Depression Counseling in Yucaipa, CA.

I believe there are at least two kinds of depression. One is more biological or "hard-wired" and may need a biological-level intervention. Therefore, I may refer you to be evaluated by a doctor or psychiatrist for medication. The other kind of depression often arises from injured relationships or facing obstacles in life. Sometimes, depression can be a combination of both. If your depression results from a hurt relationship or failures in life, I can help you to rise above it. As a Family Therapist, I treat problems through a relationship-oriented perspective. Therefore, I may be able to address the kinds of relational issues that often worsen depression.

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.

Andrea is certified in IPT for depression. This is an Interpersonal psychotherapy. It is a brief, attachment-focused psychotherapy that centers on resolving interpersonal problems and symptomatic recovery. It is an empirically supported treatment that follows a highly structured and time-limited approach and is intended to be completed within 12–16 weeks. IPT is based on the principle that relationships and life events impact mood and that the reverse is also true.

I wish to assist clients in exploring what underlies the depressed mood, the contributing factors as well as reconnecting and identifying inherent strengths. My aim is to collaboratively develop strategies to improve mood, motivation and an overall sense of wellbeing. I wish to instill hope, promote self understanding and self acceptance. Depression can leave you feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, or as though it is difficult to see a way forward. Therapy provides a supportive and compassionate space to explore what you are experiencing, better understand the patterns that may be contributing to your depression, and develop healthier ways of coping. Together, we can work toward restoring a greater sense of hope, connection, and meaning in your life.

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.

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.

Depression drains the color out of life: heaviness in the morning, loss of interest in things you used to enjoy, a sense that effort no longer pays off. It can be quiet and grinding or acute and frightening, and from the inside it often feels like it will never lift. It can, and it does! I work to understand depression rather than just label it. Low mood is frequently carrying something: grief that wasn't fully felt, anger turned inward, a loss or disappointment that never found words. As we make sense of what your depression is expressing, its grip will ease, and energy and meaning will return. I've helped many people resolve depression, and I have full confidence that we can do the same!