compassionate HELP IN san diego & california

Depression Treatment

Your brain is more teachable than you think.

If you’ve been living with depression for any length of time, you may have already given up. “This is just the way it is…and always will be.” The good news is that your brain got you into this dark wood, and it can get you out. Whether you’re dealing with classic depression or some form of bipolar disorder, depression treatments like therapy are a powerful way to tap into your brain’s own healing potential.

Did you know:

9.5%

of american adults suffer from depression in any given year. you are not alone!

17%

of the population will experience depression at least once in their lifetimes.

61%

LOWER RELAPSE RATE with cognitive behavioral therapy versus medication alone.

OUR PROCESS

Depression makes every task an uphill battle, including the things that might make you feel better. All you need to do for now is show up, and the journey will take care of itself.

1. Acting like you want to feel

Waiting for motivation is a losing game. Do yourself a favor—contact us right now. We’re not asking for anything big. Simply set up your first appointment and you can go back to bingewatching Netflix, if that’s what you need today.

2. Challenging negative beliefs

In therapy, you’ll learn that your thoughts (I’ll never get better) drive your emotions (feeling hopeless) and actions (sitting on the couch all day like a zombie). Once you balance out the thoughts, your emotions and actions follow.

3. Living in the light

As you practice new ways of thinking, you’ll find that the depression recedes into the background. Life will have zest again. You’ll be able to savor your experiences with a new appreciation. Hope and motivation will rise up naturally.

OUR APPROACH

We take several approaches to depression treatment. While the specifics vary, all are grounded in self-compassion.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most scientifically-backed forms of depression treatment. It helps you identify and rework false beliefs, so you can stop depression before it even begins. It’s no surprise that depression colors our perspective for the worse. You can think of CBT as a way of cleaning your mental glasses.

CBT

It’s tempting to judge ourselves harshly for being depressed. But depression is actually a perfectly understandable and even protective way of dealing with fear or loss. Internal Family Systems (IFS) removes the shame of depression and helps you develop alternate ways of coping with pain.

Internal Family Systems

Like IFS, Mindfulness Therapy teaches that depression isn’t something to feel shameful about. In fact, shame only makes it worse! When we approach depression with curiosity and non-judgment, it loses its power over us. This gives us room to then pursue deeper healing.

Mindfulness Therapy