Depression

Depression doesn't always look like sadness. It can feel like tiredness that sleep doesn't fix, a flatness where interest used to be, or getting through each day without really being in it.

As a depression therapist, I work with you to understand what keeps low mood going, and to rebuild the routines, connections and sense of meaning that depression wears away.

What depression can feel like

• Feeling sad, empty or flat most days
• Losing interest in things you used to enjoy
• Tiredness, low energy or changes in sleep and appetite
• Feeling worthless, guilty or like a burden
• Pulling away from people, or feeling alone even with them
• Finding it hard to concentrate or make decisions

Who I work with

• Adults feeling persistently sad, flat or hopeless
• People who have lost interest in things they used to love
• Anyone whose depression is tangled up with loneliness or distance from home
• People who keep functioning on the outside while struggling on the inside
• Teens with low mood or withdrawal, with a parent or guardian involved

How we work together

CBT and strengths-based work: understanding what keeps low mood going, rebuilding routines and connections, and drawing on the resources you already have.

We start by understanding your depression: when it began, what makes it heavier or lighter, and what it has taken from your life.

With CBT, we look at the patterns of thinking and withdrawing that keep low mood going, and gradually bring back activities and contact that matter to you.

Strengths-based work keeps sight of what you have already survived and the resources you bring, including family, faith and community.

Depression, loneliness and distance from home

For people who have moved countries, depression can be bound up with loneliness: missing family, language and community, or feeling that no one here really knows you.

In some families, depression isn't talked about, or is called weakness. We can make room for how your family and culture see it, while getting you the support you need.

Online sessions across Illinois, in English or Albanian

Sessions are by secure video, so you can meet from home or anywhere private, as long as you are in Illinois at the time of the session. We can work in English or in Albanian, whichever feels more natural.

The first session

• Understanding what brought you to therapy
• Agreeing on what you want help with
• Talking through how we will work together

Fees and insurance

Sessions are $180 for 50 minutes. Most major insurance plans accepted. See fees and insurance for the details.

Questions people ask

See also: Anxiety, Trauma and PTSD, Grief, Life transitions, Acculturative stress.