Depression Counseling in Monterey Park, CA.

Depression can rear it's ugly head when we least expect and without being fully aware that it is happening. Losing interest in activities that were once pleasurable, feeling overwhelmed and tired, sleeping in excess can all be signs of depression. Learn skills such as relaxation techniques, changing negative thought processes, and proactive ways of coping with stress to help you get back on the right track.

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.

Depression often results following some type of loss. However, often it is not the loss itself that causes the depression, but the person's assessment and thoughts about the loss that produces feelings of depression. Cognitive therapy, as practiced by Dr. Levine, can help reverse such clinical depression. It is normal to feel sadness following a loss or unexpected negative life event and cognitive therapy is frequently an excellent method for insuring that normal sadness does not morph into clinical depression. If medication or TMS might help in addition to therapy, Dr. Levine can help direct you to a competent psychopharmacologist to provide this additional assistance, if you choose.

Depression can be mild to severe and can impact every aspect of life - from sleep, to appetite, to relationships, to work, even to the will to live another day. Depression can feel so heavy, as if under too much weight that there's no way out. I work with people to help them find that the way out is possible and attainable. I teach skills in mindfulness and help to create a plan that does not feel too overwhelming. My aim is to help unfold the strength and confidence that gets lost to depression.

Persistent depression can steal your passion for life and make everyday feel hopeless and pointless. Sometimes it can feel as though nothing will ever change. At VOBH, our psychologists strive to help you identify the roots of your depression so that you once again be optimistic and hopeful about your life. We strive to collaborate with you on ways to alleviate you depression and manage sadness through research-proven therapeutic techniques.

Life can be very stressful these days. Cell phones, I Pads, smart phones, e mail, social networks all are fun and wonderful but they also bring with them higher expectations from work, family, friends and even ourselves. Our world keeps speeding up and the pressures can be great. Depression as an outgrowth of the stresses and pressures that surround us is becoming increasing common and a part of each of our lives. Most of us will experience depression at one or more points in our lives. Medication can help but is usually not the long term answer. We will work to identify the problems, find solutions, set goals and work toward minimizing the causes and find more peace and calm.

Depression can feel like quicksand. It can be a full body experience that leaves you gasping for air. And it is often difficult to explain to others what you are feeling. We would all love a quick fix - to hear the steps or magic words to make us feel better. I offer longer-term work that gets at the root of the problem. Real change that is sustainable takes time. I believe in the therapy process and will partner with you to facilitate healing and a new sense of freedom.

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.

There are many types of depression. If you believe that you, or someone you care about, is struggling with this common disorder, please reach out for help with us or another qualified mental health professional. Treatments vary, depending upon the type, severity, and duration of the problem. Please know that depression is treatable and that there is hope.

Sometimes "talk therapy" alone can relieve depression and most clients find it to be helpful. I do utilize cognitive therapy when dealing with depression because our thoughts have a great deal to do with our feelings and there is evidence that this treatment approach to depression can be quite effective. When necessary, I will provide a psychiatric referral for an evaluation to determine whether or not you are a candidate for medication.

All of us occasionally experience feelings of sadness. Most of the time, these painful interludes clear rapidly. Clinical depression, however, is an extremely painful state which is characterized by intense feelings of hopelessness and despair. When this mood state occurs, professional help is needed. My therapeutic process allows the here and now experience between therapist and client to reveal how present day thoughts, feelings, and beliefs formed in the past influence your current life and affect your mood. Bringing to light the cognitive processes that may be holding the depression in place help you gain the clarity and control needed to restore your health. Please feel free to call.

Do you feel lost? Are you searching for something without knowing what that something is? Is there an emptiness inside that has made you feel lonely? I specialize in TRAUMA, and those symptoms may be byproducts of an unresolved past. My Advanced Trauma Training focuses on long-term holistic healing where I customize my therapy to YOU, eclectically using the many pieces of training in my therapy toolbelt - Somatics, Psychodynamic, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Transpersonal, and EMDR.

Depression is an overused word, and therefore misunderstood. I will work with you to help you understand if you are truly depressed, caught in grief, or going through a rocky life-transition. How we respond to our life is as, or even more important than the facts of our life. Our reactions to our circumstances will guide our emotional path in either a positive or negative way. Let me help you embrace the parts of yourself that are unknown, even to you. Bringing your darkness to light, will help you to see yourself in a much more empathetic way.