When I first meet a new client who is dealing with depression they often come to me exhausted after weeks or months of emotionally running with no traction. So I try to give them a foot hold right away.
We start with the basics: sleep, what are they eating and how are they moving. Sometimes just adjusting these three things makes a huge difference. We discuss the appropriateness of medication and I try to get them linked with a psychiatrist I think will work well with them. I teach them about cognitive behavioral psychotherapy; how it's the most effective therapy technique known to work on depression.
I want my clients to know as much as I do about CBT and the treatment of depression so that they can do it for themselves outside the office, on their own and forever.
All this and more is covered by Therese Brochard, writer of Beyond Blue and fellow contributing writer on PsychCentral in '12 Steps To Sanity'. Therese shares her personal steps to recovery (all of which I heartily endorse) and writes about them from the perspective of a person who has been there.
