Depression is a Mental Health Condition that leads to severe mental, emotional, and physical consequences without treatment. Like any medical condition, Depressive Disorders require evidence-based treatment from a licensed professional. While there are plenty of ways to cope with Depressive Disorders, the only way to truly heal is through therapy.
A Licensed Clinical Psychologist uses a variety of therapy models to help you understand the root of your Depression, address comorbid disorders, overcome symptoms, and build an overall healthier life. Learn more about the different evidence-based treatment models for those suffering from Depression and discover the importance of pursuing a therapy plan with a mental health professional with this guide.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a form of mental health treatment that revolves around the relationship between emotions, thought patterns, and behaviors. By helping patients become more aware of how their emotions influence their thoughts and behaviors, therapists can help them work through those emotions with fewer negative consequences.
For example, someone with Depression might experience feelings of worthlessness. Those negative feelings can lead to unhealthy thought patterns, such as thinking that you are a failure or thinking that no one wants you around. Those thought patterns then turn into negative behaviors, such as withdrawing from friend groups.
With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a patient learns to modify their thought patterns so that negative emotions cannot have such a devastating impact. When you can identify negative emotions as a symptom of Depression rather than an undeniable piece of reality, you can better regulate your feelings and build a more positive mindset.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
The focus of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) lies in equipping patients with psychological “tools” they can use to improve mental awareness, overcome adverse circumstances, and maintain strong, positive thought patterns. These tools or psychological techniques include distress tolerance, emotional regulation, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness.
Distress Tolerance
Distress tolerance is a skill that allows you to address stressful or challenging circumstances without feeling overwhelmed. With distress tolerance, you can identify and resolve points of conflict without allowing those conflicts to take control over your emotions or behaviors.
Emotional Regulation
Emotional regulation helps clients learn to control their emotions so that they do not become overwhelming or harmful. Regulating your emotions does not stop you from experiencing negative feelings, but it does help you increase your awareness of how you feel and how that affects your current mindset.
Mindfulness
Another important skill from Dialectical Behavior Therapy is mindfulness. Like emotional regulation, mindfulness focuses on recognizing and addressing your own emotions without letting them control you. Mindfulness teaches patients to focus on the present moment—how they are feeling here and now—instead of on the uncertainty and fear that comes with thinking about the future.
Interpersonal Effectiveness
Interpersonal effectiveness uses the other skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy to help patients build positive communication habits and strong relationships. Through distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and mindfulness, individuals can be assertive without being aggressive, communicate needs without neglecting others, and maintain a sense of self-respect without alienating other parties. The result is more positive interactions and healthier relationships in every aspect of life.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is similar to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy in that it teaches patients to acknowledge negative thoughts and emotions instead of ignoring them. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy takes this idea a step further by encouraging the acceptance of inner thoughts and feelings.
Though negative emotions are difficult to experience, they are a natural part of life. By learning how to embrace unwanted emotions, you prevent those feelings from becoming all-consuming. In this way, you maintain control over your thoughts and behaviors, lessen the negative impact of unwanted emotions, and construct a mindset of peace, positivity, and fulfillment.
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy
Eye movement can be an indicator of stress, but Licensed Clinical Psychologists can take advantage of that relation through a treatment known as Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy. The purpose of Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing is to help the body and mind work through negative responses to Mental Health Disorders such as Depression, Trauma, PTSD, or Anxiety.
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing can help patients overcome the pain and fear of traumatic memories by walking through a memory while performing specific eye movements. The link between eye movement and stress helps condition the patient’s response to the memory, strengthening positive reactions and weakening negative reactions such as anxiety or trauma triggers.
Interpersonal Therapy
Interpersonal Therapy is a form of Psychotherapy that helps patients improve relationships with friends, family, romantic partners, coworkers, and more. Relationship struggles and Mental Health Disorders like Depression often go hand in hand. Through Interpersonal Therapy, patients learn to identify behavioral patterns within a relationship and strengthen skills like communication and problem-solving to improve relations.
By improving social functioning with Interpersonal Therapy, individuals can boost social health and lessen Depression symptoms such as isolation, social withdrawal, and low self-esteem. Interpersonal Therapy also helps individuals maintain strong and healthy relationships in the face of Depression and its symptoms, strengthening their support system and lessening the negative impact of Depressive Disorders.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Another form of evidence-based treatment for those suffering from Depression is Psychodynamic Therapy. This type of Psychotherapy focuses on how past experiences are often the root of current emotional and behavioral patterns. Psychodynamic Therapy helps patients address and understand the past so that they can face the present with a stronger, healthier mindset. Psychodynamic Therapy also helps improve self-awareness, self-reliance, distress tolerance, and other powerful skills that can help you build a more positive life for yourself.
A Tailored Treatment Plan Suits Your Needs
A personalized treatment plan for Depressive Disorders can and should utilize multiple evidence-based therapy models to create the most effective approach for you as an individual. By working with a Licensed Clinical Psychologist to follow a tailored treatment plan, you can benefit from focused therapy sessions that revolve around your unique needs and experiences.
At Blair Wellness Group, we offer compassionate, Concierge-Style Depression Therapy for clients in Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Century City, Brentwood, Westwood, Irvine, Newport, Orange County, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Corona Del Mar, Dana Point, Mission Viejo, and Aliso Viejo areas. Book your appointment today and see how customized care and evidence-based therapy can make a difference in the treatment of Depression and its symptoms.
