Treatment for Depression

Have feelings of hopelessness become too powerful to ignore?

Depression often goes hand-in-hand with people-pleasing behavior

Do you find yourself pushing your feelings down? Does your life seem okay on the surface, but you feel sad and hopeless on the inside? Are you suffering from a lack of motivation and loss of interest in the things you love?

Maybe you’re starting to wonder if you have depression, but you’re not entirely sure. Whenever the question rears its head, you ignore your emotions and try to distract yourself. But no matter how busy you are or how many people you surround yourself with, life still feels empty and unfulfilling. You may find yourself going out less, sleeping more, discontinuing your hobbies, and feeling overly fatigued. Deep down, you may ask: Where can I turn for support? Will my life ever change?

When you’re dealing with depression, it’s easy to mask your pain and pretend everything is okay. Rather than risk being vulnerable with others, maybe you put on a smile and resort to people-pleasing behaviors. Over time, however, the disconnect between how you feel and how you present yourself probably continues to grow. Your desire to keep up appearances may make you lonely and exhausted. You probably wish you could be real with other people, but you don’t feel comfortable doing so.

If this is the case, we encourage you to pursue depression treatment with us. You might be looking for solace in other people, but here at Introspective Counseling, we believe that we can help you find that solace within yourself. Our goal is to care for you the same way you care for others and help you achieve deep, lasting healing.

Many People Struggle With Depression In Silence And Are Hesitant To Seek Help

Everyone feels depressed at some point in life. Oftentimes, what makes depression so hard to work through is not merely how bad things are, but how much emotional support you have. And in our increasingly isolated and individualistic culture, that support is harder to find than ever before. Millions of depression sufferers are struggling in silence.

What’s more, many people are afraid to seek help. They could fear that other people will see them as weak if they’re honest about their struggles. In some cases, they may not even realize they’re depressed. They may be so desensitized to feeling sad and hopeless that to them, nothing seems out of the ordinary to them. After all, if they’ve felt the same way for as long as they can remember, how would they know if they’re even depressed?

Many of the factors that contribute to depression are cultural and generational. Those of us in the black community have to wrestle with the traumas of enslavement that are still embedded in our system today. Many of the coping skills that we developed to survive the time of slavery are still with us. Today, however, we live in a different world and run the risk of relying on coping skills that have fallen out of use.

Therapy is a time to reevaluate your coping skills and assess what’s working and not working in your life. We want to help you refocus your life and develop new strategies for treating depression.

The Coping Skills We Developed To Deal With Depression May Not Be Helpful Anymore

Depression Treatment Is A Chance To Share Your Story With Someone Who Will Validate And Appreciate You

Let’s be honest: there are probably times in life where you opened up about your feelings only for other people to invalidate them. They may have told you that your problems weren’t “real” or that you had nothing to be depressed about. Here at Introspective Counseling, we believe no one gets to tell you what you can or can’t feel. You have permission to share your story without any fear of judgment. We understand that depression is real and we are here to care for and appreciate you in ways that others may not have been able to.

In counseling, you and your therapist will explore the root of your depression and look at the function that different behaviors serve in your life. For instance, certain coping skills may be rooted in past survival and may not be useful to you anymore. Perhaps you grew up in a tough home environment and learned to constantly please others in order to avoid punishment. While this behavior may have helped you as a child, it may be holding you back today. People-pleasing may prevent you from expressing your true self.

To help you tap into your true self, we like to focus on the values that are important to you. We want you to identify value-based behaviors and make decisions that align with your values. This can help you act thoughtfully instead of resorting to old and outdated coping mechanisms. Rather than simply trying to please others or be available to everyone 24/7, you can learn to be more flexible and reflective in your decision-making. You can make choices based on what you want instead of what other people want.

What to expect in sessions

tailoring your treatment plan

We draw from a wide variety of approaches in our practice, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). ACT can help you understand how behaviors that helped in the past may be restricting you today. You will learn to see your thoughts and behaviors from the outside, allowing you to form a more objective perspective. If your mind tells you “I’m lazy” or “I’m not good enough,” ACT can help you step back and recognize that this is just your mind telling you that. It’s not reflective of reality.

Meanwhile, CBT helps you identify the maladaptive thought patterns driving your depression. With CBT, you can increase your self-awareness by making connections between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. We will help you rethink the messages you tell yourself and replace them with messages that are positive and life-affirming.

By working through limiting thoughts and beliefs and acting based on your own unique values, you can live a more fulfilling and unrestricted life. You can learn to love who you are and recognize that depression does not define you. No matter how hopeless you feel, we are confident that we can help you find the path to healing and wellness.

You may have some questions and concerns about depression treatment...

Won’t talking about depression just make me feel worse?

Therapy is a place to let go of your stressors and process depression in a way that is comfortable for you. You are in charge of your healing journey. We will never do anything you don’t want to. That said, treating an emotional injury is like treating a physical one—it won’t heal if you don’t address it. Together, we will figure out a way to explore what’s keeping you stuck without making your symptoms worse.

Why can’t I just work on my depression by myself?

It’s not that you can’t work on depression alone—you can. But no matter how smart or resilient you are, there are limits to what you can achieve with one perspective. Depression treatment gives you a space to bounce your ideas off of someone else, allowing you to see the bigger picture and arrive at a fuller understanding of your symptoms.

I’m not crazy or mentally ill, so why do I need therapy?

Life is hard. Seeking help does not mean you’re crazy or mentally ill. Counseling is for everyone, even if you think your problems are not that “big” or that other people “have it worse.” Sometimes we all need a helping hand in life. As children, we learn how to survive and get our needs met in a very specific way. But as adults, most of us discover that these coping strategies aren’t as helpful as they once were. As a result, we need to learn new ways to care for ourselves. Therapy is a space to figure out how to do that.

Your story matters and you deserve the best care possible. Here at Introspective Counseling, we want you to experience radical self-acceptance and understand that depression is not the theme of your story. To get started, you can use the contact form or call 248-242-5545. We look forward to working with you!