Depression Counseling in Vashon, WA.

Take charge of your depression. I can help you learn tools to lessen depression and start feeling better. Our thoughts, our current lifestyle, friends or lack of, all contribute to how we feel. Past failures tend to repeat themselves until they are understood. When getting motivated, completing tasks, or social relationships are a struggle the stress of this can lead to depression. Don't put up with feeling other people have more enjoyment in life than you do. Research is showing us that there are ways we can feel better without using medication.

Depression feels like a hole you can't escape, no matter how hard you try. Together, we'll work on reconnecting with the sense of vitality, peace and joy within your body. We'll understand the roots of your depression and find ways to compassionately hold those feelings while still being able to live the happy, joyous life you desire. We'll listen to your body for any signals of unresolved trauma or relational wounding and work gently with the body to heal.

Our work together will help uproot and eliminate the causes of depression in life and relationships. You learn to transform negative thought patterns to positive feelings. Discover the perspective to live a more meaningful and productive life. In so doing, you create a more positive environment for you and loved ones. You will feel lighter and happier. The process is available to anyone willing to invest time and energy.

Dealing with pain in life is one of the most challenging things we do. As a therapist, my job is to sit with you in your suffering and help give you tools to overcome the sources of pain in your life. Whether you have contemplated suicide, struggled fruitlessly to overcome your challenges, or are the family member of someone going through depression, I can help you find the hope that will help you hang on until the pain gets better.

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.

Depression is often a way for the body to provide safety from overwhelming emotions - feelings like sadness, loneliness and fear. My approach is to work closely with the person feeling depressed, following their lead, to uncover the feelings underlying the depression, and allow those feelings to be experienced. Once this happens, the depression loses its power and healing can begin.

Depression can leave you feeling drained, disconnected, and hopeless. But healing is possible. In our work together, you’ll gain tools to shift negative thinking, reconnect with joy, and rediscover your strengths. I provide a safe and supportive space where you won’t be judged or rushed—just gently guided toward renewed motivation, healthier coping strategies, and emotional relief.

We examine your depression symptoms through evaluation and assessment. Its a comprehensive approach that involves many questions and hopefully honest answers. We then develop a plan that entails supportive networks, encouragement for medication, and other wraparound resources to aid you in increasing a healthy emotional state of living. The process does take time, but is beneficial if you are looking to make positive changes.

Not only does depression affect our mental well being, it also affects and can be exacerbated or even caused by our physical body as well. Did you know that depression can be worsened or even caused by vitamin deficiencies in the body? The mind-body connection is the reason I am a proponent of the functional medicine model, which uses simple genetic testing to determine if your body is lacking important natural nutrients for overall health. When your body's in proper balance that overwhelming sadness won't be quite so insurmountable. I will not only work with you to heal your emotional wounds but I will also help you to find the right balance for your physical body as well.

Depression is sometimes describes as sadness. While sadness is often a very real part of depression, there is often much more to it than that. Feelings of emptiness inside, hopelessness about the future, feelings of guilt, worries and anxieties about the future, and a feeling of being weighed down by life in a manner that becomes suffocating often accompany depression. It is a very real problem that we are finding has very real negative effects in the lives of individuals, communities, and places of work. Treating depression takes time and commitment, but the truth is there is hope that you will not always have to feel this way.

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.

The treatment of depression begins initially with the addressing the depression symptoms that are disrupting your life. Without attention to these symptoms first, it is difficult for individuals to begin to examine the reasons behind the depression without provoking more of it. Once these symptoms are looked into, we will start to examine the life situations you are in and the relationships, stories, family roles, events and unprocessed emotion that may be the root of the depression. With some time, consistency, openness and commitment to the process, individuals will find their symptoms eased and the enjoyment of every day returned.

When depression hits, just getting though the day can feel like an enormous task. Depression is caused by many things and ranges widely in severity and length. Whether depression is mild or severe, there are proven ways to help get through it. I work with clients to help discover and treat the root issue that's causing the depression so they can be free to enjoy life once again.