Depression Counseling in Lakeville, MN.

Survivors of Narcissistic Abuse often feel broken and defeated. You may feel like you can't trust yourself and wonder if you are truly 'the problem' in all of this like you have been repeatedly told. You carry a deep heaviness and sadness within you. You might even feel hopeless and stuck--not sure how to move forward. I want you to know that I see you and hear you. I understand how exhausted you feel. I can help and would love to support you in these upcoming steps. Please feel free to email me or if you are wanting to start now, you are invited to schedule via the scheduling link of my website.

Oftentimes, anxiety can turn into depression, or the two can 'flip' back and forth, resulting in a sort of 'on-again, off-again' experience. Or, depression can slowly grow over time. Or maybe it feels like it's always been there. Whatever the specifics of how depression feels to us, there are some commonalities. We tend to disconnect from others and our supports (or feel like we want to), and we often tend to avoid precisely the things and the people that might be helpful to us. Learn how to be gentle with yourself, slowly and with self-compassion, find your way back, or find your way to a new place.

Are you feeling sad and alone? Do you feel like no one understands your problems? Are you a mom struggling with Post Partum? Do you have the baby blues? Life can be hard sometimes and I want to help you with those hard things. My approach is to show empathy and seek to understand you while also finding tools to help you cope with the symptoms you are experiencing.

Depression is a mood disorder that can cause a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest that can interfere with daily functioning. Reaching out for help is a step towards wellness. Symptoms of depression can vary from person to person, but it is a very treatable condition. Therapy for depression helps you overcome the feelings of hopelessness and despair and to gain control of your life.

I always think of depression and anxiety as close relations. Although they feel very different in the body, they often arise for the same reason; to protect us. For me, the key to working with depression is to use curiosity and compassion to figure out why it has such a hold, and to understand what purpose it serves. I believe that we develop depression because it was adaptive at some point in our lives, but then it stops working for us. If we understand the message/purpose/role this part plays within us, without judgement or shame, it's a lot easier to release depression's hold on us.

When the world become so dark and difficult with little hope, this is the time to reach out for care. Sometimes, life does not get this dark, but it is just hard to go on from day to day and have the energy or motivation to get up and live life. Everyone's sense of depression is different and can have different sources depending upon who you are. While working with you in a therapeutic relationship, we can begin to piece together the areas of your life contributing to your depression. In my practice I offer treatment for your depression and learn other ways to care for yourself which are life giving verses life draining. Depression is a lonely illness. I hope you chose to seek help!

My method of treating depression is to assess the causes of the depression, mobilize your strengths, and support you in making the needed behavioral, cognitive and emotional changes. Depression can result from biological and/or psychosocial factors. Effective treatment will explore the underlying causes as well as developing more effective coping skills. These skills include using social support, changing self-talk, resolving underlying issues, healthy emotional expression, setting and achieving goals, and increasing assertive behavior. My clinical approach to treatment is to be actively engaged, supportive, direct and practical.

I take an Adlerian perspective when it comes to depression. According to Adler, it is when people are stuck in 'mistaken beliefs' they become depressed. I work with family of origin data to help clients uncover the mistaken beliefs and replace them with a new reality. Using Post Induction Therapy, the client learns to recognize their self-worth and correct the negative self-talk that reinforces depression.

I provide support and practical feedback to help individuals and couples effectively address personal and relationship challenges. I integrate cutting edge techniques built to improve your relationship and take it to places you doubted were possible. With compassion and understanding, I work with each individual, couple and family to help them build on their strengths and attain the personal growth they are committed to accomplishing.

We will work together to identify your particular depressive symptoms, how they affect you, and how to reduce their impact in your life. Cognitive behavioral therapy is considered the gold-standard in treating depression, so we will likely start there. In addition, we will spend time delving into your past, how you grew up, and formative times in your life to see if any of these may be contributing to depression your life. Clients often report that understanding the source or contributing factors of depression helps them to feel better and more in control. It also helps us create a treatment plan based on your unique situation rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Depression can cast a shadow over so many aspects of life. Making it sometimes feel hopeless or that an end is no where in sight. Helping my clients with understanding the causes for depression and utilizing the strengths they already have, as well as teaching new non-medicinal skills, helps to reduce overall symptoms and regain a sense of passion for life again!

Does life feel overwhelming and hopeless? I'll help you connect with your pain without getting lost in it, understand where it comes from, and interrupt the cycle of negative and despairing thoughts that characterize depression. When you can make sense of your suffering and share it in a supportive environment, it shifts from feeling impossible to live with to being a manageable part of life. You'll understand the events and behaviors in your life that contribute to feeling depressed and learn how to experience a range of emotions. Whether you're on antidepressants or feel strongly about not using them, therapy is an effective way to break depression's state of lethargy and powerlessness.

Depression is a part of the lives of people who experience it, but it does not need to define their life. People who I work with discover new and creative ways to approach their own unique experience of depression so that it has less influence over the parts of themselves and their lives that matter most to them. I recognize the how overwhelming depression can be, while also seeing the power an individual has over it's impact on their life.