What is Outpatient Therapy for Depression?
Depression doesn’t discriminate against whom it impacts. Research shows that over 17 million Americans struggle with depression (including nearly 2 million children ages 3-17), and depression is highly correlated with a variety of other physical and mental health conditions. It is the leading cause of disability around the world, and it costs an estimated $44 billion each year in lost productivity.
Depression is treatable, and it can be managed. But, with all the different types of therapy and treatments available for mental health, you might be wondering, “What is outpatient therapy for depression?”.
What Is Outpatient Therapy For Depression?
In its simplest form, outpatient therapy for depression refers to ongoing psychological support with a mental health professional.
Are you confused between the differences of what outpatient therapy is for depression versus intensive outpatient therapy for depression? Outpatient typically requires less of a financial and time commitment than intensive outpatient treatment. It is usually recommended for clients who have mild or moderate depressive symptoms. Most clients receiving this treatment still attend to their daily routines of work, school, and various family obligations.
What is outpatient therapy for depression? It’s interactive, collaborative, and dynamic. You may work on a variety of goals related to your self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, self-care, and your work-life balance. You may also tackle topics related to co-occurring issues like trauma, substance use, compulsive behaviors, or other mental illness.
It’s about providing support, guidance, and a roadmap for healing. It may be about addressing pertinent crisis issues like suicidal thoughts, but it’s also about offering hope when life seems seemingly dark and bleak.
What Is Outpatient Therapy For Depression: A Typical Session
If this is your first time seeking treatment, you may feel uncertain or apprehensive about how the therapy process works. These feelings are normal. If you’re asking yourself, ”What is outpatient therapy for depression, and what should I expect?”, it’s crucial to know that the structure of each session looks different for everyone.
Your therapist will collaborate with you to design the best kind of care for your individual needs and preferences. Therapy activities for adults with depression may include:
- Increasing your awareness of how past events/patterns impact your current mood
- Free association (speaking whatever is on your mind to “work through” specific issues)
- Dream analysis
- Focusing on enhancing your sense of self-worth and self-esteem
- Identifying problematic triggers and discussing how you can change, eliminate, or redefine their role in your life
Individual therapy offers numerous advantages over group therapy when it comes to depression treatment. You’ll receive full attention and personalized guidance and support from your therapist, and you will likely progress and grow faster than if you were only attending a group.
What Is Outpatient Therapy For Depression: Final Thoughts
If you are looking for individual or depression group therapy near me, Lumos Counseling PC can help. We specialize in providing therapy focused on helping you feel better and more empowered over your life. Your depression may be frustrating and exhausting, but it doesn’t have to define your happiness.
Contact us today to schedule your free, confidential consultation.
Your Resource for Postpartum Depression and Counseling
Childbirth is undoubtedly a life-changing event for both a mother and her family. And while it may be one of the most monumental and exciting times in a woman’s life, many women struggle with the perils of postpartum depression.
When left untreated, postpartum depression in women can progress and lead to serious complications for both the mother and her child. Postpartum depression counseling provides support, education, and healing for struggling mothers. Let’s get into what you need to know.
How Many Women Get Postpartum Depression?
Research shows that 1 in 7 women experience postpartum depression following the birth of a child. Amid highlight reels on social media, are you wondering how many women suffer from postpartum depression around you?
As it turns out, this condition doesn’t discriminate against whom it affects. There is a misconception that postpartum depression occurs in unintentional pregnancies, and some people may wonder why do women get postpartum depression if the child was planned and wanted.
Regardless of the circumstances of one’s pregnancy, particular risk factors may increase one’s vulnerability to depression. These risk factors include:
- Hormonal changes after childbirth
- Preexisting history of mood or anxiety disorders
- Family history of depression
- Having a baby with colic, special needs, or other medical complications
- First-time motherhood, very young motherhood, older motherhood
- Financial concerns
- Employment stressors
- Isolation and lack of social support
You’re not alone in your struggles, and postpartum depression counseling provides a safe and supportive environment for navigating this tremendous life transition.
How To Support Someone With Postpartum Depression
Are you a loved one and wondering how to support postpartum depression? It’s important to note that the prevention and treatment of postpartum depression often starts directly in the home. Partners, family members, and friends should check in with new mothers regularly. Women should feel safe and encouraged to share their struggles.
