Depression Counseling in Southport, NY.

Research shows that the most effective treatment for depression is psychotherapy. Depression can range from feeling down to major symptoms such as having trouble even getting out of bed or contemplating suicide (if you have suicidal thoughts or plans, call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255). Online counseling is effective for depression because it is easy to access: you can start treatment without even leaving the house.

Depression can range from being draining to being completely debilitating. Wherever you land on that spectrum, so much of depression involves negative thinking of oneself, others, and the world. Talk therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy are research-backed successful tools in providing support for those experiencing depression. I use talk therapy to provide a space for clients to share their feelings and things that either lead to or are affected by their feelings of depression. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps identify and shift negative thinking patterns as well as behaviors, which ultimately creates a more positive cycle in ones life and decreases symptoms of depression.

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.

Treatment of depression starts with creating a supportive, judgment-free relationship. Our therapists use good listening skills, while also offering suggestions on how to counter negative cognitions, increase mindfulness, and help our clients view life through a different lens. We also work with the client's prescriber or help the client find a prescriber if psychotropic medications would be beneficial in this process. Once a more stable foundation is established, we begin focusing on how we can change our current environment in order to improve quality of life, and/or explore if early childhood experiences may be causing current symptoms.

Depression can be a signal that our lives have become out of alignment or balance in some way. When clients are willing to look more closely, often the depression is a calling to find what has gone missing. Perhaps with the many demands of modern life we lose connection to what nurtures and sustains us and the well runs dry. Or we make sacrifices without awareness of the eventual toll it takes. Sometimes our bodies get depleted and physical exhaustion sets in. No matter the cause, clients find that when they can listen, understand and give themselves what they need, depression can not only be overcome but can lead to stronger connection within themselves and with others.

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.

In my approach to depression counseling and treatment, I provide a compassionate and holistic perspective, tailoring my interventions to the unique needs of each client. Drawing upon my 8 years of experience as a Board-Certified adult psychiatrist and specialization in Reproductive Psychiatry and Integrative Women's Mental Health, I offer evidence-based therapies and medication management.

Counseling for mood disorders such as depression ( without suicidal ideation) Focuses on mindset, reframing, Enhance Self Confidence, strengths and personal resources. Skill building for coping, and psychotherapy to determine if there was a precipitating event causing the mood. Clients with severe depression should be seeking in- person support. *I am able to support clients on medication management who need maintenance support, while seeing a physician. *I do not have 24hour emergency care, or an MD at my practice. Thank you