Grace Dowd
3 min read
top of page
Depression Counseling
Has Depression Stolen Your Life?
Do you feel incredibly fatigued, alone, and unmotivated?
Do you find it hard to get out of bed, shower, brush your teeth, or make food and eat?
Are you doubting yourself and the value that you bring to this world and to the relationships in your life?
Are you struggling to control your temper in your work life or home life?
You May Be Feeling Alone With The Negative Beliefs That Are Ruling Your Life
Depression can be confusing and sometimes you might even wonder if you are faking, lazy, or just tired. You might be able to go through your daily life just fine, completing projects at work, attending meetings and conversing with others. Meanwhile, when you arrive home you can’t quite find the motivation or energy to complete daily tasks. Showering has become harder, you are eating out more - or simply not eating. Instead, you might find yourself scrolling on TikTok or Instagram, or sitting in front of Netflix for hours at a time. You find that it is much easier to remain distracted all of the time so that you don’t have to look depression in its face.
Depression does not only show up in what we think, feel, and believe about ourselves. It also shows up in our physical body. You might be experiencing an increase in fatigue. You could be oversleeping throughout the day, staying in bed on your days off, or having trouble falling asleep at night. Perhaps you have experienced a combination of both of these. You might be eating more or less, or have periods of not eating and then periods of overeating. These behaviors can lead to you feeling confused and hopeless.
You Can’t Shame Yourself Into Healing
You likely have already found that you can’t shame yourself into a happy cycle. No amount of inner critical talk or self shaming will cure your depression. It actually does the opposite and perpetuates our depression. Oftentimes, that inner critic is a crucial piece in our depression and finding out new ways of thinking/believing can help alleviate some of that pressure.
It can help alleviate the shame-based pressure you place on yourself to realize that our brains aren't designed to keep us happy - their whole purpose of being is to keep us safe. Exploring with a depression counselor the ways that your brain is currently keeping you safe can be helpful in destigmatizing your own views of your depression.
Depression Affects Nearly Everyone At Some Point in Life
Many of us encounter stressful and difficult situations throughout our lives. You may experience these as uncomfortable obstacles. We are all more vulnerable to depression when undergoing grief and difficult seasons of our life. Whether or not you experience depression can depend a lot upon your social relationships and support, your physical health, past patterns of resiliency or struggle, and so much more. If you find that you’re having a difficult time bouncing back from difficult seasons or experiences, and that the dark cloud continues to linger, you may be experiencing a depressive episode.
Take a moment to imagine what your life would be like and what you might feel like if the negative thoughts and beliefs were not ruling over you. If you could return to the confidence and pleasure that you once knew - or that maybe you have never experienced but you know is possible. Seeking depression treatment from a trained mental health therapist can be the step that you need to step out of the darkness.
Picturing a Depression Therapy Session
We will begin with getting to know each other, ensuring safety and comfortability. We will listen to how depression is showing up in your life currently, and what you would like to get out of therapy. Depression manifests in everyone's life very differently. We understand that your depression and your needs are just as unique as you are. There are many different paths to treating depression, and we will discuss what is most appropriate for you and the goals that you have set for yourself.
There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to depression therapy and counseling. We will utilize many different evidence-based approaches to understanding and treating your depression. Your depression counselor will be able to teach you skills to help you change your thinking and inner talk, as well as getting to the root cause of depression.
Common Concerns You and Others May Have
I’m worried that if I begin therapy, I’ll learn that I’m worse off than I thought…
Starting therapy can be really scary, and further exploration into ourselves to learn the root cause of our depression can be uncomfortable and even frightening. Finding out “what’s wrong” can actually be a wonderful thing and the beginning of our healing. At Grace Therapy & Wellness, we believe that you are the expert in your experience and the one in control of your treatment. We will never lead you down paths of healing without your consent.
Therapy is expensive - what if it doesn’t “cure” my depression?
Taking stock of your life and considering how much time you spend coping with the impact that depression has on your life may provide insight into how much more time and freedom you may have available if you did not struggle as much with depression. Therapy is an investment, and that investment will impact your personal life with yourself, your friends and family, and even your academic and/or professional life.
Will you keep our sessions private?
Yes! All of us are bound by confidentiality to our licensure board, as well as by HIPAA. We do not communicate with anyone outside of your treatment without a signed release of information from you. Confidentiality is only ever breached under extraordinary circumstances (e.g. imminent danger to self or others).
Will taking medication or seeing a psychiatrist be required to treat my depression?
At Grace Therapy & Wellness, we believe that mental health treatment is a holistic practice and this is exhibited in our approach to depression treatment. Many individuals are able to manage their depression with therapy alone. We also believe that every person is the expert of their experience and what they are needing. Together, we can explore your depression and what you are needing for this season of your life and provide respective referrals to additional resources if needed.
My depression has been my only constant… will this really help?
If you have struggled with depression for a long time, you have probably tried many things on your own already. There is an explainable reason for your depression, and having the support of a trained mental health professional can help you get to the root of your depression and on the path to healing.
You CAN Experience Hope Again
Take the next step in your healing
If you think our services may be right for you, take the next step and reach out to us today to schedule an initial appointment. We offer local in-person counseling in Austin, TX and online for the state of Texas.
bottom of page