Therapy for Depression in Los Angeles
Depression Can Be Treated: Find Your Sense of Self Again Through Compassionate Care.
If you feel you need it, please reach out for help. I would be honored to help you address your depression and find a path to recovery.
Hi! I'm Toby
I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW #89672) based in my own private practice in Los Angeles, California. I’ve worked in mental health and sex and gender since 2013, and I absolutely love it.
I Offer Both Online and In-Person Sessions in Los Angeles and Burbank.
Los Angeles
1910 Hillhurst Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(424) 835-0516
Click for Directions
Burbank
1201 S Victory Blvd #206 Burbank, CA 91502 (213) 616-7366 Click for Directions
What Is Therapy for Depression?
Depression is a fairly common word in our vocabulary. However, the fact that one in 6 adults in the U.S. experiences depression at some point in their lives does not make it a less serious medical condition. It may be a common mood disorder, but this doesn’t mean it should be ignored. Therapy for depression in adults plays a vital role in improving the quality of life of people suffering from depressive symptoms and can even save lives.
The Symptoms of Depression
Depression is sneaky and subtle, and it can find its way into your mind without you noticing. It is typically defined as a feeling of sadness, numbness, hopelessness, or emptiness that impairs motivation and hinders quality of life. By its very nature, it tends to feel hopeless, so sometimes people suffering from it refrain from reaching out for help. This is why talking to a therapist can be so helpful. It gives a name to the experience as well as a path forward. Depressive disorder is often associated with one or more of these symptoms:
- Inexplicable urge to cry
- Bouts of sadness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Anxiety
- Anger, irascibility
- Inexplicable physical symptoms, like muscle pain and headaches
- Insomnia
- Oversleeping
- Self-harm and suicidal thoughts
- Major depression
- Bipolar disorder (manic depression)
- Perinatal and postpartum depression
- Situational depression
- Chronic depression
Regardless of the type, without appropriate care, depression can impact a person’s life and everyday activities and prevent them from finding peace and happiness. It can affect their mental and physical health, and people with moderate depression or severe symptoms may even find themselves considering suicide.
Treatments for Depression
The good news is that there are treatments for depression, and patients with depression can typically find their way out by using the right tools. Treating depression may require, in some cases, a combination of therapy and antidepressant medications. However, many people with depression benefit greatly from talk therapy alone and do not get to the point where they need to take antidepressants.
Simply talking to a therapist can bring clarity and help you learn how to cope with the waves of negative emotions that drag you under. Patients with moderate depression or facing fleeting depressive episodes can balance their emotions by identifying the factors that trigger their depression and learning coping mechanisms to manage it.
Talk Therapy and EMDR for Depression
I have been providing care for patients struggling with depression disorder for many years now and have found that cognitive-behavioral therapy is one effective form of treatment. This form of therapy requires work, and I work together with my patients to learn new thought patterns to reshape their mood.
While no one can extirpate negative thoughts entirely, we can learn to manage them and identify how they impact our reactions and beliefs about ourselves. If you have a good grip on your negative thoughts and emotions, you can discover how they lead to harmful behaviors that may affect your life. I will help you learn how to challenge your negative thoughts with more adaptive, strength-based frameworks and become aware of your flow of thoughts. These are just a few of the helpful, evidence-based tools CBT offers to help people heal and grow through depression.
Sometimes, depression is rooted in our unresolved conflicts or unhealed wounds, and talking about this with a therapist opens the door to healing. This is the foundation of psychodynamic therapy, a different form of depression therapy that focuses on how your reality is shaped by your past, unconscious mind, and childhood experiences.
EMDR therapy, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is another effective approach used to treat depression, especially when it’s linked to past trauma. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR for depression helps the brain reprocess painful memories so they no longer cause distress. Studies, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses, show that EMDR can improve symptoms in patients with major depressive episodes by supporting healthy brain stimulation and helping the mind heal from emotional overload.
Together we’ll walk the necessary path and begin the healing process. Once people address the memories and events their mind chose to forget or avoid, they tend to feel relief and hope. Most importantly, it usually becomes a bit easier to re-engage in life.
Start Tackling Depression Today. Schedule Your Free Consultation
Remember that you’re not damaged and you’re not broken. Depression just happens sometimes, and luckily, there is an enormous amount of research showing us what’s most effective in treating it. Everyone needs help sometimes, and getting professional help is one of the most effective ways to manage depression. Don’t hesitate to reach out today.
01.
Initial Consultation
We’ll have a brief call to get to know each other. We’ll discuss your needs and how I can help.
02.
In-Person or Telehealth
Our sessions will be held virtually for your convenience. No long commutes to come see me.
03.
Time to Do the Work
Recovery can be a long and difficult road, but it’s worth it. We’ll work through it together
Frequently Asked Questions
Most of my career has been focused on helping people of the LGBTQIA+ community. I’ve especially done a lot of work supporting HIV-positive and trans clients. I am trained and certified in a variety of modalities, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, etc. See my about page for a full list.
Not necessarily. Many people with mild to moderate depression respond well to talk therapy alone, especially when they engage in approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or EMDR. However, for people with moderate or severe depression or those diagnosed with major depressive disorder, antidepressant treatment may be recommended alongside therapy. These medications work by balancing neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain to improve mood and motivation.
It can be appropriate and even highly beneficial to include family members or partner(s) during a session. All of this depends on what we are working on and where we are in that work. If it’s the right time, it’s an option, and something you are interested in, it can be very helpful, and I’m happy to support it.
I provide different scheduling options for patients based on their needs. I try to be as flexible as I can and schedule appointments on weekdays, weekends, and evenings. Please consult with me for availability.