Depression Counseling in Chicago Heights, IL.

From mild to severe, the levels of sadness or depression that may color your world can be oppressive. We can help you understand the complicated nature of your own sadness or depression, including both the bio-chemical aspects as well as the emotional impact. Through this understanding, we develop a plan with you to access your strengths again, and see the world differently.

Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect your thoughts, behavior, feelings and sense of well-being. This depressed mood can feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable or restless. You may have lose interest in activities that were once pleasurable, experience loss of appetite or overeating, have problems concentrating, remembering details or making decisions, and may contemplate, attempt or commit suicide. Insomnia, excessive sleeping, fatigue, aches, pains, digestive problems or reduced energy may also be present. Depressed mood is a feature of some psychiatric syndromes such as major depressive disorder, but it may also be a normal reaction to life events such as bereavement, a symptom of...(view profile to read more)

Depression has been called "anger turned inwards" and it seems that when a person talks about their depression, they may have hurt and anger underneath it. It's typically not easy to get to these complex feelings and subjects alone. With counseling, the layers are peeled away, the emotions find relief and the person begins to feel better. Depression is treatable.

Isolation feeds depression and then also becomes a breeding ground for negative thought patterns. In session, we challenge those thought processes and take baby steps towards leaving isolation, hopelessness, and helplessness. As your therapist, we do not want you to be alone; we will work to develop skills and techniques that benefit you and that challenge the fog that you may feel that you are stuck in. These skills and techniques are practiced in session and often suggested that it be continued to be practiced outside of session. Then, we regroup, process, and re-strategize as needed.

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.