Grief & Depression Counseling
Our counselors provide grief and/or depression counseling for those suffering from grief, sadness, or loss who desire healing.
Bummed, down, depressed, fatigued, upset, bored, low energy. Are these ways you have described yourself? All of these are words that can relate to the experience of depression. Our down moods lie along a continuum from mildly down to severely depressed.
It is estimated that every year 11 million people become depressed (about 1 in 20) to the degree that we would give them a “medical diagnosis” of depression. In addition many people’s down moods may not be diagnosable as depression because people simply view their sadness as normal due the ups and downs of life. Grief due to the loss of a loved one or loss of a job may be an example of this type of depression.
With the many different experiences of down moods, there isn’t one way to look at them. Some of the ways people interpret these moods are: as a physical, medical, or biochemical problem; as a character weakness; as a normal part of life; as an opportunity for growth and insight.
Stress and Depression
All changes in life, whether positive or negative, cause stress to our system and depending on our coping skills and the amount of stress, this may cause or exacerbate depression. These changes or stresses can be external events or internal events, whether chemical or psychological.
External events include moving, job loss, earthquakes, deaths, injuries, marriages, and births.
Internal events include menstrual cycles, heart attacks, illness and our perception of events as negative or positive and whether we feel helpless, hopeless or some sense of control.
Symptoms of Depression
change in sleep
worthlessness
loss of interest/pleasure
irritability
tearfulness
alcohol/drug abuse
decreased concentration
decreased motivation
guilt
decreased sex drive
loss/gain of weight
eating
fatigue
low self-esteem
withdrawal
suicidal thoughts
anger
sadness
Recommendations for Treatment
Cognitive Therapy
How we think affects the way that we feel and so by identifying the harmful thoughts we can change our thinking and feel better. References: David Burns – Feeling Good
Interpersonal Therapy
How we identify what we are feeling/experiencing and communicate it has an influence on how we feel.
Social Connection
Increased isolation is related to depression. Research shows that men die sooner than females after a spouse dies due to isolation. This death risk of social isolation is equal to that of smoking and high cholesterol.
Nutrition
What we ingest has effects on our body and ultimately on our moods. Since each of us is unique, it pays to be aware of your own body and the effects you feel from what you ingest. There are some obvious substances that can play a role in depression.
Alcohol – Use of alcohol exacerbates depression by disturbing sleep and limiting one’s ability to change. It can also lead to physical and emotional withdrawal which enhances isolation and has other family members complaining about you.
Food – Moods are affected by our eating habits; the better balanced the eating, the more mood swings can be minimized. Simple sugars can cause more swings in our energy levels.
Drugs– Prescription, over the counter and illicit drugs all have side effects. Some of these side effects can promote or exacerbate depression.
Nicotine – Nicotine is a stimulant that in the short run may give you a quick lift, but you will soon lose the effect and drift your mood downward. There is some research that supports the idea that people who use nicotine to deal with depression have a harder time becoming smoke-free.
Exercise
Exercise has some research to support it as stand-alone treatment for depression. It alters and benefits us through internal releases of biochemicals (serotonin, epinephrine) and it increases our sense of control and well-being.
Relaxation
Relaxation helps to modify the physical symptoms of tension, heart rate and blood pressure.
Medication
Medication addresses biochemistry of the body through direct chemical means.
If you recognize any of the symptoms of depression, you may need to seek professional help. For depression treatment in Denver, Front Range Counseling Center offers superior care to help you discover the basis for your depression and options for care. We offer depression support groups in Denver as well as individual counseling.
We’d like you to know that you are not alone. Our depression therapists are here to help you cope with the everyday ups and downs, as well as the more significant down moods. If you are one of the many individuals who suffer from depression, please call us for a consultation today. We will get you on the right track for treatment for depression
Grief and Loss Counseling
We have counselors that specialize in grief and loss counseling for those hurting from a death, divorce, loss of job, or other forms of loss.
Grief is a natural emotion people encounter following any major change in their familiar lifestyle such as the death of a loved one, divorce, marriage or retirement. Recovery from alcohol, drug and food addictions also lead people into the grieving cycle as they recover from the loss of a habit that has consumed so much of their life. Although these life experiences may not seem like grieving events, we grieve for all the emotionally significant relationships in our lives.
Grieving is a normal reaction to loss that every person will experience at some point in his or her life. How each person reacts or copes with loss is completely unique, so the time measurement and the impact of the grieving process are impossible to measure. The grieving journey is one of the most misunderstood and avoided life processes. In our society, moving through and dealing with the intense emotional pain of grief has become an extremely private matter that puts most people at a loss when it comes to handling it in a healthy manner.
Dealing With Grief
When drifting through the grieving process, people tend to seek comfort from different resources whether it is books, workshops, the Internet or support groups. People seeking support from these resources can sometimes come up short and even feel that society is not as understanding as they hoped it would be, resulting in isolation and unresolved feelings. It is important to learn how to deal with grief properly in order to move through the process.
If you are reading this, it means you are open to facing your grief in order to move forward with your life. Seeking professional help and support from a 70 West Counselor is definitely a step in the right direction.