Counseling for depression

For women in Gainesville and across Florida

 

Regain a sense of fulfillment, purpose, and even joy in life.

 

Has depression become too much to bear on your own?

You’ve done everything you know to do in order to overcome it, but it’s impacting every area of your life.

  • Missing work or school

  • Doing the “bare minimum” to get through each day

  • Blaming yourself for difficulties in relationships or career

  • Lacking the motivation you used to have

  • Feeling like every day is “Groundhog’s Day”

  • Experiencing shame or guilt for prioritizing your own self-care

Depression is not your fault. And—even if it doesn’t feel like it right now—life can feel different than it does today.

When you are depressed, you might feel like you don’t recognize yourself. Where you used to be motivated, you now feel apathetic. The areas of life that used to bring you joy just don’t anymore, no matter how hard you’ve tried.

Counseling for depression is about providing a space where you can:

  • Share about how you’re feeling, without fear of shame, judgment, or criticism

  • Learn how to challenge the negative thoughts and beliefs you have about yourself

  • Gain new skills that put you back in control of your life and emotions

THINGS WE’LL WORK ON TOGETHER:

Identifying & challenging unhelpful thinking

Our thoughts and beliefs influence how we experience life. When you can begin to control those thoughts—instead of them controlling you—you’re put back in the driver’s seat of your life.

Regaining motivation and making changes

When you are depressed, it can feel easy to avoid things and isolate yourself. Using behavioral activation, we can implement small changes to your routine that start to improve your mood and day-to-day fulfillment.

Regulating emotions and tolerating distress

We can’t always control our circumstances, but we can control how we respond to them. We’ll work on ways and strategies to help you identify & address emotions before they become overwhelming and intense.

We’re in this together.

Frequently Asked Questions

 

  • Depression looks different for every person, but is most often characterized by the persistent feeling of sadness, overwhelm, or loss of interest in things you used to enjoy. Other symptoms include:

    • Struggles with eating or sleeping (either too much or too little)

    • Significant drop in motivation

    • Isolation from others

    • Difficulty getting out of bed or taking care of self

    • Feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness

    • Difficulty concentrating

  • Talking is an important part of therapy, but my approach includes a focus on skills, tools, and strategies. We’ll work together on not only exploring what is going on, but how you can start to change it. Tools we may work on in depression counseling include:

    • Assertiveness training

    • Cognitive defusion (looking at thoughts instead of from them)

    • Communication skills

    • Mindfulness

    • Emotional regulation

    • Behavior and routine changes

  • In order to get the most of therapy, it’s important that you’re working with someone you connect and feel comfortable with. Click this link to schedule a free consultation to learn more about my approach and decide if I’m the right therapist for you. (And if I’m not, I’m always happy to connect you with someone who might be.)

More questions? Check out my FAQs page.