“We cannot become what we need to be by remaining where we are.”
– Max De Pree
Solution-focused counseling is short-term therapy designed to help people overcome current issues such as anxiety and depression, solve problems such as communicating better with a partner or co-worker, and generally feel better about one’s current situation as quickly as possible.
The solution-focused skills and techniques I use to help clients include: stress reduction methods, communication and anger management tools, and cognitive behavioral practices that help reduce the immediate and often overwhelming impact of anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders.
While anxiety and depression are the two issues clients seek help for most often, if you are experiencing any problems that interfere with your ability to cope with and enjoy life on a daily basis, please feel free to contact me at 510-486-1188 or karenrosemft@rose-counseling.com. I will be happy to answer any questions about your particular situation, or schedule an appointment.
If Sadness Begins to Feel Like Depression – Don’t Just Survive, Learn How to Thrive!
We all feel “blue” from time to time.
Sadness is more than just a normal part of life, it is an important and healthy component of a complete human existence.
Sadness helps us understand our inner world, communicate with others, and provides richness, balance, and meaning in our lives.
However, when the “normal” sadness resulting from life’s inevitable frustrations and losses becomes extreme in its severity and duration, the debilitating effects of a depressive disorder may be the cause.
While professionals in the health and mental health communities continue to debate the causes of depression and the specific symptoms that distinguish routine sadness from a depressive disorder, the lack of concrete answers from the professional community shouldn’t be cause for your additional despair.
When Does Depression Require Professional Help?
Depression can range from mild to life threatening. Some mild forms of depression may resolve with time, and can be aided by making important adjustment to ones daily routine and diet, getting more exercise and outdoor activity, and by seeking the support of others.
However, major or clinical depression is a serious, debilitating illness that intensely affects how one feels, thinks, and ultimately behaves.
This type of depression can last for years, and without treatment can cause permanent disability.
Severe, clinical depression is a profoundly painful and distressing disorder that is rarely overcome without external help.
When it seems that – no matter how hard you try – no amount of determination, positive self-talk, love, and support will lift the dark veil of your depression, you’re likely suffering from an illness that requires professional treatment.
Overcoming Depression the Natural Way
Each individual experiences depression in his or her own unique manner and needs an individual treatment plan.
While some medications may help – and medications combined with therapy have been found to be particularly effective – medications alone rarely provide the lasting, life-affirming change of counseling and psychotherapy.
Although psychotherapy and counseling (even the short-term variety) may not provide the instantaneous relief provided by some drugs, counseling and psychotherapy don’t come with the many side-effects and life-time prescriptions required for those taking medications alone to alleviate their disorder.
If you think you may be suffering from depression – or if you’re uncertain whether or not what you feel is simply routine sadness brought upon by life’s many complications – please feel free to contact me at 510-486-1188 or karenrosemft@rose-counseling.com for a consultation.
Within just a session or two we can determine the type and severity of the problem you face. Then, you can make an informed decision regarding the best course of action to begin the healing process so you can resume your life and move forward with confidence.
Sometimes Anxiety Goes Beyond Simply Feeling Anxious
They may seem like opposites, but depression and anxiety often occur together.
The loneliness, hopelessness, and sadness of depression can make you feel afraid and anxious. In turn, this fear and anxiety may make you feel exhausted and even more depressed. It can become a vicious cycle. And there’s often little way of knowing which condition is the “proverbial” chicken and which the egg.
We are all familiar with the symptoms of anxiety – the pounding heart, the sweaty palms, the racing thoughts, the dread that wakes you up in the middle of the night.
But just being familiar with the feelings associated with anxiety doesn’t mean you’re suffering from an illness.
Everyone feels anxious in response to specific events. But individuals with an anxiety disorder have excessive and unrealistic feelings that interfere with their their relationships, school and work performance, social activities, and recreation.
Anxiety as an illness takes many forms. Some people with anxiety disorders suffer panic attacks, which are sudden bouts of extreme fear along with a racing heart, breathlessness, and even pain. Others have anxiety that causes them to often relive traumatic events from their past. Anxiety can make people terrified of social situations, or give them extreme fears of certain objects or situations.
While there are a variety of anxiety disorders with specific symptoms, all anxiety disorders have the following things in common:
- Emotional distress that interferes with daily life;
- Extreme fear and dread, even when there is no real danger; and
- A tendency to avoid situations that bring on anxiety or to develop compulsive rituals that lessen the anxiety.
Successfully Treating and Eliminating Anxiety with Solution-Focused Counseling
One of the most important things I can share with you as a result of successfully treating countless clients with anxiety disorders is that anxiety can be controlled and overcome.
Like depression, anxiety can be successfully treated and in many cases even eliminated with therapy, medication, or a combination of the two.
Of course, I believe counseling to be a healthier, longer-lasting alternative to medications. Otherwise, I would have gone to medical school! However, I will not hesitate to work with any current medical practitioner you have – or help you locate one – should medications be deemed advisable.
The role of solutions-focused counseling is to help you identify and eliminate the source of your anxiety while simultaneously treating the symptoms. This involves using symptom recognition, stress-reduction techniques, and other tools designed to help you overcome the immediate fears your anxiety causes so you can move on with your life as quickly as possible.
If you believe you’re suffering from an anxiety disorder, please contact me at 510-486-1188 or karenrosemft@rose-counseling.com for more information about the treatment choices available to you. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have, provide treatment referrals, or schedule an initial consultation. I look forward to helping you take control of your life and move forward with confidence.