It’s not always easy to admit when you need help. That means acknowledging the parts of yourself that you’re not proud of or may be struggling with. But by reflecting on your social, emotional, mental and behavioral patterns, you can see what’s interfering with you becoming the best version of yourself.
Depression is a common mental health disorder that can affect every facet of your life. The symptoms can make it difficult to complete your responsibilities, maintain friendships and plan for the future. That’s why depression counseling can be life-changing for many people struggling to manage their symptoms on a day-to-day basis.
We’ll talk about what depression counseling is and signs that it’s time for you to try it out. Then we’ll discuss the benefits that you can gain from seeking counseling for your depression.
The basics of depression counseling
In the world of mental healthcare, there are many different ways that a provider can approach treatment for those struggling with mental health disorders or distress. Counseling for your depression is just one of many ways that a healthcare provider can move you along your mental health journey when you’re living with depression.
Depression counseling refers to psychotherapy. It can help people who have major depressive disorder symptoms that are interfering with their overall quality of life. The main goal is to help you develop healthy coping mechanisms that can alleviate your depression symptoms throughout your day-to-day activities as well as when you’re facing distressing situations.
Counseling for your depression is often used as part of cognitive behavioral therapy. It’s a psychotherapy approach that helps you adjust the way your thoughts and behavioral patterns affect one another. By changing these patterns, you can decrease depressive emotions.
7 signs that you should seek depression counseling
Gaining self-awareness of your depression symptoms is a huge first step. If you’re unsure about whether it’s time to seek counseling for your depression, it’s important to take stock of your thoughts, emotions and behaviors. You can see how they influence your productivity, social relationships and self-image.
Here are seven signs that it’s time for depression counseling:
- You consistently feel overwhelming negative emotions, including sadness and loneliness.
- You’re regularly encountering triggers for your depression that you’re unable to cope with.
- You struggle to find optimism and hope for your future plans or goals.
- You’re withdrawing or isolating yourself from your family, friends and significant others.
- Your lack of energy and focus is interfering with your ability to carry out your responsibilities.
- You’re experiencing physical health issues that stem from your depression, such as significant weight loss or weight gain.
- You’re experiencing suicidal ideation or carrying out self-harm behaviors.
If you’re having suicidal thoughts, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
What you can gain from seeking depression counseling
When people talk about feeling depressed, they’re often referring to temporary feelings of sadness in response to an upsetting situation. It can be hard when you didn’t do well on a job presentation or you’re struggling to pay your bills. But major depressive disorder is a mental health disorder diagnosis. It requires proper treatment and support, including depression counseling.
Counseling for your depression helps you treat your current symptoms. It also provides you with the tools and insight that will benefit your mental health in the future.
When you decide to seek the help you need from depression counseling, you can gain a variety of benefits. You can benefit from counseling by:
- Learning coping strategies for triggers of your depression symptoms.
- Gaining a different perspective on situations or life changes.
- Addressing behavioral and thought patterns that perpetuate depressive symptoms.
- Improving your self emotional-regulation skills.
- Learning communication skills to improve your interpersonal relationships.
Active Path Mental Health can provide depression counseling
Psychotherapy is one of the most effective courses of action for mental health treatment. If you feel like your depression is persistent or worsening, then it’s important to be proactive by seeking counseling for your depression. Whether you’re feeling hopeless about your future or you’re struggling to maintain healthy connections with those around you, you shouldn’t ignore the signs that you need help from a licensed professional.
When you’re ready to improve your symptoms, we’re here to help. At Active Path Mental Health, we provide counseling for your depression. It integrates into your care plan as part of our short-term cognitive therapy services. We’ll collaborate with you to determine which strategies will be the most effective for your particular depression symptoms.
Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.
