Depression Counseling and Psychotherapy

Rediscover All of the Joy Life Has to Offer!

Life is full of ups and downs, good times and bad, and it’s perfectly natural to feel anything but great from time to time.

But, if you are like many of the clients I help every day, those down days may have turned into weeks, months, or even years.

Life has become a slog. You start each day wanting it to be over.

You feel alone, hopeless, guilty, self-critical, and miserable. You’ve lost interest in the things that once brought you pleasure, and these feelings are taking a toll on your relationships and responsibilities.

Everything feels like it’s slipping away. You feel like a failure, and you believe others are seeing it, too.

You may not be suicidal, but you can’t keep struggling like this and disappointing yourself and those you love.

To make matters worse, you know you are smart and capable, but you cannot understand why you feel this way. In fact, it feels like NO ONE understands why you feel the way you do.

You feel like you have tried just about everything, and you would consider almost ANYTHING if it would help relieve your constant feelings of hopelessness, sadness and despair.

If any of this sounds familiar … you are far from alone!

Fortunately, the fact that you are reading this means you haven’t given up hope.

That hope is the good news.

It means that some part of you believes, even knows, that you can still create the fulfilling and joyous relationships and life you desire.

You don’t need to keep doubling-down, trying to do it all, and feeling like a failure for not being able to make things happen.

What you need is the right kind of help!

And that help is available.

While I know it may seem difficult to believe right now, you CAN learn to cope with and overcome your depression and start moving forward again in your relationships and in your life.

How Depression Counseling and Psychotherapy Can Help

Millions of Americans suffer from depression each year.

Unfortunately, many people don’t seek help because they don’t recognize the nature of the symptoms they are experiencing, or they believe depression is “normal” given their age, gender, or present circumstances.

Some people try to alleviate their symptoms and cope with depression through the use of prescription medications, supplements, dieting and exercise, talking with friends, spending time in nature, or any number of other “natural treatments.”

The problem is – while all of these can be helpful and often have their place – none of these things will actually help you resolve the underlying causes of your depression.

This is why depression counseling and psychotherapy are so important.

Counseling and psychotherapy can help you not only cope with the symptoms you are currently experiencing, but also address the thoughts, beliefs, and emotions that are causing you to feel depressed.

But even counseling and therapy aren’t always effective.

Why?

When it comes to depression counseling and psychotherapy, there are basically two different types, which I refer to as “top down” and “bottom up” approaches.

The theory underlying “top down” approaches (such as psychodynamic or cognitive behavioral therapy) is that by changing your thoughts, those cognitive changes then filter down to change your feelings and emotions.

While these types of counseling and psychotherapy techniques can be helpful and I will occasionally use them, they are not particularly effective when it comes to working through and resolving traumatic experiences.

And unresolved trauma often lies at the heart of depression.

This is why I typically use “bottom up” approaches to depression counseling psychotherapy – techniques such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Image Transformation Therapy (ImTT).

Negative thoughts easily change when our feelings change. But trying to change negative thoughts when we feel like “you know what” is like trying to get the tail to wag the dog.

“Bottom up” approaches allow you to work and heal at the physical level, as well as at the level of the unconscious mind, which is the key to not only coping with and overcoming depression, but resolving the traumatic experiences that lie at its core.

In other words, “bottom up” approaches to psychotherapy can help you eliminate the root causes of your depression and provide the LASTING relief you desire and deserve.

Accordingly, the first step in our work together will be to release the pain and heaviness of your depression so you can achieve some immediate relief.

And from there, we will address the root causes of your depression by eliminating any traumatic memories or sensations of emptiness and uselessness that have been caused by emotional neglect, so you can finally move forward again and create a life you truly love!

Can a “Bottom Up” Approach to Depression Counseling and Therapy Really Help You?

While no one approach to depression treatment works for everyone, I have used “bottom up” approaches like EMDR with hundreds of clients over the past couple of decades, and it is very rare they are not incredibly effective.

But more than this, I can also help you experience immediate relief through a process known as Image Transformation Therapy.

While EMDR is typically much faster and more effective than other forms of depression counseling and therapy, Image Transformation Therapy can help you “dump out” very powerful, negative emotions (pain, depression, anxiety, fear) and feel a whole lot better, beginning even in your very first session!

I know this may sound too good to be true – I have felt that way myself sometimes, and am still amazed by how well it works. However, I have been using Image Transformation Therapy for over seven years, and it works rapidly and highly effectively, almost every time.

But don’t take my word for it. Just try working with me for two or three sessions and make your mind up for yourself.

Of course, none of this is to say all of your problems will be solved after just two or three sessions. However, you will feel a WHOLE LOT better.

And once we have alleviated the worst symptoms you are experiencing – the issues that may be even preventing you from functioning – then we can transition to understanding, working through, and resolving the underlying issues that are keeping you from creating the joyous and fulfilling relationships and life you desire.

I have helped hundreds of clients do just this, and I can help you, too.

If left unaddressed, depression can have severe and debilitating consequences, as well as lead to other emotional, physical, and behavioral health issues.

But you have a choice.

You can keep struggling to barely make it through each day, as you tread water and watch your relationships and life remain unsatisfying and on hold. Or you can try something new, work with me for two to three sessions, feel genuinely seen, valued, and hopeful again, reclaim a sense of balance and control, and start experiencing all of the meaning and joy your relationships and life have to offer!

Ready to get started?

I encourage you to contact me today, while you’re thinking about it, and schedule a free initial consultation. I can be reached by phone at 650-680-7124 or by email at claire@gclaireroberts.com. I look forward to speaking with you and helping in any way I can!