Bring Joy Back into Your Life & Relationships
Meet Our Team of Culturally Sensitive Therapists at Haven Mental Health Counseling Offering Effective Counseling for Depression.
It’s painful to Feel Alone Even When You’re Not.
yet That can be how Depression Feels.
Or it can feel like you wake up every morning immediately in pain. Perhaps your body aches and feels heavy. You may dread going to work or even having to interact with the people living in your home. The dreaded thoughts of hopelessness flood your brain and it takes so much effort for you to appear happy because all you feel inside is stuck, numb, and disconnected.
You know you have lots of things to be grateful for—and you understand that others may be in worse situations than you—but still, you just can’t shake the feeling of sadness. It clings to you and it hurts to even try and count your blessings.
You Are Not Alone
These are not a sign of ingratitude or a stubborn refusal to look at the bright side of life. They are the lived realities of over 20 million adults in the US and around 246 million people worldwide, all of whom experience depression. After the unprecedented isolation, illness, and death caused by Covid-19, that number has almost certainly increased of late.
We work with adults and couples who struggle with their day to day responsibilities and can’t seem to find a way to connect authentically to themselves or the people around them. Counseling for depression can not only help you feel better, but can also help you develop healthier relationships.
The Depression You Feel Is Real
Depression is sometimes dismissed as simply stress or fatigue. Aches and pains, irritability, or a decreased interest in socializing and intimacy can all too easily be attributed to “hating your job” or boredom. But the most troubling aspect of depression is often the least visible—the negative thoughts that loop endlessly round and round in your brain. Sometimes it’s hard to see but these should never be accepted as a part of everyday life.
Counseling Can Help You Overcome Depression
If you’ve been suffering from the feelings and thoughts we’ve just described, now is the time to reach out for help. Perhaps you’ve convinced yourself that it will go away on its own, or maybe other people have shamed you into thinking faith and discipline should be enough to provide relief.
You might be embarrassed to admit that you’re finding it hard to deal with or you might worry that talking about it will make it seem worse. Every day you delay is a day lost, a day that could put you on the road to a more positive life.
While you’re trying to convince yourself, “I don’t need help. I can do this on my own”, the clock is ticking. Regardless of the cause or the way it has manifested, untreated depression takes a serious toll on your mind and body, and that can lead to unwanted health conditions later in life.
Getting Help for Others
If you feel fine but you’re concerned about someone close to you, you could be just about to hand them a lifeline. Have you noticed the signs but hesitated to speak out?
Oftentimes, people experiencing depression feel as though they are a burden to others and they try to keep what they are experiencing to themselves. They may be afraid of how they’ll be perceived, so they continue to suffer in silence.
If that’s the case, it could be a wonderful relief to them to know that someone sees their struggle and cares enough to help. Don’t wait. Have the conversation and offer to make the call with them—they may find it much easier with the help of a friend.
Depression Counseling With Haven MHC
Depression is well studied and highly treatable. Whether you have been in a low mood for years or you’ve only recently noticed an unwanted change in your thoughts and moods, a suitable treatment plan is available.
At Haven MHC, we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. Our skilled counselors will work closely with you, listen to your feedback, and create a bespoke, evidence-based course of treatment to perfectly fit your unique needs.
When you enter our healing space, judgment is checked at the door and we invite you into a warm environment based on self-acceptance and genuine care. We are here to equip and arm you with amazing new coping skills that will help you in the years to come.
Our Therapists Can Help With Depression
Many people who suffer from depression experience negative thoughts about themselves, the future, and the world around them. Of course, we’re all human and everyone has these types of thoughts from time to time, but sometimes a painful event or a difficult situation can make them appear more frequent or vivid.
These repetitive thoughts can create a distorted view of yourself and of reality that is difficult to shake without intervention. In our field of expertise, we select time-proven and scientifically supported methods like CBT and Somatic Therapy from which to map the healing process.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy employs behavioral concepts to assist patients in reinforcing positive behaviors. Using CBT, we can help you put a stop to those annoying mental intrusions. We do this by providing you with the skills to recognize possible triggers, as well as effective tactics for dealing with negative emotions before they take hold.
How CBT Works
The basic premise of cognitive behavioral therapy is that thoughts come before moods and that both are inextricably linked to your environment, physiological responses, and subsequent outcomes. As a result, varying an emergent thought in a specific setting can change your emotional responses, behaviors, and physical reactions. CBT can help you:
Open your mind to new possibilities
Develop more rational thought processes
Find out how your thoughts work
Acquire the ability to respond calmly
Use learned techniques to deal with intrusive thoughts
Identify the behavioral changes you need to make
Replace destructive thoughts with constructive ones
Somatic Therapy
Somatic Therapy is a body-centered approach that focuses on the interaction between the mind and body. It blends psychotherapeutic and body-oriented modalities into the individual healing process. It’s especially effective in helping to release the trauma and tension that your body stores through the years, which can affect your physical and emotional well-being.
Anyone struggling with mental health issues, depression, bereavement, addiction, and relationship problems, as well as those who have been through trauma or abuse, can benefit from somatic therapy.
Somatic therapy isn’t just used for mental health issues. If you have been unable to find relief from pain or physical discomfort, digestive difficulties, or other medical concerns, it could be a viable treatment option for you too.
How Somatic Therapy Works
Somatic therapy is based on the premise that what happens in your life is stored in both your mind and your body. It is a holistic approach to therapy because it focuses on recognizing bodily sensations as well as expressing feelings and talking through your concerns. The techniques we use in somatic therapy can help you to:
Develop greater awareness through bodily sensations
Learn emotional release techniques
Use grounding and mindfulness
Express your feelings through movement
Learn to induce a sense of calm
Switch focus away from stress triggers to help release tension
Replay past situations with new awareness
Strengthen a sense of self and boundaries
Depression Treatment to Heal Your Pain
At Haven MHC we are here to help with that first step toward relief. We offer a complete range of depression treatments including CBT and somatic therapy from a trauma-informed lens.
Together we will get to the root cause of your depression and help you to recognize your body’s unique ways of signaling it needs help. The mind may be the source of the distress, but it is the body that stores the pain and tension within.
As our founder reminds us: “The body, which holds the memories of our pain, sorrow, and fear can also become the means through which we work towards peace, calmness, hope, and happiness.” With guidance and compassion, you will learn to release what does not serve you in your journey toward joy.
Are You Ready for a Brighter Future?
Although depression might make you feel as though your situation is hopeless, it isn’t. If you’re ready for positive change, we can help. The skilled team at Haven Mental Health Counseling is proud to serve patients from NYC, Queens, Nassau County, and beyond.
To book an appointment with us, please call 516-849-2241 or use the online booking form.