Everyone goes through periods of sadness or feeling overwhelmed. When these feelings persist over time, or return again and again for no apparent reason, depression may be an issue. Left untreated, depression can seriously impact a person’s mental and physical health, with the depression often worsening as initial symptoms such as demotivation and social isolation compound the problem.
Fortunately, there are many evidence-based approaches to treating depression. At Union Square Practice, we bring together extensive clinical experience to address the symptoms and causes of depression. Each client’s situation is unique, and we respond by developing a personalized treatment strategy. After a thorough evaluation, we recommend a plan that includes psychotherapy, medication management, lifestyle changes, or a combination of these. In addition to integrated psychological and psychiatric care, we offer a variety of treatments that may be appropriate depending on your situation and interest:
Meet with your USP therapist in person at our offices in Midtown Manhattan or take advantage of our telehealth services wherever you live in New York State.
While depression looks different in each person, common symptoms of depression include:
Therapy is an incremental treatment for depression that takes time to work. If you are in acute crisis you can reach out to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling 988.
We might be able to identify depression by its widely recognized symptoms. These symptoms in turn point to an underlying cause or causes. When a client is suffering with depression, the therapist’s job is to investigate what’s behind the presenting symptoms.
Sometimes periods of depression are connected to a recent event or ongoing situation. Other times, the explanation feels less obvious. In some cases, people have no idea why they feel the way they do. Depression often emerges from a combination of stressors that, taken altogether, overwhelm a person’s capacity to cope. Contributing factors to depression range widely and can include:
Untreated depression can create a vicious cycle, with symptoms reinforcing root causes as the depression continues. For instance, loneliness from social isolation can contribute to feelings of hopelessness and low self-worth, causing the person to isolate further. Loss of energy and motivation can aggravate stress at work, further driving demotivation. The good news is that finding the root causes of your depression and treating them can reverse these cycles, with progress inspiring and facilitating more progress.
Depression and anxiety are common conditions with considerable symptom overlap, and may or may not rise to the level of a clinical disorder. Regardless, your experience of depression is a starting point for exploring the causes of those feelings. Your therapist will ask you a series of questions designed to assess what your mood state is like on a daily basis. They will also gather information about your family history, mental health history, significant life events, and other contributing factors.
Depending on your initial evaluation, they might administer or recommend testing for other conditions where depression symptoms are relevant. This includes neuropsychological conditions, such as trauma to the brain or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, as well as various personality disorders. In some cases, physical health issues contribute to depression, including undiagnosed medical issues, and your therapist might work with your primary care provider to ensure all those avenues are explored.
An expert therapist seeks to understand your experience of depression within your specific life context. After determining the probable causes of depression, they recommend the interventions likely to work best. During this process they seek to discover or rule out any co-occurring conditions that could be driving or interacting with the depression.
Depending on your circumstances, therapy alone might be appropriate. Union Square Practice therapists help our clients implement positive change in small steps, targeting key factors contributing to depression. Incremental advancements include systematically altering habits and learning to identify and respond to stressors differently. Changing thoughts and behaviors in small ways often catalyzes larger change down the road, opening up opportunities that didn’t seem possible while inside a depressive state.
In cases of chronic or recurring depression, therapy is often one part of a larger holistic treatment approach including lifestyle changes and antidepressant medication.
Yes, Union Square Practice is a collection of 60+ clinical professionals providing comprehensive evidence-based care, including psychotherapy and expert medication management for depression. At USP, your therapist and psychiatric care provider work together closely, determining whether medication should be part of your treatment plan and ensuring your treatment is smoothly integrated.
We understand that not everyone is interested in using medication to treat depression and other issues. Our practitioners will always be clear about their professional recommendations, but we respect every client’s personal decision and will tailor our plan to coincide with your values and priorities.
The most common treatments for depression are counseling and medication management. Some of our practitioners offer additional evidence-based evaluations and treatments that are greatly beneficial depending on your individual circumstances. These include the following:
We offer each of these services in-house, with our community of practitioners coordinating their efforts to bring you the best possible care. As specialists in collaboration with other specialists, we offer each client a holistic treatment plan that responds to their unique circumstances.
Besides clinical treatments, a depression therapy plan typically includes incremental lifestyle changes specific to the individual.
Collectively our therapists are trained and experienced in dozens of therapeutic modalities and specialty fields. Union Square Practice brings together credentialed practitioners with diverse skill sets and backgrounds so we can customize our approach for every client. Since depression can indicate so many different underlying causes, individual clients benefit from different therapists and different methods. One person might be struggling with undiagnosed OCD, while another is experiencing the aftershocks of a major traumatic incident, and a third is feeling overwhelmed during the adjustment to being a new parent. Not only are these causes for depression very different, but the individuals dealing with them have unique personalities and priorities as well.
We know there is no one-size-fits-all approach to depression, or to any type of therapy. We intentionally place each of our clients with clinicians best suited to their needs to develop an individualized treatment plan. We also believe that the success of any therapy starts with a genuine connection between the client and therapist. While each of our therapists brings different expertise, we are united in our practice of approaching therapy with warmth, practicality, and a sense of humor. We seek to earn your trust and discover how we can benefit you as you tackle your depression.
Union Square Practice is a group of psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists who empower individuals to be the best versions of themselves using the latest science has to offer.
Depression can make the future feel bleak, telling us the lie that nothing will ever change. Reaching out for depression therapy is fighting back against that lie. However alone you may feel, there are ways to build new connections and find a path forward. If your depression makes it difficult to leave the house or add another trip to your schedule, you don’t have to do this to receive real help. We offer depression treatment in person in our offices near Midtown Manhattan as well as telehealth services throughout New York State. We know taking that initial step can sometimes feel overwhelming. Our clinical coordinators will listen with compassion, answer your questions, discuss options, and help you get started with depression treatment in a way that works for you.
Reach out to us using any of the contacts below or our general contact form.
