Depression Therapy
Has Depression Made You Feel Hopeless About The Future?
Do you ever feel like you’re drifting through life with no real purpose? Are you struggling with a lack of energy and motivation to change things for the better? Do you wish there was something that could lift the cloud of depression from your life?
Maybe sadness has taken over your worldview and it feels like there’s no way out of your pain. Perhaps you’ve lost interest in the things you normally enjoy. You might find yourself avoiding social gatherings and opportunities to meet new people. Over time, increased isolation could make your depression worse. As much as you want to get help, you probably feel too exhausted and unmotivated to lift a finger.
The More You Try To Escape Depression, The Worse it Often Gets
Depression has a way of challenging your core beliefs and sense of purpose. It makes it seem like there’s no point to anything—even getting out of bed in the morning or spending time with your loved ones. Eventually, you might develop negative habits for coping with your depression. You may resort to drugs, alcohol, avoidance behaviors, and other ways of “escaping” your pain.
But in the end, trying to escape depression doesn’t make it better. Therapy is a chance to come up with coping skills that help you manage depression instead of running away from it. Here at Vitale Mental Health Counseling, we want to help you feel joyful, vibrant, and hopeful about the future again.
Depression Is Inevitable In A Society As Isolated And Disconnected As Ours
Depression is incredibly common. But since very few people will openly say they’re depressed, many of them go through life feeling alone in their sadness. After all, if people can’t see depression in someone else, they’ll usually act like it’s not there. This makes people with depression feel invisible.
In our culture today, depression is arguably worse than it’s ever been. Most people spend more time at work than they do at home with their families, creating a disconnect with their loved ones. They’re exhausted from pushing their minds and bodies to the limit and have little room left for self-care. This causes their mental health to deteriorate and makes depression all but inevitable.
What’s more, our society has become increasingly isolated. Social media has eradicated face-to-face interactions from so many aspects of life. And in the wake of a global pandemic, lots of us are starved for connection and lonelier than ever.
Connection is the ultimate antidote to depression. That’s why therapy is so powerful. It’s a chance to process and resolve emotional pain in the context of a safe and trusting relationship.
Depression Therapy Offers Compassion, Validation, And A Way Out Of Feeling Stuck
Let’s face it: getting help for depression isn’t easy. The idea of coming to therapy and telling someone else about your deepest fears and sorrows can feel like opening pandora’s box. Vitale Mental Health Counseling provides a safe place to talk about depression without any fear of judgment. It’s a place where you can share your most vulnerable parts and process your story with someone who is dedicated to helping you meet your goals.
Above all, depression therapy gives you a time each week that’s set aside for self-care. With us, you can leave unhealthy cultural expectations at the door and just be yourself. We’ll offer validation, empowerment, strength-building, and a way out of feeling stuck.
What To Expect In Depression Treatment Sessions
Therapy often begins by touching on the symptoms bothering you and then gets deeper as it goes along. After all, you might come in for a surface issue only to realize that the root problem is something much deeper. This is the great thing about seeing a therapist—they can pick up on themes in your battle with depression that you never noticed. They can help you explore the maladaptive patterns (avoidance, isolation, eating your feelings away, etc.) that reinforce your depression and replace them with more adaptive coping skills.
Additionally, your therapist can teach you to identify the warning signs that precede a depressive episode, such as binge-eating or canceling all your plans. The goal is to increase your self-awareness so that you can recognize when depression hits and use the right interventions.
Tailoring Your Depression Treatment Plan
One of the main approaches we use in counseling for depression is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This is an evidence-based way of challenging unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It looks at how beliefs like “I’m not good enough” and “I’ll always be depressed” can negatively impact your emotions and actions. By changing your mindset, you can experience positive transformation in every area of your life.
With our help and support, we are confident that you can find the validation and encouragement you need to manage depression. No one should have to work through depression alone—that’s why we’re here.
You Might Have Some Questions About Depression Therapy…
Are you going to tell me to take medication?
Whether you take medication is always your decision. We generally recommend using talk therapy prior to any discussion around anti-depressants. If you do decide to try medication, we would be more than happy to connect you with a provider. But for most of our clients, the healing power of therapy is sufficient enough to treat depression.
Will talking about depression make it worse?
Our therapists are trained to help clients work through depression in a way that won’t make their symptoms worse. We’ll always go at a pace that’s right for you. If talking about depression ever makes you spiral down, we can stop and work on skills to help you feel grounded again. Depression isn’t always easy to talk about, but when you have a counselor who cares for you deeply and will show you compassion at all times, it becomes much less burdensome.
How long until I start feeling better?
Everyone’s timetable is different. Many of our clients get the skills and strategies they need to manage depression after just a few sessions. Others may want deeper healing and choose to stay in therapy for longer periods of time. However long you decide to stay in therapy, we encourage you to be patient with yourself.
Connection Is The Greatest Antidote To Depression
Depression thrives in isolation. Connecting with a therapist is the first step towards reengaging with the world around you. To get started, you can email us, use the contact form, or call 929-404-3002 for a free, 15-minute phone consultation.
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