Depression Counseling in San Diego Country Estates, CA.

Understanding that there are different types of depression, different levels of severity, and various causes, I work with each individual to assess what kind of depression they are experiencing and possible causes. Often anxiety and depression occur together. Along with providing a safe, non-judgmental place and therapeutic relationship for people to talk about their depressive feelings/emotions and experience, I also utilize research-based therapies that have proven effective for treating depression and anxiety.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The therapeutic process and, applying a psychodynamic foundation, will assist one through healing from difficult moods and behaviors with a treatment model especially tailored to fit your emotional needs. We will discuss moods and behaviors related to negative processing of information and positive processing. Depression can become overwhelming and is often related to memories of chilhood trauma. We will work together at healing and letting go of the painful responses of traumatic injuries.

I believe that as we grow up we are shaped by our relationships; this starts from the time we are little and continues for the rest of our lives. Through these relationships we are also shaped by society. In being shaped we create various meaning from our experiences as well as receiving and giving instructions on how to live. When we form new relationships of any kind, this gets challenged; coming together and finding a path forward that celebrates all involved is the key to success. Sometimes this gets stalled through unspoken expectations and anticipated or unanticipated pressure related to sadness. Lets explore this!