Coping with Depression

As a psychology student, we were taught the power of awareness. By simply bringing any thought, feeling, emotion or reaction to the front of our attention, we can then help people to “deal with” or “cope” or “resolve” their issues.  As helpful as this process is, I have often wondered how much awareness is too much? Is asking clients to become so inwardly focused (that they lose focus on the bigger picture) the best way to help with symptoms of depression? As a therapist for over 15 years, I have seen this concept of awareness sometimes backfire, and cause clients more distress when trying to resolve symptoms of depression.  It can de-motivate people.   What works best then? How do we bring about awareness in our clients without going down the rabbit-role of self-indulgence?

I have found Aaron Beck’s model of CBT and principals of mindfulness to be extremely effective.  For example, a person struggling with feelings of loneliness doesn’t necessarily need to know the root cause of this in order to find relief.  Rather, a set of skills and tasks (grounded in evidence-based research) can give a person the confidence and inner resiliency to confront the underlying causes of the depression, bringing them closer to health and healing.

At Spear It Group, we custom tailor our strategies to fit with client personalities.  That means we take your personality and struggles into consideration, it truly is an individualised approach!