That said, postpartum depression and counseling often go hand-in-hand. New mothers often feel profound guilt and shame over their emotions. They may feel like they’re supposed to have everything under control, and they may fear that their depression indicates that they are a bad mother. Counseling helps untangle some of these painful experiences. It allows mothers to explore their new realities without judgment.
The detection, prevention, and treatment of postpartum depression might not always be an obvious process. That’s because mothers may conceal their feelings. They may move into a “super-mom” mode to appear as if everything is fine.
Support requires understanding the nuances of postpartum depression and counseling. Loved ones can help mothers by offering cleaning, cooking, or babysitting services. They can encourage the mother’s self-care and provide relief if she becomes overwhelmed. Finally, they can encourage mothers to reach out for postpartum depression support via talking to their primary care physicians, reaching out to a therapist, or attending a support group.
What To Expect In Postpartum Depression Counseling
There are both medication and non-medication treatments for postpartum depression options. Your primary care physician or psychiatrist can explore viable medication options if needed. That said, talk therapy is one of the best treatment options for postpartum depression.
Postpartum depression counseling usually starts with a thorough biopsychosocial assessment. You and your therapist will review your mental health history, and you will be asked about your current postpartum symptoms.
Postpartum depression counseling may include working on some or all of the following goals:
- Reducing depressive symptoms
- Improving self-esteem and sense of competence in parenting
- Building your support system
- Complying with medication and other self-care strategies
- Increasing marital satisfaction
- Finding resolution with finances, work, or interpersonal relationships
Getting the Postpartum Depression Counseling You Need
You don’t have to struggle with postpartum depression alone. Parenting is hard, but postpartum depression counseling can greatly boost your mental health during this time.
At Lumos Counseling PC, we can provide you with the compassion, guidance, and strength you need during this time. Contact us today to get started.
Outpatient Therapy for Depression
Depression affects more than 264 million people, and it is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Depression extends beyond just mere sadness; depression is a medical condition that can impact one’s mood, relationships, physical health, and emotional well-being. When left untreated, depression can lead to suicide, which accounts for 129 deaths in America each day.
Fortunately, depression is treatable. Outpatient therapy for depression supports individuals to navigate, understand, and better cope with their symptoms. Additionally, therapy provides a supportive environment for people to feel safe and validated in their struggles.
What Is Outpatient Therapy For Depression?
Mental health treatment usually falls into the following categories of inpatient, intensive outpatient, and outpatient therapy.
Inpatient therapy for depression is the highest level of mental health care. Inpatient treatment offers 24/7 structure and support. Clients live in a monitored facility, and they receive consistent supervision. A typical day of treatment may include individual therapy, group therapy, and appointments with case managers, psychiatrists, and doctors. This treatment is normally recommended for individuals who are in acute distress and who may be a danger to themselves or others.
Intensive outpatient therapy for depression is not as structured as inpatient care because clients do not live on-site. Instead, they may attend treatment around their work or school schedules. That said, they still may receive several hours of clinical support each day. Clients may transition to intensive outpatient therapy after completing inpatient care.
Finally, outpatient therapy for depression is the least restrictive form of care. It may be used as a transitional treatment after completing inpatient or intensive outpatient care. However, it may also be the first method of treatment for clients with mild or moderate depression. Outpatient therapy treatment for depression usually entails meeting with a therapist once or twice a week.
Therapy Goals and Therapy Activities For Adults With Depression
Outpatient therapy for depression often starts with assessing and screening for crisis issues. If an individual is in imminent danger of harming oneself or others, these urges must be addressed immediately.
After this screening, therapists usually work with clients to understand the role depression has on the individual’s overall functioning quality of life. Therapists may collaborate with their clients to process the emotions surrounding the depression. It’s not uncommon for clients to feel immense guilt, shame, anger, sadness, or fear over their symptoms. Therapy provides a safe place for exploring and processing these feelings.
Outpatient therapy for depression may also include learning new ways to manage your distress. It may entail coming to terms with pains and traumas from your past. Finally, it may require discussing and implementing changes in the way you live your life.
While specific goals may vary from individual to individual, typical goals in outpatient therapy for depression include:
- Increasing self-awareness into unconscious patterns and defense mechanisms
- Strengthening self-esteem
- Building and using a healthy support system
- Prioritizing self-care and self-compassion
- Addressing other co-occurring issues (trauma, substance use, anxiety)
Therapy can sometimes feel worse before it feels better. Confronting your feelings and exploring your patterns can be painful. With that in mind, this insight often paves the path towards a sustainable recovery.
