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Therapy for Depression
Depression can make people feel lonely, hopeless, and disconnected from themselves and others. Starting therapy when you’re depressed can feel like a battle in itself, but therapies like EMDR, IFS, CBT, and DBT can help you feel more like yourself again.
What are some of the symptoms of depression?
Everyone experiences low mood at times, which is a natural response to painful life experiences. If you’re going through a breakup, feeling burned out at work, or coping with loss, it’s normal to feel sad, withdrawn, or less motivated. But depression is more than just feeling sad; it often involves a persistent sense of heaviness, disconnection, or emptiness that can make daily life feel overwhelming. You may find yourself losing interest in things you once enjoyed, feeling stuck in negative thought patterns, or becoming more self-critical. Depression can impact your energy, focus, sleep, and hope for the future.
You may be experiencing depression if you find yourself:
Feeling low, numb, or emotionally disconnected much of the time
Losing interest in activities, relationships, or routines you used to enjoy
Struggling with motivation, even for simple or everyday tasks
Being more self-critical or hopeless
Feeling fatigued or low-energy, even after resting
Withdrawing from others or wanting to be alone more often
Having changes in sleep (sleeping too much or too little)
Finding it hard to concentrate or make decisions
How does therapy for depression work?
Therapy for depression often focuses on both behavioral patterns and emotional experiences. On a practical level, this can involve building coping and distress tolerance skills that help you stay engaged in your life, even when motivation is low. Rather than letting depression dictate your actions (like withdrawing, avoiding, or shutting down), you can learn to instead act in alignment with the person you want to be.
At the same time, therapy also creates space to explore and process the underlying causes of depression. This might include looking at past experiences, relationship patterns, or negative core beliefs that contribute to feelings of hopelessness, disconnection, or low self-worth.
Why do some people feel depressed?
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Past experiences — especially those that felt overwhelming, unsafe, or unresolved — can contribute to feelings of disconnection, hopelessness, or emotional numbness.
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Ongoing stressors like work pressure, financial strain, or major life transitions can leave you feeling fatigued, hopeless, overwhelmed, and unmotivated.
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Patterns like conflict, disconnection, or feeling unseen in relationships can contribute to loneliness and depression.
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Expectations around success, appearance, productivity, or comparison can create a constant sense of not being “enough.” Over time, this pressure can erode self-esteem and contribute to chronic stress and low mood.
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Living through uncertain or distressing global events can create a sense of helplessness, fear, or emotional overwhelm.
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Depression can also have a biological component, including genetics and brain chemistry.
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Experiencing the loss of a loved one, relationship, or meaningful part of your life can leave you feeling sad, empty, and stressed. This is a normal part of the grieving process, but when grief is prolonged or complicated, it can begin to overlap with depression.
Getting started
If you think we might be a fit, I invite you to book a free, 15-minute intro call with me. We’ll use this time to review your reasons for seeking therapy and discuss what working together could look like.
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Let’s chat! We’ll use this time to explore your reasons for seeking therapy, answer any questions you might have, and discuss what working together could look like.
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Understanding insurance coverage can be frustrating and confusing, which is I offer an easy-to-use insurance verification tool to make the cost of therapy clear.
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I offer in-person therapy out of my Flatiron, NYC office, as well as virtual therapy to clients anywhere in New York.