Depression Counseling in Oyster Bay Cove, NY.

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.

Depression can leave you feeling lonely and under motivated for change. Therapy with me can help alleviate those emotions and negative setbacks from depression. Furthermore, you will gain useful and important coping skills which will help you reengage with your friends, family, work and life. Depression can be scary but working with a skilled and empathic professional can help you live your life again.

Hal helps clients understand depression and better cope with the nasty and persistent erosion of hope. Hal encourages his clients to understand the reason(s) for their depression and unique ways to climb out of it. He also encourages clients to connect to, express, even write about their depression. Hal believes that only by facing it head are we able to effectively disarm depression, while increasing self-esteem.

Sometimes depression is a chronic feeling of loss of energy, sadness, and inability to take action. At times, it can be triggered by certain situations in life. Depending on the specifics for an individual, help may consist of working with internal beliefs or may consist of working to improve a life situation, or a combination of these. I get to know the client, finding out how they experience the depression, what is going on in their life, what may have first started the depression, and what thoughts they experience. I can also work in conjunction with a psychiatrist where needed. Therapy interactions help the client see and embrace more positive and effective thoughts and energies.

Our enriched, multi-modal approach is effective for clients who consult us regarding depression and mood-modulation issues. Often the combination of cognitive-behavioral, supportive and psychodynamic-ego-enhancing approaches help moderately depressed clients within a relatively short time--usually within a few months. Our approachability, empathic listening skills and pragmatic conflict-resolution expertise are most useful for clients suffering from the debilitating effects of depression. We also stress a holistic approaches that integrate medical and nutritional needs, as well as incorporating stress reduction, physical exercise and meditation work. Our clients often benefit greatly.

Depression means sadness that may result in crying or may simply steal your happiness. It may be difficult for you to function throughout your day, to think positive thoughts, to make decisions or to enjoy anything. It also involves low energy, sleep and eating disturbances and isolation. I help my clients get through their depression by finding out who they are, seeing how they can regain self-confidence, acting like a mirror to reflect your best qualities and helping regain feelings of connectedness. Simultaneously, each symptom is worked on by determining coping skills to match the problem in strength and intensity.

What makes depression tricky is that it manifests in brain chemistry as well as emotion. Deciding which came first is often a chicken and the egg question. Working together, we will explore the roots of the depression (even if you think you don't know what they are) and treat both the symptoms of the depression as well as the root cause (which I promise you are present somewhere).

Depression can effect you emotionally, physically and spiritually. Together we will explore what triggers your depression and identify healthy ways you can cope with those triggers. I will assist you in working through this sometimes rough terrain. You will begin to utilize the tools and slowly find yourself on a smoother path, uncovering your true potential.

My approach to depression therapy begins with helping clients understand it is a treatable illness. I assess their symptoms (sleep, eating problems, lack of focus, irritability, anxiety, sadness) to determine their condition (major depression, situational depression, dysphoria). I also determine whether medication (administered under the supervision of a medical professional) may be necessary in addition to talk therapy. I employ compassionate listening to understand each client's issues and the root causes of their condition and develop a tailored treatment plan.

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.

Depression can present itself in many ways, together we identify symptoms that are specific to you, identify and explore what factors are contributing to the symptoms, we talk about how you can begin to improve these symptoms so that you can be on your way to a happier healthier life. For some talk therapy is enough and for others they may need linkage to other specialists.

Depression is anger turned inward or against yourself. As anger builds within, an individual has three choices: To channel the anger energy assertively by expressing the feelings attached to the situations causing one to feel depressed; to express the anger through outbursts that can be very destructive to the self and others; to internalize the anger and become more depressed and less functional with time. My job is to enable you to learn how to identify and express feelings that are causing you to feel depressed. The next step is to change behaviors associated with your feelings freeing you from depressive thoughts and feelings.

You did not choose to be depressed and it’s not something most people can simply “shake off.” Depression is real. It’s life altering and can trick you in to believing that you can never be happy again. I am here to help. I would be honored to walk with you as we challenge the narrative of your depression while acknowledging how incredibly hard and real it is. You are not alone, and hope can be the beginning to your own healing.