How We View Depression and Anxiety:

Through our experience, depression and anxiety are often intricately connected. Depression and anxiety treatment is a process of healing involves addressing both states of being. Although the symptoms people feel can be very similar, depression and anxiety are most definitely experienced on an individual level. We know that the experience can feel very isolating,  paralyzing, and diminish motivation and overall feeling of well-being.

• Depression can be felt on many levels, from occasionally feeling “blue” to chronic, long term depression.
• Depression is sometimes experienced as sadness or irritability, or numbness to all feelings.

Biological causes of depression:

• Depression can be a biological, chemical imbalance. It can also be a caused by situational stress, such as grief and loss or major life transitions.

Anxiety can be experienced as slightly on edge to full out panic attacks.

• We work with many different types of anxiety, including social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and school anxiety.
• Anxiety is connected to an over-active nervous system, which can make you feel overwhelmed by everyday life and unable to relax.
• Depression and anxiety can be rooted in or exacerbated by trauma, which can cause the nervous system to become over- or under-active. We work with clients who have experienced trauma to help reset the nervous system to a state of calm

Depression and Anxiety Treatment through Therapy:

We look at these issues from a whole person approach, identifying the underlying issues and empowering the individual to address their depression and/or anxiety head on. This will include looking at the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual parts. We help clients to work towards finding balance while supporting interpersonal growth, strength and connection.

We utilize mindfulness based depression and anxiety treatment to help our clients develop a level of awareness that allows them to see their anxiety and/or depression in a new way. We create a safe environment for clients to build on their unique and personal strengths and identify the necessary resources to effectively work with both anxiety and depression. Together, we will explore underlying feelings, create the necessary and healthy coping skills, and learn to view each experience as an opportunity to transcend the depths to find a new and stronger self.

What About Medication?

We coordinate care with local psychiatrists to address the biological symptoms of anxiety and depression from a medication standpoint while maintaining the therapeutic approach and working towards personal empowerment and growth. We understand that medication may be a long term approach and we also feel that medication can often be temporary to provide the necessary stabilization to allow a person to initiate coping skills and behavior changes, while building new confidence and self esteem.

Whole Person Approach to Health:

Seeking depression or anxiety treatment through therapy is a critical step for most people in learning to live with and deal with the impacts of anxiety and depression. Talking with someone who is not a friend and not related to you can help to bring clarity to your own personal situation through an objective lense. A therapist can help guide you through practices to help calm your nervous system and be more present in the moment, which you will then be able to use yourself in your everyday life. Therapy can also help to create a stronger, more honest relationship with yourself and others in your life, improve communication, and help to build skills to make better decisions, understand emotions, and tolerate states of discomfort. Additionally, it is important to recognize that coping with anxiety and depression requires a whole person approach to health, which means that social and community connections, daily choices around nutrition and physical activity, and involvement in activities that promote creativity and purpose are also key factors in coping with anxiety and depression.