Depression is something that is much more commonplace than it may seem. Often, a depressed person will seem fine on the outside and be privately fighting a litany of emotional or psychological issues. Recent growth in mental health awareness has made it slightly less taboo to state publicly that you are suffering from depression, but it still can be very difficult for people to feel safe to let other people know what they are really struggling with. Perceptions of this being seen as weakness in the work force, or well-intentioned but useless advice from friends or family in a personal setting can only make it more difficult. So where does psychotherapy come in?
Psychotherapy offers people the opportunity to identify all the different factors that are part of their depression and to deal effectively with the psychological, interpersonal, behavioral and situational causes. This allows the person to really hone in on the specific problems in their lives that contribute the most to their depression and helps them to make a “battle plan” of sorts to solve them. This plan is often a step-by-step process of slowly changing behaviour and setting new achievable goals for themselves.
Additionally, psychotherapy can help people identify and reassess patterns of thought or negative beliefs they may not have even realized they had. By reexamining which patterns of thought best serves them and where those patterns may have originated, space is made for the client to move on to a newer, preferable outlook that works better for them in the present day.
Several approaches to psychotherapy which I have found helpful for working with clients who suffer from depression include psychodynamic, interpersonal and cognitive-behavioral. Through these methods and others, I strive to help people regain a sense of control and joy in their lives.
It is my strong belief that everyone has the potential for change. If you have any questions or wish to schedule an appointment at my office in Toronto, please feel free to contact me.