Depression Counseling in Clearlake, CA.

Depression or sadness is a basic an universal feeling that has many causes. Some people are depressed due to stressful, difficult situations or relationships, feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope leading to a depressive shut down. Other times depression is a reaction to being stuck in ones life, not seeing a clear path or way to move forward. Sometimes depression stems from childhood abuse or neglect, often producing feelings of being defeated in life with low self esteem. All too often people seek a quick fix for depression using antidepressant drugs, which only mask the true nature of the problem. I aim to help you get to the true cause of your depression, teaching life skills.

Depression is a mood disorder that can cause a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest that can interfere with daily functioning. Reaching out for help is a step towards wellness. Symptoms of depression can vary from person to person, but it is a very treatable condition. Therapy for depression helps you overcome the feelings of hopelessness and despair and to gain control of your life.

For clients experiencing depression, I help them explore both external and internal circumstances that are impacting their mental health and look for relationships in their lives that are impeding the healing process. Then we do relational work together to move out of a place of hopelessness and helplessness into a place of strength and empowerment.

Depression can rob your life of pleasure and meaning. It can become difficult to do things that could make you feel better. Instead, you'll often do the things that make you feel worse, like eating or drinking too much and avoiding the people you care about.  We believe that your depression has meaning.  Whether the cause is a long-term issue or a sudden crisis, or a feeling that there's more to life, depression has something to teach you. Our goal is to help you understand what's going on and help you regain a life of joy and meaning.

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.

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!

I work with a depressed nervous system by working with the body. Often we struggle to sleep, eat, or accomplish relatively simple tasks. Our bodies are stuck with the brake on. When our body thinks it is futile, out mind follows quickly thereafter and we begin to tell ourselves how pointless things are and how worthless we are. I work with the whole body to re-regulate the body to enable you to get back to a whole integrated self.

Depression is like a huge weight on you or an inundating black darkness. It robs your world of light and color as it weighs you down, sapping your vital energy. Medication can sometimes help, but it does to provide the whole answer because it does not touch the roots of depression, which dare hidden in your emotions. Depression is a natural response to unintegrated emotional pain. This is where I can help. I am direct, yet gentle, warm and respectful. As we work together the process unfolds. My gift is in helping you to have new emotional experiences which move you through the painful feelings hidden under your depression and back into a vital engagement with your life.

Episodes of depression can sneak up on us and leave as quickly as they come or sit heavy like a boulder on our shoulders and a grey cloud over our heads. Therapy can ease the stress of the depression, lighten the load, and hopefully an umbrella between you and the dark cloud. Sometimes we feel worse before we get better but if you are looking to find a therapist then it sounds like you are closer to feeling better than you think.

When one is depressed the range of thoughts and feelings encompass a wide spectrum. Sadness and despair might be pervasive. One can feel as if they have fallen into a deep dark pit where everything is covered in negativity and hopelessness. In this state, one can feel inadequate, discouraged, unable or unwilling to make decisions. In addition, guilt, shame, profound low self-esteem and loss of interest in relationships, sex, career and even life itself are commonly found. A variety of evidence-based tools, specific to the needs of the individual, applied skillfully at the right time, can dramatically lift one out of that deep, dark pit and help avoid relapse.