Depression Counseling in San Dimas, CA.

Depression does not have to keep you from feeling like yourself any longer. You may be feeling unfulfilled, hopeless, discouraged- even seeking support in therapy can feel overwhelming. In the safety of our relationship, you can face these difficult feelings and gain insights into yourself and your relationships. We will develop necessary coping skills and work to understand what is contributing to your depression. As we process through painful feelings and thoughts you will be more free to re-claim the life you want and experience the joy and fulfillment that you deserve.

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.

Alexandra is collaborative and integrates mindfulness, somatic therapy, family systems, solution-focused, behavioral therapy, and existential techniques. Alexandra is experienced in working with clients who are neurodivergent, and supporting with sexuality and gender identity, attachments, relationships, trauma, open and consensual non-monogamy, kink, trust and self-esteem, life transitions, depression, anxiety, and stress.

Not being alone and feeling supported when we are hurting is vital. I am a very active, encouraging, supportive therapist and I give clients homework and exercises to start seeing their power and impact from the start. There is a balance that needs to be found between expression and action. I assist clients in making certain that they are healing and growing.

Symptoms of depression can emerge for a variety of reasons. Grief and loss can produce feelings of depression as can chronic stress, illnesses, relationship problems, additive disorders, trauma, sleep disorders and even a poor diet! There are many possible factors that could be causing your depression and they should all be explored before making a clinical diagnosis of major depression. I will work with you to identify the causes and solutions to manage your depression. You will receive highly directive counsel and unconditional positive regard for your well being in a compassionate, supportive atmosphere. Proper treatment can help you take your life back!

Depression causes a major disruption in the life of individuals due to constant feelings of sadness, hopelessness, exhaustion and even anxiety. This mood disorder causes persistent changes in the way you feel physically, mentally and emotionally. By getting treatment you can progressively work with a supportive therapist and together embark on your journey towards healing.

Depression can be insidious and chronic causing you to feel like you can't connect, you're missing out on life or you're "going through the motions". This is no way to live! Don't settle for feeling detached and disconnected from your life, missing true joy and adventure. Tools can help you feel connected again and release buried feelings that keep you depressed. When depression becomes acute, you can't slow down, relax, can't sleep or sleep too much, feel a deep sadness, heaviness. Using tools for acute depression really helps you get back on track!

Are you living in a cloud, where everything seems foggy and dark? Depression can be a debilitating and hopeless experience. I understand that it can be incredibly difficult to reach out for help; remaining isolated is tempting for those struggling with depression -- whether it be from grief, trauma, loss, or "just because." I have experience working with depression and can help you not only develop more effective coping skills, but also identify the core reasons behind your depression in order to provide longer-term healing and change.

Depression is not something that exists "in" you. It is something you experience in a context. When we are out of connection with others we can become depressed. My approach to healing depression is not to simple help people get "over" their depression but by helping people move in and through it. That means, feeling into the pain and potential danger of feeling the feelings that are in you. When we are not alone in our feelings they can change.

Abby offers individualized, compassionate care for those experiencing depression, whether it's related to life transitions, trauma, grief, or chronic emotional patterns. Using a blend of psychodynamic insight and evidence-based approaches like CBT and EMDR, she helps clients identify underlying causes, shift negative thought patterns, and reconnect with meaning and motivation. Her supportive, nonjudgmental environment empowers clients to navigate their depression, build coping skills, and move toward a greater sense of balance and well-being.

Working through depression is difficult. Finding what led to your depression can also be hard to recognize. Together we will find out why you're feeling sad and look for ways to overcome the depression with tools you'll learn in the therapy sessions. Through practice, you'll be able to use the newly learned tools to conquer your depression as easily as brushing your teeth.

I can honestly say that every single person I have met has been discouraged / depressed at some point in their lives. It happens. Why? Because things do not always go our way. Because we cannot plan for every thing that will come up. Because sometimes, even I may not have all the answers. It does happen! That's ok though. If you don't have the answers reach out to those you can help.

Sometimes we find ourselves in the "dark night of the soul." It is a place so painful that we feel we might never find our way out. Our counseling relationship can help you find out why you feel so hopeless, and help you gain insight about how your environment and relationships (both past and present) might be contributing to your feelings. Once you figure this out, we can determine what steps you might need to make to find freedom and joy again.

Depression can rear it's ugly head when we least expect and without being fully aware that it is happening. Losing interest in activities that were once pleasurable, feeling overwhelmed and tired, sleeping in excess can all be signs of depression. Learn skills such as relaxation techniques, changing negative thought processes, and proactive ways of coping with stress to help you get back on the right track.

All of us occasionally experience feelings of sadness. Most of the time, these painful interludes clear rapidly. Clinical depression, however, is an extremely painful state which is characterized by intense feelings of hopelessness and despair. When this mood state occurs, professional help is needed. My therapeutic process allows the here and now experience between therapist and client to reveal how present day thoughts, feelings, and beliefs formed in the past influence your current life and affect your mood. Bringing to light the cognitive processes that may be holding the depression in place help you gain the clarity and control needed to restore your health. Please feel free to call.

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.