Depression Counseling in Travilah, MD.

When you experience a severely depressed mood and decreased activity level for an extended period of time, your life really changes. Hope disappears, joy drains from life, and you may feel isolated, alone, and stuck. Your efforts may fall behind in school or at work, and your relationships may feel strained. But change is possible! Although depression controls your current experience, it does not define who you most truly are. Counseling can help you break the chains of depression, and create a new experience which includes hope and a meaningful connection to life. To determine if we can work together, please contact me to schedule a FREE 15-minute phone consultation.

Depression can be a difficult topic to admit to, much less come to therapy for, but the courage it takes to make that call is your first step out of the darkness. Depression would like you to believe that no one can help you and that you're all alone, but it's not true - feeling that way is actually a symptom of depression itself! That's one reason why depression can be particularly insidious - it can make you feel like something is wrong with you at your core, and so make it hard for you to reach out for help. The truth is that depression is a condition that responds to proper therapy treatment, not a character flaw. Believe that and reach out for the help you deserve.

My approach with clients who suffer from depression is a combination of talk therapy, lifestyle changes (such as diet, exercise, and sleep habits), and coordination of care with other medical professionals who may prescribe medication if appropriate. We work together to process your feelings, we problem solve how depression gets in your way of wholehearted living, and heal relationships that have changed. I believe that feeling joyful again is possible, but my optimism and hope will never negate your experience of sadness.

There are many varieties of depression, from the nearly universal experience of “blues” to soul-crushing, “can’t lift my head out of bed” depression. We help sort out the source of depression, which can include being emotionally “underfed”, to un-grieved losses, trauma experiences, biological disorders, family emotional inheritance, and a lack of connection with your inner source of guidance. After exploring the experience of depression, and the context of a client’s life, we collaboratively shape a plan of treatment, and carefully monitor progress. We coordinate with other care providers, such as physicians.

You did not choose depression, and it is not something that can simply be “shaken off.” Depression is real, life-altering, and can convince you that happiness or peace will never return. Yet depression does not define you. Together, we can acknowledge its weight while also challenging the painful story it tells. My role is to walk with you through the heaviness, to hold space for the difficulty, and to help you discover that hope and healing are possible. You do not have to face this alone.

Simply finding the energy to search out options for a therapist shows your desire to get better. And that is something to hold on to as tightly as you can. In this day and age where we seem to only communicate through text messages and phone apps it becomes more difficult to allow ourselves to feel as well as heal. Working together we can process the challenges that are holding you down as well as work towards goals that can get you past these hurdles.