Final Thoughts
Depression can feel chaotic and unforgiving. It can sabotage your relationships, jeopardize your happiness, and affect your performance in all areas of life. However, outpatient therapy for depression can provide you with the relief, support, and guidance you need to cope with your mental health.
Don’t prolong getting the help you need. Seeking outpatient therapy for depression may be the best decision you make. Contact us today to get started on your journey towards wellness.
Depression and Relationship Counseling: What to Expect
Depression is one of the most common disorders in the world. It impacts people of all ages, demographics, and backgrounds. And, if left untreated, it can cause serious problems for both individuals and their families.
Depression and relationship counseling can provide a dynamic pathway to healing. If you or a loved one is struggling with depression, this work can help you improve how you communicate, connect, and support one another during this time.
Let’s get into what you need to know about relationship counseling and depression.
How Depression Impacts Relationships
Many people believe that depression only affects themselves. This belief simply is not true. Depression can bleed into all areas of your life. We are social creatures, which means that our moods and actions impact the people we love.
In depression and relationship counseling, you will learn more about the aftermath of your mental health. For example, maybe your depression causes you to isolate or withdraw from loved ones. Perhaps it creates a sense of disproportionate shame or guilt, which makes it hard for others to connect or comfort you.
Relationships are an essential part of our well-being. When our relationships suffer, depression tends to worsen. Likewise, when depressive symptoms emerge, we tend to struggle in our relationships.
Depression and Relationship Counseling: What Happens In Therapy?
You’re tired of struggling. You feel like you and your partner can’t agree or connect, and it seems as if you two keep fighting the same fights. You’re considering depression and relationship counseling, but you aren’t sure what to expect from this kind of therapy.
Like with all mental health treatment, the counseling goals for depression will largely vary depending on your unique circumstances. During your first session, your therapist will assess your mental health histories, relationship problems, and overall goals for change. This assessment will help your therapist create a reasonable depression and relationship counseling treatment plan.
Such treatment goals may include:
- Increasing awareness of the impact depression has on your relationship
- Strengthening communication skills
- Referring to other resources (couples therapy, support groups, medication evaluation)
- Learning and implementing healthy coping skills for mood management
- Increasing intimacy within the relationship
- Discussing how past relationship experiences or traumas impact the current relationship
Depending on the type of therapy and psychological approach, each clinician utilizes different depression counseling techniques. For example, you may practice different communication styles while in session. You may discuss and reassess your own expectations within the relationship. Further, you may be assigned certain tasks to work on during the week.
Depression and Relationship Counseling: Start Feeling Better
Depression and relationship counseling can help you understand both yourself and your relationships better. After all, we all want to be good partners, friends, and parents. However, your depression may make these feats feel impossible.
By taking care of yourself, you open more space to take care of people that you love. That, in turn, strengthens and improves your relationship satisfaction.
Are you ready to get counseling therapy for depression? Help and relief are available! Contact us today for a free initial consultation!
Depression and Counseling: What to Expect
Are you tired of feeling sad or hopeless? Do you feel like things aren’t getting better on their own? Are you asking yourself, will counseling help my depression?
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders, the leading cause of disability, and it impacts more than 300 million people worldwide. When left untreated, depression can impact all areas of your functioning—from the way you perceive yourself to how well you perform at work to the quality of relationships you have with others.
There is a strong link between psychotherapy and counseling benefits when treating depression. While there isn’t a cure for depression, you can learn to manage your symptoms, cope with distress, and strengthen your self-esteem. Likewise, psychotherapy and counseling for depression provide a safe, nonjudgmental atmosphere for you to explore your most sensitive feelings.
Read on for more information about depression and counseling and what to expect throughout the process.
Psychotherapy and Counseling for Depression: What You Need To Know
Are you wondering, what happens in counseling for depression? This is a normal question, and each therapist may have a slightly different approach.
If you have never been to therapy, you might be curious about the benefits of psychotherapy and counseling for depression.
