LMFT
Depression and Sadness
Depression and sadness are very reactive to treatment specifically CBT therapy. Additionally, EMDR can assist in treating trauma, at the root of the depression, and or specific symptoms of depression including but not limited to sleep disturbance. You do not need to meet the qualifications for a diagnosis to benefit from therapy.
Younger children may experience depression symptoms such as: sadness, irritability, clinginess, worry, aches and pains, refusing to go to school, and being underweight.
Teenagers may experience depression symptoms such as: sadness, irritability, feeling negative and worthless, anger, lesser performance or attendance at school, feeling misunderstood and extremely sensitive, using recreational drugs or alcohol, eating or sleeping too much, self-harm, loss of interest in normal activities, and avoidance of social interaction.
CBT Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or C.B.T., is a form of therapy that uses cognitive restructuring to identify and challenge negative and irrational thoughts; these thoughts are called cognitive distortions. An irregular amount of cognitive distortions can be linked to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. The CBT approach leverages the strong link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to treat depression and anxiety.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a proven method to aid in the recovery from trauma and benefiting those suffering from PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders.
The American Psychiatric Association, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs/Dept. of Defense, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the World Health Organization among many other national and international organizations recognize EMDR therapy as an effective treatment.
EMDR allows for the brain to perform its natural healing process on the trauma. This natural process is a communication between the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the prefrontal cortex. To stimulate these areas, a patient can follow a light back and forth, hold buzzers in their hands, or listen to sounds; they are equally effective. Sometimes EMDR can accelerate treatment because there isn’t a need to collect an entire backstory, a multi-session event. The result of EMDR does not eliminate the memory of the traumatic event but removes the emotional response. Finally, EMDR can be useful in curing sleep disturbances and terrors.