Depression Counseling in Santa Cruz, CA.

Depression may be hereditary, may be created by enormous stress over time, or from a recent stressor that results in an assault on one's serotonin levels. The results are symptoms of depression; poor sleep, appetite issues, bad moods or mood swings, low energy, poor focus/concentration and difficult functioning in every-day life. There are many ways to approach the problem of depression, and I usually recommend a multi-faceted approach to really solve the problem. I've helped hundreds of people with the issue in my career. People don't usually "snap out of it" and it is a serious issue. Professionals, like myself, know what to do to help you.

Are you struggling with sadness, loss of motivation, low energy, feeling down, hopelessness or helplessness? Life these days are not easy and can bring on depression and loneliness. I want to be a support to you and help you through this part of your life. I will help you find hope and identify coping skills to manage your symptoms. It would be my pleasure to walk by your side and find a new path of hopefulness!

First, it's important to me to understand what my clients mean by "depression" because how one client experiences depression can be very different than another client. This is necessary so I can customize the strategies I use for each specific client based on their unique experience of depression. Ultimately, my clients can expect to discover real-world steps they can take to feel not just "less depressed" but better about their life - and more positive and hopeful.

It can often seem like society expects us to be happy and positive at all times, that any admission of sadness or a loss of motivation, energy, or engagement with life is a personal failure. But Depression isn't a personal failure, and it is also more than just "feeling sad". If you find yourself down in the hole of disconnection, surrounded by a fog that is interfering with your life and relationships, you need a hand to help you climb out. A trained therapist understands the mechanics of depression and can help you understand it and find strategies to make your way up and out of it, and back into the light. Please contact me so we can begin to work on this process together.

Depression can be a very difficult emotion to feel, to understand, to cope with and to heal from. As we work together, we begin to explore your experiences and relationships from the past to understand what might be happening in the present that may still need healing. As well as, understand your feelings in the moment to provide relief, comfort and support.

Free 30 minute zoom call - Depression often really just means "repression". It is usually a sign that the human system is overwhelmed with thoughts & emotions that have become unmanageable. People with depression are often stuck & unmotivated. A shift in circumstances is usually needed for people suffering from depression AND expressing emotions through a variety of outlets is extremely helpful.

Depression can cause experiences of lonliness, sadness, agitation, tearfulness, hopelessness, and decreased motivation. Together we can work to identify potential causes of depression symptoms and how these symptoms may be impacting your life. In most cases a core belief about ourself or the world can cause depression to persist. Some of these beliefs can include but are not limited to "I'm not good enough", "noone cares about me", "it's not safe to express my emotions", and "bad things always happen to me". Taking a collaborative approach we will incorporate both self compassion strategies and tangible skills based interventions as a way to work on improving your mood.

The Latin origin of the word depression comes from the root, to press down, to depress. A nervous system perspective demonstrates that depression is the result of how we have learned to depress our feelings and emotions. Somehow along the way we've learned it is safer, easier, more acceptable not to show our emotions. Working together, we will learn what it is like to be you, what you have learned so far about emotions and connections and what you might like to learn to do differently.

Depression can make it difficult to reach out, but in a safe and supportive space you can find ways to heal and to move out of the heavy and dark place into a richer life in which connecting with others becomes easy and enjoyable. Therapy can be the first step in connecting with another person to look at the various reasons that can cause depression and to find and practice resources that will lead out of the depression.