DepressioN

Most mental health concerns have their origins in otherwise adaptive processes. Sadness is an important part of the human experience, helping to slow us down, reflect more accurately on life, highlight what we value, and grieve our losses. When we move from normal sadness to depression, however, we are deprived of even our capacity for sadness and are left numb, apathetic, and guilty. While depression looks very different for different persons, a common hallmark of depression is rumination, in which we can focus on little other than our own symptoms and their possible causes and consequences. What’s worse is that when we ruminate we feel that we are doing something to address our concerns (and even experience rumination as rewarding), despite the fact that rumination only sinks us deeper into our internal worlds.

The most effective treatments for depression are those that feature a strong, understanding, and non-judgmental relationship with a compassionate provider who helps the person experiencing depression form a new relationship to their thoughts, experience their emotions in new ways, and try out new behaviors. My personal approach combines both “top-down” and “bottom-up” interventions. Whereas certain providers focus exclusively on gaining insight (connecting past experiences with unconscious motivations) and others exclusively on behavior activation (e.g. structuring new behaviors and troubleshooting barriers), I employ each flexibly in my work with you. I frequently begin by helping us both truly understand the origins of your concerns and their expression in order to foster real self-compassion. We must really know ourselves to have compassion for ourselves. Once you and I both feel we truly understand and know you, therapy becomes a collaborative effort as we experiment with various third-wave cognitive-behavioral strategies that have been found to be very effective in the treatment of depression.

If it seems like we might be a good fit, please don’t hesitate to book an appointment. It would be an honor to join you in this journey.