Depression counseling. Upset woman with drawing of smile in front of her face.

Depression counseling. Upset woman with drawing of smile in front of her face.Depression is a very common human experience; the question is how long is it lasting and how much is it impacting your life? It is common for us to experience low times, times of grief and times of boredom. The concern becomes when these periods are lasting a long time, preventing you from living your life, interfering with your relationships or keeping you isolated. Depression can feel like a dark cloud over you. You can feel more fatigued, lethargic, unmotivated, hopeless, helpless or even have thoughts of self-harm. It’s not uncommon to also experience changes in sleep and eating. You might be sleeping much more than usual or you may even be barely sleeping at all. During these times, depression counseling can help.

It’s important to seek depression counseling right away, as people can easily spiral into a dark place during these episodes. The goal is to work towards routine, socialization, engagement in hobbies or things of interest and connection to others (family, friends, etc…) during these times – as these are the tools that will help prevent a deeper level of depression from surfacing.

Depression Counseling San Diego

Our therapists at Freedom Within Center in San Diego can help folks work through depressive states using a variety of treatment approaches. We use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for depression (CBT) as one of the treatments. This is a structured approach where we take a look at how our thoughts, behaviors and feelings interact with each other. During depression counseling, we start to challenge unhelpful thoughts and beliefs that are no longer serving you well. Those thoughts are then replaced with more helpful thinking patterns. This often helps us see that beliefs we hold about our self, others, and the world are not entirely accurate or may be too black and white.

Depression counseling helps you work through those thoughts and develop healthier, more balanced beliefs that resonate with you. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for depression is an evidence-based treatment. There have been numerous research studies indicating that CBT directly decreases symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Another approach some of our therapists use during depression counseling is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for depression (ACT). This is also an evidence-based treatment that has been proven effective in decreasing depression and anxiety symptoms. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for depression is an experiential therapy approach that works to change your relationship with the depression. ACT focuses on your values and how you can live a value based life despite the depression. With depression counseling, oftentimes as we align our behaviors with our values, our depression starts to take a back seat and we then experience greater fulfillment in our lives.

To discover how depression counseling can help you, request an appointment or call Freedom Within Center.