The Good News About Depression

According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression is one of the most treatable mental health conditions with between 80% and 90% of people with depression eventually responding to treatment and gaining some relief from their symptoms. This very good news, indeed. Depending on the severity of depression, “talk therapy,” is considered to be one of the first line of treatments for depression.

Therapy can help people with depression learn to better cope with stress and manage their symptoms. The American Psychological Association reported that the two most studied therapy treatment for depression are Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT). CBT aims to help folks identify negative patterns of thought and behavior that may contribute to depression, and to develop new ways of approaching their thinking and behaviors. IPT helps clients improve their connections with others by learning to express their feelings in healthy ways. Additionally, the goal of IPT is to help individuals learn problem-solving skills so that they can continually adapt to challenging life events.

My Approach To Treating Depression

Throughout my work in different therapy settings, I have seen depression in many forms. Milder forms of depression often respond quickly to therapy. Having a nonjudgmental person to listen, and give feedback can be enough to relieve the sense of stuckness that comes along with this kind of depression. Moderate to severe forms of depression often will include longer therapy process, and may include a referral to a psychiatrist. No matter the form of depression, I will work with you to establish therapy goals and monitor our progress towards them.

Our First Task Is To Establish Your Baseline

In order to evaluate our progress in therapy, we need to get specific as to exactly how depression is showing up for you. Typically this is done in the beginning of therapy as part of our initial assessment. From this information, I will help you set specific therapy goals related to your symptoms so that we can track your progress in therapy. Once we agree on these goals together, we can move to the next phase of therapy.

Methods I Use To Treat Depression

The most important thing in therapy is that you develop a positive, trusting relationship with your therapist. Whether that is me or another therapist, research shows that this is the greatest predictor of success in therapy. I am committed to forming a caring, warm and collaborative bond with you as your therapist. It is so important to me to tailor the therapy experience to you, and I welcome feedback from you along the way.

In treating depression I may use a variety of approaches depending on the client’s disposition and preferences. My natural way of working is to help individuals develop an increased awareness of their own psychological processes, including unconscious processes. Often our patterns lie just beneath the surface of our conscious awareness. When we are curious with ourselves, this offers us the opportunity for us to understand ourselves differently.

Very often, people with depression have difficulty identifying and expressing their feelings. When our feelings build up and don’t get expressed, we can experience them like a burden that weighs us down. Our feelings are an expression of our emotional self-care system—they are often connected to our needs and limits. I help my clients learn to recognize and express their feelings in their significant relationships. I regularly find that when clients learn skills around recognizing and expressing their feelings they feel an increased sense of confidence in their relationships. This can be a significant help in recovery from depression.

Sometimes I will suggest art or other expressive methods such as sandplay. Art is a great method for therapy, because it is a “right-brain” activity. Our emotions are typically thought to also relate to this part of our brain. Art can give us a powerful way to express our non-verbal experience, and no you don’t have to be an artist! I sure am not!

Ultimately, the method is less important than the results. This is why I will continue to monitor your progress with you and check in about what seems to be working best. Whether it is with me, or another therapist, please know that HELP IS AVAILABLE! Things can get better. Call for a free phone consultation. I would be happy to speak with you about how therapy might help.