Depression Counseling in Montgomery, NJ.

Depression is often controlled by our unconscious feelings, thoughts, memories, and dreams. Drawing on Positive Psychology and other therapeutic models, I help clients to understand how we relive early experiences unconsciously, and I coach them on behavioral techniques they can use to overcome the vicious cycle of negativity and change their present. These include a blend of empirically based techniques clients can use at work or at home to overcome depression, end self-sabotage, and get unstuck.

Your teen can, and will, rewire their brain to think and feel differently. In our work together, your teen will replace unhealthy coping skills with healthy ones. They will learn about depression and identify ways to manage it with techniques that work for them. If needed, I will assist them in creating a safety plan. I will help them identify their warning signs, internal coping strategies, people they can ask for help (both at school and home), crisis resources, and how to make their environment safe. Most importantly, I will communicate safety concerns with you so we can partner as a team to support your teen. With counseling, struggling teens can develop into thriving adults!

While implementing a cognitive behavioral approach, I have extensive experience in helping clients improve their mood and quality of their life. I utilize evidence-based methods that can relieve emotional pain and aid clients’ recovery from debilitating symptoms. Treatment can bring back positive feelings, allowing you to improve your connection with yourself and others, achieve fulfillment and help you to function at your best.

Sometimes depression is based in chemical imbalances in our brains. Sometimes depression is caused by the situations in our lives. Learning how to cope with depression is a skill that can be learned and practiced. The pain of depression is often disabling. However, the beliefs we have and the choices we make today can make the difference tomorrow. Medication is not always necessary and is never enough for healing for the pain of depression. I will offer support and techniques to guide you through those dark and depressed times. Life can be filled with joy, hope and serenity. Learn how positive living and positive thinking breaks through the darkness of depression.

I believe that depression is nature’s way of shutting us down when there is some element in our life or our past that overwhelms and burdens us. It is often something experienced that our usual ways of coping cannot remedy. A client experiencing depression is often ‘turning off’, ‘shutting down’ and going inward in response to something in their life or in their relationships that is just too much to bear. I help depressed clients discover what it is in their life that is overwhelming them and help them find the strength and power to directly face the matter that is causing the turn inward and the shutting down.

Depression can disrupt or color our lives in so many ways. Likewise, depression can have different causes and stay with us for different lengths of time. Some believe that understanding the role our thoughts play on depression is useful. Others believe that being able to speak to a therapist and channel our depression is useful. No matter the philosophy, visiting a therapist can be a positive step in reclaiming your life from depression and taking back control of your own life.

Depression can be debilitating, but it can also be a dull ache that underlies one's everyday activities. You may appear to be doing "fine" but underneath it all, there is a depressed feeling that does not go away. Using an integrative approach, I can help you work through the underlying issues while addressing the day to day challenges. Seasonal depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is also a common and highly treatable depressed state that is often seen in the colder, darker months and around holidays.

I work with many people with depression whether as individuals, or in the context of couples therapy. I help people to become aware of their thoughts, feelings, and the experience they have in their bodies around their depression. I work cognitively and behaviorally to help them understand distorted thinking. I also work to "externalize" the feeling of depression, and help people understand that, "you are not your thoughts." Depression may be visiting you, but you are not depression. Mindfulness is a tool I use with depression to help people understand what is happening to them in the moment, and to begin to open to emotions that may be blocked.

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.

Children and adolescents who act out due to symptoms of AD/HD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, and School Underachievement constantly receive negative feedback from parents, teachers, and peers. This results in underlying feelings of helplessness and hopelessness leading to depression. I motivate such children to develop self-control which leads to improved academic and social skills. This leads to social acceptance and academic achievement and self-esteem rises. Helplessness and hopelessness dissipate and depression and anxiety lessen.

Grey Matters International, Inc. and the work of Kevin J. Fleming, Ph.D. handles depression and other emotional disorders in a very unique way. Most of therapy or counseling processes utilize validation, unconditional positive regard, and reframing as common techniques to get someone to heal from their depression. Though this can be helpful, it rarely fixes the core problem behind it and for tough cases we then refer them usually to a psychiatrist for medication which can have tons of side effects. Instead, why not try a natural and arguably more effective way to not just change your mind, but change the brain--where the depression is rooted. Contact us at kevin@kevinflemingphd.com.

Dr. Marty has developed his own approach to handling depression he calls Focused Short Term Therapy (FSTT)* It combines new cutting edge therapies in the field of energy psychology as well as short term focusing on the depression. When appropriate Dr. Marty uses hypnosis and self hypnosis as well. To learn more about this approach you can go to: http://drmartytashman.com/focused-short-term-therapy-fstt-2/

Depression is a very difficult and real reality for many people, even Christians. I want to help you to tackle depression from a Biblical perspective. Know that God loves you and cares about every detail of your life. Together we can fight depression at it's core and get you back to feeling hopeful and excited about what this life God gave you has to offer.