How Counseling Can Help Depression

Counseling can help prevent or treat depression by:

(Thinking about death or suicide? This is always dangerous and you should seek emergency care either by going to the emergency room or calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 immediately.)

First, let’s start off with the good news that depression may be preventable for many people especially when counseling is provided early. It is especially important to take proactive steps if you are aware that you have predisposing factors to depression & are feeling depressive symptoms for 2 weeks or more.

During counseling for depression, we can help you:

1.     Identify your risk factors and be aware of where you are vulnerable. Each of us has unique risk factors, such as things we were taught in our families of origin, values we have learned, and the presence or absence of a family history of depression. Anything that has been learned can be unlearned and replaced with something healthier.

2.     Learn to manage stress. You can learn proven techniques for calming and relaxing yourself..

3.     Learn problem-solving skills. Many people who develop depression never learned problem-solving skills. They need to develop the ability to see problems from many viewpoints and to look for a variety of solutions.

4.    Learning to build your life around things you can control. Learn to recognize what you can control and what you can’t. Avoid spending much effort on situations that won’t pay off for you.

5.     Learn self-acceptance. Instead of rejecting the parts of yourself you don’t like, learn to accept & transform them.

6.     Become aware of selective perception. Observe how you generate ideas and opinions about people and events. Remember that these are just your views, not necessarily objective facts.

7.     Focus on the future, not the past. Depressed people tend to be focused on the past. People who set goals and focus on the future tend to be more positive about life.

8.     Develop a sense of purpose. Many depressed people lack a sense of purpose or meaning. This means they have no goals and nothing in the future drawing them forward.

9.     Strengthen your emotional boundaries and set limits. Boundaries define your role in a social situation. They determine how you will or won’t behave in a given situation. Having clear, strong boundaries is empowering, while boundary violations make you feel victimized and helpless. Setting limits means having and enforcing rules for the behaviors you expect in a relationship.

10.  Build positive and healthy relationships Learn to read people and trust your instincts about which people are good for you.

11.  Avoid isolation. Talk to us & your social supports about what’s going on with you. If you keep your thoughts to yourself, you may be unaware that your thoughts are distorted. In counseling for depression we can teach you how to identify cognitive distortions & how to re-frame them to be more positive & truthful. If you share them with another person, you can become more objective.

Signs That Professional Counseling Is Needed

When thoughts of suicide are not present, any one of these can signal depression treatment may be necessary:

1.     When symptoms of depression continue for 2 weeks of more, you may need professional counseling. Acute responses to events are normal, but they should not last..

2.     Your ability to function is impaired by your depression. Seek counseling before your life situation deteriorates to a severe level.

3.     You have become so isolated that you have no one with whom to test reality. Counseling for depression can help by sharing your thoughts and feelings.

If you would like help for your depression, please contact us.

To learn more about our counseling services, please visit: Depression Counseling

Also, you may find helpful reading:

David D. Burns, M.D., Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. New York, Avon Books, 1980.