Depression Counseling in West Chicago, IL.

People may medicate their depression with TV, alcohol, food, isolation, or excessive sleep. One definition of depression is "anger turned inward." Talking with a psychologist is one of the best methods to understand your down moods, unusual thoughts, and self-defeating beliefs. Friends may say, "Get over it" about your jealousy toward your sister or your sadness over your girlfriend who texted "it's over" 3 months ago. If you are on medication for already-diagnosed depression, therapy is important to bring new ideas into your brain. If you are considering medication, start with talk therapy. Don't keep waiting for "it" to go away. What's at the bottom of your depression?

Depressive symptoms can stem from a variety of sources in an individual’s life usually reflecting a sense of loss. While medications can be helpful, it’s the behavioral symptoms associated with depression that can leave a lingering impact even after the depressive symptoms have stated to improve. Being pulled into depressive experiences over and over reflects both habits that can be difficult to break and/or subconscious issues that have yet to be addressed. Through processes such as hypnotherapy that address the whole person, we are able to capture a wider range of challenges and help the individual to regain the ground lost to he depressive illness.

My approach will vary depending on the severity of the depression. The first importance is stability of well being. From there I will work on thoughts, feelings, and behaviors working towards short terms goals. Goals will include small behavior changes that will help to be building blocks and also cognitive work on realistic truths. Often things like sleep, nutrition, and exercise are also evaluated and improved in the process as ways to counter depression.

Depression is frequently referred to as the common cold of mental health issues. Everyone experiences difficulties in life from time to time but when normal grief, stress,work, family issues or other stressors become overwhelming depression can set in causing individuals very serious symptoms and struggles including, decreased energy/motivation, alienation from relationships, feelings of hopelessness, fatigue, poor concentration and at worst no longer wanting to go on with life. The good news is there is help available. When dealing with depression it is important to be able to talk about the struggle but we will also give you strategies and tools to relieve your distress.

Sometimes people feel depresed and can atribute it to stressful events that have occured, other times people can't quite put their finger on why they feel depressed, they just know they're not happy, feel unmotivated, and in some cases hopeless and helpless. What we now know about neuroscience helps us understand how and why depression occurs. I will help you determine whether your depression can be improved through talk therapy combined with some changes to your daily routine or whether a clinical depression has set in that may respond well to medication too. I have a wonderful, caring Doctor I work with who will assess clinical depression and offer recommendaitons if necessary.

Depression can happen to anyone. Often times, it happens to very strong people. I am here to support you in exploring your emotions, what depression feels like for you, and learning how to cope with it. We will identify your strengths and qualities so that we can use those to help you with your challenges. We will also work on self-compassion and creating kindness towards yourself.

People who struggle with depression often report feeling overwhelmed with life or less interested in activities. They struggle with maintaining focus and have difficulty in interpersonal relationships. While there are many types of therapy for the treatment of depression, today, most people with depression can be treated successfully with antidepressant medications, “talk” therapy (psychotherapy), or a combination of the two. Talk therapy is effective because it helps you to understand and work through the root of depression, helping you to identify patterns of thinking and behaving that underlie personal difficulties. With therapy, you will be able to live in accordance with your values.

Have you felt not good enough, rejected, or alone? You can feel helpless not being able to change your feelings. Depression can be scary and cannot be reasoned away. Depression is an energy disorder, a thief of enjoyment, accomplishment, connection with others, and self-care. I can help you identify, understand and regulate difficult emotions, and find a workable plan to address how difficult it can be.

Depression can be debilitating. Dealing with loss of energy, difficulty concentrating, hopelessness, feeling worthless, low mood, and overall difficulty dealing with the day to day can be a symptom of depression. Through counseling I can help provide you relief from depression. I will help you identify ways your thinking is impacting your mood and offer your tools to help correct your thinking. I will also teach you new ideas/concepts that will help you make changes to your thinking and mood.

Some of the benefits in seeking counseling for depression are: Improved mood Increase in seeking out things that make you feel good Replacing negative thought patterns Help in recognizing when the depression started and treating the root cause Help in recognizing daily stressors that can contribute to the depression Can help with motivation to achieve goals

I think that my most important technique is to assist individuals in recognizing that depression is a condition and is not a form of laziness; many individuals have expressed a sense of relief as others have encouraged them to "just get over it". I utilize a combination of support and encouragement, including discussions of successes and challenges. I strongly discourage the use of the word "should" and any judgmental language. In addition, I believe that there is no specific time table for recovery, and that each individual is unique in their recovery.

You may have found that pushing through hard days just isn't working anymore. Maybe it is hard to get out of bed or experience joy as you once did . We use a grace based approach to find positive and healthy solutions to manage your overwhelming feelings so that you can find your energy and purpose. We will look at your life holistically to determine if there are health problems or biochemical reasons for your depression. We want you to be free of shame so you can develop a healthy sense of self worth, competence so you can experience joy and hope!

Home Psych Services, P.C. provides comprehensive behavioral health treatment for depression involving evaluation, psychotherapy, and, when appropriate, medication management. Because our services are delivered in your home, we are in a unique position to assess the triggers of your depression which are often related to factors within the home enviornment such as family tension, financial hardship, or struggles to maintain independence. Our treatment approach targets depression at its source utilizing solution-focused practices to get the best outcome in treating your problems.