Depression Counseling in Santa Rosa, CA.

Depression (major depressive disorder or clinical depression) is a common but serious mood disorder. It causes severe symptoms that affect how you feel, think, and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working. Depression may feel like it will "last forever" but it does not have to! By exploring the thoughts, behaviors, and even situations from your past you can learn how new strategies that can pull you out of the helpless/hopeless state you find yourself in so you can lead a happier and more fulfilling life!

At My True Temperament Christian Counseling, LLC, our approach to relieving the symptoms of depression, such as fatigue, hopelessness, trouble concentrating, is to share with the client the healing power of the Holy Spirit and to administer a temperament report. We use cognitive behavioral therapy to help the client change his/her negative thought patterns.

Depression is like a huge weight on you or an inundating black darkness. It robs your world of light and color as it weighs you down, sapping your vital energy. Medication can sometimes help, but it does to provide the whole answer because it does not touch the roots of depression, which dare hidden in your emotions. Depression is a natural response to unintegrated emotional pain. This is where I can help. I am direct, yet gentle, warm and respectful. As we work together the process unfolds. My gift is in helping you to have new emotional experiences which move you through the painful feelings hidden under your depression and back into a vital engagement with your life.

Clients usually experience a progressive decline in mood, which can impact their emotions, the quality of their sleep, relationships (they may even begin to withdraw from others), and have persistent negative thoughts. Many clients prefer to explore viable holistic and integrative strategies before trying medication. In our collaboration, we will design a plan to explore possible options, strategies to strengthen effective coping mechanisms, and identify a plan to enhance the opportunity for recovery.

Depression or sadness is a basic an universal feeling that has many causes. Some people are depressed due to stressful, difficult situations or relationships, feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope leading to a depressive shut down. Other times depression is a reaction to being stuck in ones life, not seeing a clear path or way to move forward. Sometimes depression stems from childhood abuse or neglect, often producing feelings of being defeated in life with low self esteem. All too often people seek a quick fix for depression using antidepressant drugs, which only mask the true nature of the problem. I aim to help you get to the true cause of your depression, teaching life skills.

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.