In a nutshell, the primary counseling goals for depression may include:
- Reducing imminent crisis issues (suicidal thoughts, self-injury, substance use)
- Establishing a safe and supportive rapport with your therapist
- Understanding how past events impact your current mental and physical well-being
- Recognizing and addressing defense mechanisms that maintain depression
- Treating trauma-related symptoms associated with depression
- Building a positive support system
Psychotherapy and counseling for depression isn’t always easy. The depression recovery journey often requires internal self-exploration, and learning new insight about yourself can be painful. However, your therapist will work with you to help you feel supported, motivated, and grounded throughout this time.
In psychotherapy and counseling for depression, you may confront parts of yourself that you may not like. Further, you may be asked to reexamine particular relationships or habits in your daily living. Because most of us tend to be creatures of habit, you might find yourself resisting some of these changes. That said, these are the changes that are often necessary for your healing.
Psychotherapy and Counseling for Depression: How Long Does Therapy Last?
Some people experience tremendous, immediate relief in just a few sessions of psychotherapy and counseling for depression. Other people, especially those with severe depression or complex trauma, may require more long-term work that can take several months or years.
As an overarching goal, it is imperative to have a safe and trusting relationship with your therapist, and this sense of security may take time to develop.
In your work together, you and your therapist will collaborate on reasonable goals for recovery. Throughout your treatment, you will routinely assess your progress and overall satisfaction. It is helpful to be honest and forthcoming in your sessions: if you feel like things aren’t improving, your therapist needs to know!
Final Thoughts on Psychotherapy and Counseling for Depression
Psychotherapy and counseling for depression can help you restore a sense of internal balance and confidence. Lumos Counseling offers a dynamic treatment approach that prioritizes compassion on your journey towards wellness.
Are you ready to pursue psychotherapy and counseling for depression? Support and help are available! Contact Lumos Counseling PC today to schedule your free consultation.
Psychotherapy and Counseling for Depression
Research shows that nearly 1 in 12 Americans has struggled with depression at some point in their lives. Depression does not discriminate who it affects. In its mildest forms, it may cause heightened feelings of insecurity, stress, and general agitation. However, severe depression can result in significant impediments in one’s overall quality of life.
Psychotherapy and counseling for depression can help you manage your condition productively and effectively. Such mental health treatment provides you with both the insight and practical tools for improving your well-being. Read on for more information about psychotherapy and counseling for depression.
Depression and Counseling: When Is It Time To Seek Help?
Are you questioning if the relationship between depression and counseling will help you?
While there isn’t a perfect time to seek help, the following depressive symptoms may suggest that treatment could be beneficial:
- Feeling sad for most or all of the day
- Feeling worthless or hopeless about the future
- Experiencing severe changes in appetite
- Having problems with sleep
- Feeling more agitated or irritable than usual
- Struggling with suicidal thoughts or self-injurious behavior
- Experiencing unexplained body aches and pains
- Feeling fatigued throughout the day
If you struggle with some or all of these symptoms, you might be struggling with clinical depression. If you’ve tried coping or treating these issues on your own but haven’t found success, it’s probably best to seek professional support.
Like most mental health conditions, depression can evolve and progress with time. You do not need to prolong your suffering. No matter how long you’ve been struggling, depression and counseling can help you find much-needed relief and comfort.
What Depression Counseling Techniques Will You Learn?
Depression and counseling isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula, and therapists can approach depression treatment differently.
In therapy, you might learn more about how your past experiences impact your current self. You may confront subconscious defenses or feelings associated with your depression. In doing this work, you will invariably learn new ways of perceiving and coping with your life circumstances.
When taking depression and counseling into consideration, you should consider the following factors:
- The severity of depression (i.e., presence of suicidal thoughts)
- The presence of co-occurring issues (substance use, eating disorders, etc.)
- The impact of depression on other areas of life (relationships, work, financial situation)
- A history of trauma
- Prior experiences with depression and counseling
These factors will help your therapist create appropriate counseling goals for depression. If you are struggling with other issues, these factors will also shape your overall treatment plan.
Counseling Anxiety and Depression
Many people struggle with symptoms of both anxiety and depression. Failing to address these symptoms can lead to unnecessary suffering. It can also lead to more problems in essential areas of your life (i.e., your physical health, interpersonal relationships, career).
Lumos Counseling PC specializes in depression and counseling. Whether it’s your first therapy session or your hundredth, your depression doesn’t have to define your self-esteem or happiness anymore. You can learn how to live a meaningful and fulfilling life regardless of your condition.
Contact Lumos PC today to get started on your journey towards wellness!