Depression Counseling in Stony Brook, NY.

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 use a compassionate, evidence based approach to help clients manage Major Depression by combining CBT strategies, emotional processing, and structured goal setting. I support clients in understanding their symptoms, challenging negative thought patterns, and rebuilding daily routines that strengthens motivation and well being.

Depression can range from being draining to being completely debilitating. Wherever you land on that spectrum, so much of depression involves negative thinking of oneself, others, and the world. Talk therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy are research-backed successful tools in providing support for those experiencing depression. I use talk therapy to provide a space for clients to share their feelings and things that either lead to or are affected by their feelings of depression. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps identify and shift negative thinking patterns as well as behaviors, which ultimately creates a more positive cycle in ones life and decreases symptoms of depression.

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.

Therapy offers a powerful and multifaceted approach to navigating depression, and when incorporating Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), its benefits are amplified. CBT provides practical tools to identify and challenge negative thought patterns that fuel depressive symptoms, fostering more realistic and positive thinking. Simultaneously, EMDR can address underlying emotional distress, including past adverse experiences or traumas that may contribute to depression, by reprocessing these memories in a safe and controlled way. This combined approach not only equips you with coping mechanisms for present challenges but also helps to heal the roots of emotional pain, leading to more profound and lasting relief from depression, enhanced r

Hal helps clients understand depression and better cope with the nasty and persistent erosion of hope. Hal encourages his clients to understand the reason(s) for their depression and unique ways to climb out of it. He also encourages clients to connect to, express, even write about their depression. Hal believes that only by facing it head are we able to effectively disarm depression, while increasing self-esteem.