Therapy for Depression
You can feel alive again
Therapy for Women and HSPs in Wisconsin, Massachusetts & Washington, DC
Depression is so much more than sad.
Depression is not having any energy, feeling really off, not yourself. Feeling tired all the time, never getting enough sleep. Your brain feels foggy and fuzzy.
Second-guessing every decision.
Asking other people to decide because it feels more reliable.
Beating yourself up over the littlest things, blaming yourself for what’s wrong.
And then there’s the self-doubt.
The never good enough part of depression. The not being able to shake off criticism, constantly apologizing, wishing you could be “fixed.”
You’re the helper.
People count on you. Your support is solid, thoughtful, intentional. (Except it also often leaves you feeling depleted.)
Your empathy lifts so many hearts. (But all this putting other people first and making them feel better crowds out what you want and need.)
Craving deep connection.
The deep conversations. Meaningful relationships. Fulfilling work. (Definitely not surface-level chit-chat.)
You are so good at seeing people for who they are. Being curious and interested. (And yet who sees you? You’re tired of being let down so many times.)
Resignation, defeat, and powerlessness
can feel inevitable.
The dishes aren’t getting done, phone calls go unanswered. You’re late to work and can’t get out of bed even though you have three alarms set in different places in your bedroom.
Just because you feel powerless
doesn’t mean you are.
Right now it feels impossible not to listen to that voice of self-blame,
the inner critic that is so ingrained you don’t even notice it anymore. And yet it is entirely possible to both see it and know it for what it is, a part of you trying to protect yourself from being hurt or rejected.
It is absolutely possible to uncover the deep well of strength inside you,
even if feeling helpless is as familiar as breathing.
It doesn’t feel like it right now, but it is entirely possible to create a life worth getting up for.
Just because you feel alone doesn’t mean you are.
Being around close friends can become comforting again.
You don’t want to avoid being around anyone, and you don’t have to. Of course you want to avoid the shock of feeling so alone next to people you love.
It’s not inevitable.
Depression doesn’t have to find you everywhere.
Being alone used to give you solace. Now depression finds you when you’re alone too, leaving you feel empty and flat.
You can find that solace again.
Healing ourselves is
an act of power.
Counseling for Depression helps uncover this truth:
You are already strong.
Claiming your brilliance might feel scary
No one who feels so deeply and cares so much for other people cannot be strong. It’s just hard to see it and claim it. What if you lose the people around you? (“Who do you think you are?!”)
Or, what if it gives other people permission and courage to do the same?
Depression makes you feel disconnected, but you do know how to connect.
You wouldn’t know what disconnected felt like if you didn’t first know what connected felt like.
You know what to look for.
This means you can find connection, both with a depression counselor and in the rest of your life.
It’s nearly impossible to connect with others if we aren’t connected to ourselves.
Our work together in therapy for depression will move you out of the quicksand of other people’s needs.
We will pay attention to what it is that you need, what you want. I know, it feels like this will make you selfish! In fact, it will get you connected.
If you know what you need, then you can work toward getting it.
I hear you. That feels selfish. It’s a hard one to shift. You’re up against gender socialization and High Sensitivity on this!
What if I told you that getting connected with yourself will also work against that pesky resentment and self-doubt?
If you’re getting what you want, there’s less need to be resentful or doubt yourself.
Connection is within reach.
You don’t have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.
In fact, doing so doesn’t help the world. (Now there’s a motivator if there ever was one!) And for Highly Sensitive people, depression on top of the weight of the world just amplifies feeling helpless
Right now it feels impossible to imagine not feeling responsible for everyone.
It’s your duty to keep everyone afloat, right? Loved ones, people in other countries who are suffering - all of it feels like your job. Would people stick around if you didn’t take care of them? How could you let everyone down?
Your only responsibility is to offer what is uniquely you.
It feels impossible right now. I know.
And yet it is entirely possible.
Therapy for depression can help you
feel alive again
Working with a depression therapist
builds evidence for things that are hard to see.
There are plenty of things in your life that are hard to look at.
The dishes keep piling up. It still takes a year to get over your ex. An apology is still the first thing out of your mouth when anything goes wrong. People still ask you to do things you absolutely don’t want to do and you can’t find a way out.
It might seem easier to avoid them.
Our work together in therapy will look at things from every angle, build up evidence of whether something is true all the time.
We will open doors to possibilities that seem impossible now. (For starters, it’s possible to get the dishes done. And later we can think about tackling that job that is sucking the life out of you.)
Together, we will keep eagle eyes out for the things that get buried,
the things that are too hard to see right now.
We will build a case that is the other side of the story,
the one you haven’t been able to see or acknowledge.
We will shine light on the sides that show
your ability to connect,
your deep well of empathic strength,
and the resilience that has gotten you this far.
I can’t wait to see your brilliance.
I love being a depression therapist.
Why? Because I love seeing transformation. Coping with depression is not an easy process. When someone who was feeling hopeless, isolated, and alone begins to find hope and build connection, my heart soars. It’s life-changing.
It’s why I opened my psychotherapy practice in Madison, WI and offer virtual therapy throughout Wisconsin and online therapy in Massachusetts. In addition to working with women struggling with depression, I love providing counseling for anxiety and therapy for Highly Sensitive People.
Longing to make some room in your life for transformation? Reach out to begin therapy.
Not ready for depression therapy? Here are some blog posts I’ve written about identifying and coping with depression:
How to Quiet Your Inner Critic
Recovering from Burnout: A simple first step
How to Recover from Burnout in Three Steps
Preventing Burnout Starts with Learning the Signs of Burnout
High Sensitivity and Depression
How to Deal with Your Inner Critic
What Does Depression Feel Like
How Do You Have Fun When You’re Sad
Depression is telling you to move. But what if it feels like you can’t?