Depression Counseling in San Carlos, CA.

Does life seem bleak right now? Have you lost interest in the things you used to enjoy? Do you feel sad most of the time? Do you have little to look forward to, and a lot you’d prefer not to look back on? When you are convinced that things will never get better no matter what, you are depressed. I can give you tools and teach you how to use them to dig yourself out of the emotional ditch you’re in. It is possible to feel hope again when you know how.

I help clients explore the root causes of their depression, which can often be complex and multifaceted. By uncovering underlying issues, clients can gain a deeper understanding of their emotions and behaviors. Clients learn strategies to manage and regulate intense emotions associated with depression. These skills empower clients to navigate emotional challenges more effectively. I offer tools to cope with stress and life challenges, reducing the impact of stressors on depressive symptoms. I use CBT, acceptance & commitment therapy to help break negative patterns for my clients who are dealing with depression. When depression is tied to past trauma, I also use EMDR.

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!

TIRED OF FEELING DOWN ALL THE TIME? Are you struggling with insecurities, stress, and self-doubts? Are you stuck in some strange vicious cycles? I can help you go deep and identify the source of your unhappiness, take charge of your life and move on to happiness, empowerment and meaning... Counseling can help you overcome sadness, and destructive emotions. Call me for a free telephone consultation session.

For clients experiencing depression, I help them explore both external and internal circumstances that are impacting their mental health and look for relationships in their lives that are impeding the healing process. Then we do relational work together to move out of a place of hopelessness and helplessness into a place of strength and empowerment.

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.

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.

In the years that I have been treating clients with depression, I have learned that not all depressions are equal; they have different causes. The first thing I do is rule out physical causes by asking my clients to make sure they have had a recent physical exam. Many depressions are caused by illnesses such as thyroid disease. I have many tools up my sleeve to get rid of depression. Many are in- the- moment exercises and some are dredging up past experiences.

My approach with treating depression is to assess for negative thought patterns as well as unresolved grief or trauma. Once I determine the source, I have a Holistic approach for depression that involves a program of self care and inner work. I offer somatic techniques such as breath work, guided visualizations, EFT (the tapping technique that releases anxiety or trauma). I also teach cutting edge Law of Attraction techniques that help you stay out of depression and build up your self esteem as well as create more love, happiness, and financial abundance in your life.

Grey Matters International, Inc. and the work of Kevin J. Fleming, Ph.D. handles depression and other emotional disorders in a very unique way. Most of therapy or counseling processes utilize validation, unconditional positive regard, and reframing as common techniques to get someone to heal from their depression. Though this can be helpful, it rarely fixes the core problem behind it and for tough cases we then refer them usually to a psychiatrist for medication which can have tons of side effects. Instead, why not try a natural and arguably more effective way to not just change your mind, but change the brain--where the depression is rooted. Contact us at kevin@kevinflemingphd.com.

Depression can set in when our emotions or negative thought patterns become overwhelming and too much to hold. Pain or hardship often is too much to hold alone. With my help, we can start to open to emotion, bring a wise awareness to thought patterns, and to find aliveness again. If we can make friends with our emotions, stop fighting them, and to recognize their purpose in regulating the nervous system or showing us what matters to us, tremendous resilience can be found on the other side.

Our understanding of depression and its origins has deepened in recent years, especially with the much more nuanced knowledge we now have about the influences of both our early lives and neurobiology in shaping how we experience and respond to stress and adversity. If you are depresses, it is important to understand whether it is a response to situational, and possibly temporary circumstances, a biological tendency, a response to long-term trauma or a combination of triggers. If you wish to explore how I could help with your particular situation, please call me at 415-533-9724.