Depression Counseling in Minneapolis, MN.

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

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.

If you are feeling depressed, counseling and therapy can help you. Depression has a lot of causes but mainly something in your life isn't working. Talking about what is depressing you can help relieve some of the loneliness caused by depression. Understand the behaviors, emotions, and ideas that contribute to his or her depression. Depression is usually born out of a life event such as a major illness, a death in the family, childhood abuse or trauma a loss of a job or a divorce. Therapy can help understand where these events affected how a person thinks about themself which may be perpetuating the depression.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Depression is something that we all experience during some periods of life. However, when it becomes habitual and saps our feelings of inner joy and energy for life then it's time that we must do something about it. Often people who suffer from depression and become accustomed to it and feel hopeless about whether they can ever really change their mood. There is hope! With commitment to therapy and working on changing the underlying negative patterns of beliefs causing depression, there is every possibility of change.

If you’re feeling down, are lacking motivation, or lacking motivation, you’re not alone. The demands of work and home life can take a toll on any man. Not many understand the unique pressures you face, and this can be frustrating, lonely, and isolating. Whether you feel like things are falling apart, or you’re still hiding it pretty well, there is hope. I often use EMDR therapy and a faith-based perspective to help men uncover and heal the source of their issues, and discover their peace, hope, and motivation in life. One of the insidious parts of depression is that while you’re in the fog, it’s hard to be objective. I will help you walk through this fog until we get to the other side.

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!