Depression Therapy

Depression has a way of making even ordinary things feel out of reach. It gets harder to show up for the people you care about, harder to feel interested in things that used to matter, harder to recognize yourself in the way you're moving through your days. It's not laziness, and it's not weakness. It's a signal that something deeper needs attention.

The work here isn't just about feeling better. It's about understanding how you got here and what you actually need. Together we'll move through it, back toward something that feels more alive and more like you.

What depression actually looks like

Most people expect depression to look like sadness, but more often it shows up as numbness. You go through the motions while feeling strangely removed from your own life. You lose interest in things that used to light you up. You snap at the people you love because there's nothing left in the tank.

It can also look like high-functioning exhaustion: showing up everywhere you're supposed to while privately feeling disconnected from all of it. That's still depression. And it still deserves care.

Some of what people describe when they come to me:

• Waking up tired, even after a full night of sleep
• Pulling away from the people closest to you
• Losing interest in things that used to bring you joy
• A heaviness that follows you through the day, even when nothing specific is wrong
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions that used to come easily
• Feeling irritable or short-tempered in ways that don't feel like you
• Going through your routine on autopilot, disconnected from any of it
• A persistent feeling that something is off, but you can't quite name it

If any of that sounds familiar, you're not alone. And you don't have to wait until it gets worse to reach out.

How depression therapy works

We go slowly enough to actually find something. Depression often has roots, and understanding them matters. We'll look at what's happened to you, what you've had to push down to keep going, what you've never quite grieved, and what you need but have never let yourself ask for.

This is deeper work than a list of coping strategies. We'll build something real together, something that changes how you understand yourself, not just how you get through your days.

My approach is psychodynamic and relational. That means we're not just treating symptoms. We're looking at the patterns underneath: what you learned early on about asking for help, what roles you've taken on, what feelings you've had to set aside to keep everything running. When those patterns come into focus, things start to shift in a way that lasts.

I also draw on attachment theory, because so much of depression connects back to our earliest experiences of closeness and care. How we learned to connect, and what happened when we needed something and it wasn't there. That history matters, and it shows up in ways most people don't expect.

What to expect

Your first session is about getting to know each other. I'll ask about what brought you in, what's been going on, and what you're hoping might change. You don't need to have it all figured out. Most people don't.

From there, we meet weekly. Consistency matters with this kind of work. Depression tends to keep people isolated, and showing up every week, even when it's hard, is part of how things start to open up.

Sessions are 60 minutes, either in person at my Issaquah office or over video anywhere in Washington. There's no homework, no worksheets. Just honest conversation and the kind of attention that's hard to find anywhere else.

Most people start to notice shifts within the first few months. Not necessarily that the depression is gone, but that they're relating to it differently. They have more access to themselves. They're sleeping better, engaging more, feeling less stuck. The timeline is different for everyone, and we'll check in about how things are going as we work together.

When to reach out

If you've been feeling flat, disconnected, or unlike yourself for weeks or months, that's enough. You don't have to hit a low point to deserve support. You don't need a diagnosis. You don't need to have the right words for it. If something feels off and it's been that way for a while, that's a good enough reason to call.

I see clients from Issaquah, Sammamish, Bellevue, Redmond, North Bend, Snoqualmie, and across the Eastside. Telehealth is available to anyone in Washington State. The free 15-minute call is a good place to start.

Questions about depression therapy