Depression Counseling in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

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 is a complex condition that involves changes in mood, behavior and thinking. It can effect our most important personal and work related relationships. Physically, it can interrupt our sleep, appetite and energy level. Sometimes, a medical solution is needed and other times a psychological approach is best while other times a combination of both is the optimal treatment. As a psychotherapist with 32 years experience, I have helped many people overcome their depression through proven treatments that change the patterns of thinking, acting, and relating that tend to maintain depressive moods. Psychotherapy can greatly benefit the person seeking relief from this condition.

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.

Depression is one of the most common problems people seek out therapy services. Because I am trained in a variety of therapeutic approaches, I am able to offer you a holistic approach to depression treatment. Sometimes depression is habitual, other times it is caused by your cicumstances, and still other times we need to work through the root causes of depression. These may be childhood abuse, traumatic events, bereavement or problems in your relationships or lack there of! I am highly trained and skilled at treating all types of depressions and can help you work through the feelings to resolve even long term depression. Call me! I can help!

A need for emotional connection is wired into our DNA as a survival mechanism. But in response to childhood experiences, you may have developed patterns of relating to people that interfere with that essential attachment, so you feel chronically disconnected and depressed. At one time, these patterns protected you from a less than nurturing environment. But now they’re doing more harm than good. Like a self-fulfilling prophecy, your expectations about how others will treat you can lead you to behave in ways that elicit the very responses you fear. EFT can help you heal your relationships and mood. Research shows EFT can be as effective as medication in relieving the symptoms of depression.

Depression often results following some type of loss. However, often it is not the loss itself that causes the depression, but the person's assessment and thoughts about the loss that produces feelings of depression. Cognitive therapy, as practiced by Dr. Levine, can help reverse such clinical depression. It is normal to feel sadness following a loss or unexpected negative life event and cognitive therapy is frequently an excellent method for insuring that normal sadness does not morph into clinical depression. If medication might help in addition to therapy, Dr. Levine will help direct you to a competent psychopharmacologist to provide this additional assistance, if you choose.

My belief is that depression is born from unexplored feelings intersecting with past and present life events. I gently guide clients to deeply explore core belliefs and emotions that are impacting how they view themselves and the world around them. As we challenge the myth and mystery of these feelings and beliefs, a new way of moving through the world begins to unfold and recovery can begin.

Talk therapy, when combined with medication, can play an important role in helping clients manage depression. Working together with a professional therapist helps you gain a new perspective on any issues you may be facing at work, with family or friends or in your general life. Having the support of a therapist through a depressive episode will provide you with an ally who will see you through your depression, help you manage your medications and be able to monitor the progress should it become worse.

In treating mood problems, the most important piece in collaborating is to find rays of hope in your life. What did you love to do before that you no longer enjoy? What are/were your interests in life? Who are the people in your life you want to feel closer to? What are your strengths? How can we interupt habitual feelings of hopelessnes, by changing the way you think about triggers that lead you to depressed feelings? How can we challenge negative or unrealistic thinking? With sensitive, open communication in sessins, we can find answers to these questions that can curtail habitual depressive thought and feelings. Coping skills can be taught and mastered.

Depression feels terrible! You may not be sleeping. You may be more irritable than usual. You may be have tears coming out of your eyes unexpectedly. The great news, is that of all the illnesses you could be experiencing, depression is one of the most treatable. You don't have to feel like this forever. You are not your depression. Using CBT, solution focused brief therapy, and positive psychology we are going to work to get you on the road to feeling better! Call me today for a complimentary confidential phone consultation and let's get started right away! You are cordially invited to view my blog at: www.blogger.com/profile/05583261728767907328

Depression takes away your ability to feel joy in life. But with the right help you can overcome it. I use Dialectical Behavior Therapy to help you understand your emotions and take concrete actions to change how you feel. It's not easy, but it is an evidenced based therapy that can offer you a chance to feel joy. Understanding how you can change your mood in positive ways can help you find joy again. I can help you do that.

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.

Depression robs us of joy and the ability to thrive in life. When I work with a client suffering from depression, we discover ways to both alleviate the symptoms that make daily life such a struggle and look at the underlying issues that are causing the depression. Gestalt therapy builds our awareness to the beliefs and past experiences that interrupt our ability to get the sense of connection in life needed to not be depressed. My approach helps people have greater awareness of the dynamics within them that lead to their depression so they can get at the underlying issues and truly change their lives.