Counselling for Depression and Low Mood in London

Counselling for Depression & Low Mood

Depression is one of the most common mental health problems; by 2020 depression will be the second most disabling condition in the World after heart disease. A significant number of sufferers will go undiagnosed and therefore untreated.

Who Can Depression Counselling Help?

Do you feel sad for much of the time and can’t seem to snap out of it? Do you feel you have nothing to look forward to? Do you look back on your life and see a lot of failures? Do you no longer get real satisfaction from anything? Do you feel guilty a lot of the time? Do you feel disappointed in yourself? Do you feel irritated much of the time? Do you struggle to make decisions? Do you have to push yourself really hard to get anything done? Do you struggle to get to sleep and then wake after only a few hours? Do you feel tired easily? Is your appetite not as good as it used to be? Are you less interested in sex than you used to be?
If you find yourself answering yes to one or more of the above you may be suffering from depression and may benefit from our counselling services to help you to improve your mood and get your life back on track.

A Recent Testimonial

“I just wanted to write a quick note and say thank you again for the counselling sessions we did this time last year. I have to say that whilst I was very positive about the result we achieved last year I was nervous about getting to the Autumn time in 2020. I did wonder if I would dip back into the well worn cycle of pain and negative thought patterns. HOWEVER I am pleased to report I have not and this autumn has been one of the most positive I can remember. It seems almost miraculously in some ways, and an incredible testament to the power of CBT as a method of treatment. Thanks again”.
Sue - Fulham

What Does Treatment Involve?

Step 1

In your first couple of sessions your Therapist will ask you questions to enable them to understand why your symptoms have developed and what approach will bring you the quickest and most enduring relief.

Step 2

Treatment will then typically consist of two phases, each tailored to your specific needs. The first will focus on bringing you relief from your symptoms so that you are able to function better on a day to day basis. This may involve learning a set of techniques both practical and psychological that you will need to practice outside of sessions to increase thoughts and behaviours that will counteract feelings of depression.

Step 3

Once you are feeling better and able to do what you need to do each day without feeling overwhelmed, the focus of your sessions will shift to ensuring that the changes you have made continue and that feelings of depression will not return. Typically this will involve determining what made you vulnerable to depression in the first place and helping you to develop ways of protecting yourself against this in the future.

Step 4

Finally there will be a period of time where the focus of your treatment will be on you consolidating what you have learnt, building your confidence in your ability to manage your mood independently and with your Therapists help, tweaking your approach to this were necessary until you feel ready to manage on your own.

Fees

Prices can be found on our Fees Page. If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to call 0203 504 9300 or fill out a contact form.

Locations

We have clinics in Richmond, Liverpool Street, Clapham, Marylebone, Fulham, Islington, Twickenham, Chiswick, East Dulwich and Nottingham. We also offer Online Counselling via Video.

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Therapists

All of our Therapists offer Depression counselling, click here to view the team.

How Common is Depression?

According to the Office for National Statistics 10% of the population in Britain suffer from depression. However, as this figure can only be based on those people who seek help the real figure is likely to be significantly higher.

What are the causes of Depression?

There is no single cause for depression but the following factors, or a combination of them, will increase your vulnerability:

Negative and self critical thinking patterns
The way that we think about or interpret things determines how we feel about them, so if we have a tendency to evaluate events in a negative way we are more likely to feel bad about them. When we feel bad about something we are more likely to interpret other events negatively and these thoughts will further lower our mood. Over time this cycle of negative thoughts and feelings can spiral down into depression.

People who are self critical are also more vulnerable to developing depression. If you are critical of yourself you will tend to believe that when something goes wrong it is your fault and when something goes well, it was either due to luck or someone else’s actions.

Genetic factors
Research suggests that some people may have a genetic predisposition to developing depression however this alone is not enough to cause depression. The environment in which we are raised in as children and the world, is pivotal in the onset of depression. For example someone with a genetic predisposition to developing depression who is brought up in a loving and supportive environment where they are taught that they have value, that others will treat them with respect and care and that generally the world is a safe place where most of the times good things happen, is very unlikely to develop depression. However someone without a genetic predisposition to developing depression may nonetheless go on to develop depression if, as a result of their early experiences, they learn to believe that they are worthless and that the world is a dangerous place where they can be expected to be mistreated.

Life Events
Stressful and traumatic life events can also leave people vulnerable to depression particularly if they lack the support necessary to cope with them and have a tendency towards self criticism. Experiencing such events in early life in the absence of a supportive and nurturing environment is a particular risk factor for depression later on. The types of life events that may put someone at risk include; death of a loved one, illness, divorce, abusive relationships and financial issues.

What Treatment is Available for Depression?

The most common types of treatment for Depression are medication and psychological or ‘talking’ therapy (the most effective of these being Cognitive Behavioural Therapy [CBT]). The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), the government body responsible for offering guidance on best practice procedure in healthcare recommends the following treatment for depression:

For Mild Depression – a course of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
For Moderate to Severe Depression – a combination of medication and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or Interpersonal Therapy (IPT). Medication will often be used in conjunction with CBT if the individual’s symptoms are such that they are preventing them from engaging in the therapy.