Depression Treatment

Does it feel like you’re trudging through the day?

• Do you feel down, discouraged, hopeless, or depressed?
• Is it difficult to engage with people and activities you used to enjoy?
• Are you struggling to complete daily tasks because you just don’t have the energy or motivation?
• Does it feel like life has no purpose or meaning?

Everyone experiences sadness and grief from time to time and typically these feelings pass after a few days. Depression, on the other hand, persists and can leave you feeling disconnected from the world around you. It robs you of your energy, motivation, and sense of meaning and purpose. You find yourself increasingly isolated as you withdraw from people and activities you used to enjoy. Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, guilt, and worthlessness are long-lasting despite your best efforts to overcome them. 

Depression impacts more than our day-to-day functioning; it can lead to serious emotional and physical problems. You may notice differences in your appetite and sleep patterns. Some people experience thoughts of death or suicide. Depression can also cause physical symptoms that have no clear cause and don’t get better with treatment, such as frequent aches and pains, headaches, or digestive problems. 

When you’re struggling with depression, it can get in the way of everything that is important, enjoyable, and meaningful to you. Slowly, it can erode your relationships, physical and emotional health, and performance at school or work. Depressive symptoms are a vicious cycle that’s hard to break, especially on your own.  

If only you had the knowledge and coping skills to overcome depression, you could take steps to move forward with your life. You could experience joy and peace of mind again, reconnecting with people and activities you’ve been missing out on. You can get back to being you!

Depression Isn’t Your Fault

You may feel alone but you’re not. Depression is one of the most common mental health problems in the U.S. One in ten adults deal with depression in a given year and women are almost twice as likely as men to experience depression*. For teens, both depression and anxiety are on the rise and their chances of experiencing depression increase as they get older**. 

No one chooses to have depression and there is no single cause. Depression results from a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors*. Major life changes, a history of trauma, low self-esteem, and prolonged stress are risk factors for developing depression. Other risk factors include a family history of depression and chronic physical illnesses (e.g. polycystic ovary syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and cancer)***. Clinical depression, including major depressive disorder and postpartum depression, is very serious and can co-occur with other mental or physical health problems. Common co-occurring mental health problems include anxiety, eating disorders, and substance use. 

The good news is you don’t have to continue to struggle with depression alone. Depression treatment offers you the opportunity to work towards overcoming depression so you can reconnect with what’s important and meaningful to you.

Depression Treatment Helps You Reconnect

At Embrace Strength Counseling, our team helps teens and adults cope with depression so they can get back to living their lives, fully engaged and present. We combine our extensive knowledge and experience treating depression with a compassionate, strengths-based approach. Depression counseling offers you a safe and empowering space to work on overcoming depression and moving forward with improved emotional and physical well-being.

In our sessions, we’ll explore how depression impacts you, offer skills and strategies for coping with depression, and focus on helping you reconnect with what brings your life meaning and fulfillment. Our depression counselors integrate mindfulness-based cognitive and behavioral therapies, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. 

Our team has a combined total of 20+ years of experience providing depression treatment. We bring personal and professional knowledge and experience to our work as depression counselors. The therapists at Embrace Strength Counseling would love to support you in overcoming depression so you can live a full, meaningful life.

Questions About Depression Treatment

Won’t talking about my depression make it worse?

We understand why this is a concern. Most people with depression experience negative and ruminating thoughts. You may find yourself fixating on the past or things that have gone wrong and worry that talking about it will serve to perpetuate those thoughts. The truth is it may be painful to talk about these things but rather than keeping you stuck or caught in the vicious cycle, talking about the depression with a trained therapist can help you break free. Withdrawal, isolation, and inaction can all deepen and prolong depression. By engaging in depression treatment, you’re doing the opposite of those things which is helpful when trying to overcome the depression itself. 

Do you prescribe medication? Do I have to take medication as part of treatment?

No, as mental health therapists we do not prescribe medication nor do we require that you take medication – that is completely up to you. We may recommend considering medication if we think it could be helpful and are happy to support you in making that decision, either way. Our team of therapists is trained in providing counseling for depression and will refer you to a prescribing provider (PCP, psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse practitioner) if you’re interested in antidepressant medication as part of your treatment. 

What if I don’t have the energy or motivation to start counseling?

When you have depression, it can be difficult to just get out of bed. We know it may feel like you don’t have the energy or motivation for counseling but our hope (and experience) is that once you get started, you’ll notice you feel a little better just by taking that critical first step. One of the ways you can start to break the cycle of depression is taking action and by working with a depression therapist, you’re doing just that. You can start with a phone call and go from there, we’re happy to chat about how we can help.

There Is Hope for Overcoming Depression!

If you would like to schedule an appointment or find out more about how our team of depression therapists can support you, please email our director at catherine@embracestrengthcounseling.com or call us at 303.720.9424. We offer a free initial-20 minute phone consultation so we can answer any questions you may have and see if it’s a good fit. 

*https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml

**https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html

***https://www.dbsalliance.org/education/depression/statistics/