I specialize in individual therapy for adults who struggle with depression and burnout. Below, you can find information about the signs and symptoms of depression and the treatment that I offer. Whether you lost interest in most activities, often feel irritable, or are overly critical and perpetually disappointed, you may be struggling with depression.

Signs and Symptoms

Depression is more than just sadness. It affects your sleep, your ability to concentrate, your memory, your energy levels, and/or your appetite. It also interferes with your ability to function and fulfill your responsibilities. Getting up in the morning can feel unbearable. It’s common to feel despair and hopelessness.

Thoughts of suicide are prevalent in depressed individuals.

You might be thinking that death could be a solution to your pain and suffering. Even if you think that you would never act on these thoughts, it’s important to tell someone. If you are holding back from talking to your family or friends because you are worried that “they can’t handle it” or you “don’t want to be a burden”, it’s important to talk to a health professional who is confident and knowledgeable on the topic. I can help navigate this crucial discussion, assess and monitor the risks, and develop emergency plans when they're warranted.

If you are thinking of hurting yourself right now, call 9-1-1 or Capitol Region Mental Health Center (860) 297-0999 if you live in the Hartford area, or Behavioral Health Network (413) 733-661 if you live in Western Massachusetts. Crisis services staff are available whether you need to talk to someone, need information about mental health services, or need urgent help. If you live in Connecticut, you can also click here to use the town locator to find crisis services near you.

Treatment

To treat depression, I use a cognitive-behavioral (CBT) model. This means that we work together to identify the connections between your environment, your thoughts, your behaviors, your emotions, and your physical responses. To improve your mood and your body’s physiological functioning (sleep, concentration, and appetite), we aim to change your thoughts, your actions, and your environment.

Typically, 10–12 sessions are helpful to improve depressive symptoms. Weekly sessions are ideal at first, followed by biweekly or monthly sessions. 3-month and 6-month follow-up visits can be useful to prevent relapse.

First, we explore what you can do differently to feel better. We identify specific behaviors to change. Most frequently, depressed individuals isolate themselves and are inactive. I will help you get motivated to increase your physical activity and social interactions.

Second, we target the thoughts that are hurting you. Depressed individuals often have beliefs such as “Life sucks”, “I am stupid”, “I am worthless”, “No one cares”, “Things will never change”, etc. I help you recognize all the thoughts that you have in a given situation, and I help you dig deeper to identify the thoughts that you might not even be aware of.

Third, I help you challenge the beliefs that are hindering you. I use several techniques that are effective for evaluating unhelpful and inaccurate thoughts. An example of a technique that I use is looking at the evidence for and against a thought that is keeping you down. Another technique involves developing life experiments to test out your beliefs. The objective is not to achieve positive and cheery thoughts, but by remaining objective, we want to find more balanced and realistic thoughts.

Throughout this process, recommendations for more behavior changes might emerge. Examples of behavior changes might include the need to be more assertive, more communicative, more inquisitive, or learning to be more specific in asking for what you need.

Studies show that changing your thought patterns with CBT will not only improve your mood but also change your brain and its functioning. To learn more about research studies that use MRIs and other imaging technologies to show how CBT is associated with biological brain changes, click on the following link https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26122039 

“It doesn’t matter how slow you go as long as you don’t stop.” – Confucius