a normal reaction to loss, life's labors, or a wounded self-esteem. But when feelings of extreme sadness -- including feeling hopeless, and worthless last for many days and then to weeks and keep you from performing normally, your depression may be something more than sadness. It may very well be clinical depression – which is a treatable medical condition. A sign of depression is either depressed mood or loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed for more than just a few days. In addition, the depressive symptoms need to cause clinically significant distress or...(view profile to read more)

If you or your child / adolescent are suffering with symptoms of depression such as, loss of interest in activities, low self-worth, and mood changes then I would like to help. Untreated depression can negatively impact relationships, productivity, physical and mental well-being. Whether you understand the root cause of your depression or are unsure of why you are struggling, therapy can be the start you need to move towards healing.

Becoming and being depressed can be devastating and as significant as dealing with a serious physical illness. Depression can involve a constellation of symptoms and behavior manifestations that can be incapacitating. Therapy for depression can include a multitude of approaches including diet, exercise, and when appropriate, medications. Often, it is a combination of some or all of these, that helps the client get better. Depression for children could be precipitated by an event or trauma, a family situation or trauma, or for no apparent reason at all. It is important that it is recognized, assessed and treated.