Depression Treatment
Are you feeling down? Depressed? Hopeless?
Do you cry often?
Do you lack energy?
Have you noticed you have gained weight or conversely have you lost weight unexpectedly?
When you have quiet moments, do you find your thoughts are highly negative, self-critical, or pessimistic about the future?
Perhaps you have dealt with depression before?
Have you been reaching for things you know are bad for you, such as alcohol or drugs, to cope?
There is hope
You are not alone. Recent estimates suggest that nearly 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 3 teens suffers with mild to moderate depressive symptoms. These symptoms can feel debilitating and take a toll, especially if they are allowed to go on for long periods of time. Soon, the negative thoughts can take root and have a negative impact on your life, your job, and your family. Fortunately, psychologists have been working for decades on solving depression and have learned effective tools to help manage depression and lift people out of the negative cycles of sadness and regret.
We have treatments that work
Here at Larsen Behavioral Therapy, we work regularly with clients who are suffering with depression using the most widely studied and effective modality of psychotherapy for depression, cognitive behavioral therapy (also known as CBT). Whether it’s your first bout of depression or depression has been a lifelong struggle, we offer research based, effective tools to address your concerns.
CBT involves weekly one-on-one psychotherapy sessions with a trained therapist. During these sessions, clients share about their lives and therapists listen to their clients struggles. During the session, therapists direct the clients to expand on their feelings and thoughts. Over time, therapists will teach clients skills to better understand the nature of their struggles and how to cope better with their negative thinking patterns.
Specific behaviors, like mindfulness practices and exercise, may be encouraged to help clients lift themselves out of the depression, while other behaviors that contribute to depression may be discouraged. Over time, clients begin to think about their lives differently, catch their own thinking traps, become better problem solvers, and make changes that improve their mood.
Therapy with a cognitive behavioral therapist is unlike therapy of the past and directly addresses the negative cycles of thinking and behavior that are characteristic of depression. Therapists using cognitive behavior therapy will first help you identify your negative emotions and thoughts and learn how these aspects of your mind interact to cause you to behave in ways that cause further negative thinking and mood. Next, cognitive behavioral therapy involves learning about common mistakes or errors in thinking that many people make. With your therapist you will learn more about your own common thinking errors and how to neutralize them. With time, you will come to understand what problematic underlying beliefs contribute to these cycles of negative thinking. With repetition and practice, cognitive behavioral therapy will teach you to rewire your thoughts and beliefs freeing youself from sadness and negativity.
But I’ve done this before and it didn’t work
We often hear from new clients that they have been to therapy before and that it didn’t work out for them. Some say, “I was in therapy for 3 years and it just felt like I was talking about the same things over and over again and nothing changed.” Another common complaint is, “Therapy for me was slow and I didn’t really learn much that helped me in the present. We only talked about my past.” While older forms of therapy tended to be unfocused and relied heavily on exploring childhood issues, CBT is present focused. CBT is skills based and structured. We look to make small changes each week that result in big changes over time. CBT will teach you a set of skills that even after therapy ends, you will be able to use in your life. Our goal is to get you feeling better so you can go on and live your life and not be in endless therapy.
I don’t have hope that things will get better
This is a natural thought to have when suffering with depression. In fact, one of the most common symptoms of depression is hopelessness. Going hand in hand with hopelessness is a sense of helplessness, that you can’t do anything to make things better. Indeed, if you’ve tried other methods of therapy before and they have not worked for you, the logical conclusion is that your attempts have failed and you should stop trying.
But don’t give in to this sense of helplessness/hopelessness.
Our therapists have helped countless people overcome depression and start living their lives again. Indeed, most clients report feeling a sense of relief even after only one session. Understanding that there is a plan in place to address your symptoms and that you are in the capable hands of a trained specialist can be the small kick start you need to start the journey in overcoming your challenges.
You are worth giving yourself another chance.
I don’t have money for expensive therapy
Many potential clients initially worry about the cost of our services. We are not an in-network provider with insurance because we’d rather spend our time helping people overcome their challenges than negotiating with insurance companies.
While we are not in network with insurance providers, we do work with your out of network plans. If you provide your insurance information in our intake paperwork, we will provide you with courtesy claims submission, meaning we will submit claims paperwork to your insurance company on your behalf.
You pay us, we submit claims, your insurer pays you based on the specifics of your insurance policy. It’s that easy. We know you are struggling, and we want to make getting help as easy as possible.
Our therapy works!
CBT therapy has been researched for over 20 years and has been proven time and time again to be an effective treatment for depression (as well as anxiety, OCD, and a host of other issues). For mild to moderate depression, CBT is a first line approach. During therapy we will help you to make other lifestyle changes that also improve your mood (including change in sleep habits and exercise) that have also been shown to change brain chemistry to improve mood. Many of our clients have been able to avoid taking mood altering drugs or have been able to come off them after years of treatment. For some a combination of antidepressants and CBT therapy is the best option. In any case, CBT is a great way to address your depression and live your best life.
Take the first step NOW!
You may be wondering if today is the right day to make a change. We invite you to contact us or call us on (201) 639-3361 for a free phone consultation to discuss your concerns and decide whether we are the right fit for you. We have several expert CBT therapists in our group with their own unique areas of specialization and populations that they work with. When you call, we will walk you through the intake process and match you with the best therapist for your concerns.
Why wait? Call today and take the first step in your journey towards wellness.
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