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Depression Therapy in Denver for Men and Women

How Depression Looks Different in Men and Women

Unfortunately, depression has become a very prevailing part of our day-to-day lives. The stress of work and finances builds up on top of personal matters, like family crisis, low self-esteem, and other disturbances. Thankfully, psychologists and mental health professionals have gone in-depth into the study of depression and its symptoms, and if you’re currently facing a time of heartache, apathy, or struggle, you could likely benefit from visiting a therapist. What can a therapist do for me? People of all backgrounds and life circumstances find themselves in need of a therapist every day. The act of seeking out help is not something to be frowned upon, and it is the only surefire way to successfully work through whatever problems you find yourself facing currently. If you’re suffering any of the below symptoms of depression, you could most certainly benefit from speaking with a professional who will be able to help you work through personal issues and re-gain your sense of happiness. What Depression Looks Like Depression looks differently in men and women. While it shares some common symptoms between the two genders, it usually makes itself known in slightly different ways. Men Women Apathy (lack of enthusiasm and/or concern for activities or people) Persistently sad, anxious, or “empty” mood Loss of appetite or changes in eating habits Loss of appetite or tendency to overeat Fatigue, feeling tired and drowsy consistently Fatigue, decreased energy, feeling “slowed down” Loss of interest in activities Loss of interest in activities Low self-esteem Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, pessimism, and hopelessness Sexual problems, including reduced sex drive Reduced sex drive Sleep disturbances Sleeping too much or too little, waking early Thoughts of death or suicide Thoughts of death or suicide Self-destructive behavior such as binge eating, drinking, etc. Physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, like headaches, chronic pain, and digestive disorders For women, depression tends to make them act sad and emotional whereas, in men, they will typically be irritable, aggressive, and even hostile. How to Handle Depression If you or a loved one appears to be struggling with symptoms of depression, there is no good reason to delay action. Depression is something that often makes people feel as if they are being swallowed whole. The lack of sleep and energy leads to a daily to-dos building up, with the list of stresses looming above the person, feeling bigger each day. This further wears the person out, often lowering their self-esteem even more as they struggle to find joy in pleasurable activities and continue feeling as though they are facing issue after issue in their life. Sleeping problems will begin contributing to physical health issues, and so will the change in eating habits and activities. This can lead to excessive weight loss or gain, and will put a significant amount of added stress on the person, both inside and out. This unfortunate “snowballing” pattern of depression is what leads many to bouts of depression that last for weeks, months, or even years. Without treatment, depression is unlikely to simply disappear on its own. Those facing it will continuously feel powerless and unconfident, and when in a deep state of depression, it is difficult to see things clearly, think rationally, or remind oneself of the “silver lining” of tragedy and inconveniences. The effect is a depression cycle that gets worse and worse. Rather than trying to tackle the issue yourself, the absolute best option is to seek assistance from someone who specializes in helping people overcome such hurdles in their life. Male depression is incredibly common, and more and more people each day are overcoming it by having the courage to ask for help. By choosing to start depression therapy, you can begin getting back to your old self again and feeling better than ever before. What To Expect Depression treatment rarely needs to involve medication. If you are wondering what to expect, there’s no reason to feel overwhelmed by the potential treatment plans. You likely have a few misconceptions about what therapists are like and what exactly they’ll do to help you, but this short list of treatment facts will begin to help clear it up: At the first session and every one there after, you and your therapist will simply be having a conversation. There is nothing to feel anxious or stressed about, and you’ll likely find the time passing by without even thinking about it. Your therapist will never force you to talk about something if you don’t want to share, but the benefit of starting depression therapy is that you have someone there to talk to about anything. As a professional, your therapist will help you see things in a different light and start working through the issues you find yourself facing. As you and your therapist begin to build a trusting relationship, you’ll find yourself opening up with ease. With time, you’ll be able to use the skills and tools your therapist teaches you to start working through your stress and troubles independently. Your therapist’s main goal when you enter into a treatment plan is to help you recover in as little or as much time as it takes. You’ll be able to move at your own pace through therapy, and when you feel you’re ready, you’re free to end your treatment plan. Since it is such a personal issue, the length of time it takes to recover from depression varies. No matter how quickly it happens, however, starting today will put you on the right track. If you are searching for a trusted and professional Denver Therapist, give our office a call today or stop by. We look forward to assisting you on your path to recovery.

Denver Therapist and Counselor for OCD Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

3 signs you may have OCD

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, is a relatively common mental health issue that affect 2-3% of the population. OCD is often difficult to differentiate between simply being very tidy, very organized, or having a perfectionistic personality. While it can be a challenge to be someone who gets upset at a cluttered home, having Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a more serious problem. If you think you may have OCD, o know someone with OCD, here are three strong signs that you may struggle with this issue. 1. You Have Unsettling, Intrusive Thoughts About Bad Things Happening Intrusive thoughts are a main criteria for OCD. These are particularly alarming thoughts that are intrusive in nature-meaning, they appear out of nowhere, or they can sometimes seem like your brain is “hijacked” into imagining scary things. These thoughts revolved around bad things happening to yourself or someone you love, or even sometimes to a stranger. For example, you might be working on a project at work and all of the sudden you have a scene in your head of getting into a car accident. These thoughts, while irrational and unconnected to your present experience, feel very real and impending. These are the kind of thoughts that make you sweat. They feel really real, as if this thing is bound to happen. 2. You have an urge to do a ritual to stop this bad thing from happening The rituals in OCD are a response to the intrusive thought. An OCD ritual is a behavior that you feel compelled to do because of the intrusive thought. You feel as if you do not complete this ritual, the bad thing will absolutely happen. Here are some common OCD rituals: Checking doors, locks, and switches multiple times-even if you just checked them Stepping on a particular area of the floor-or avoiding a certain area of the floor Pushing a button a certain number of times, even if it takes more time than necessary Saying a certain word or phrase Touching something a certain amount of times before you can “move on” and leave the object behind An important thing to remember about OCD rituals is that they usually have to be “completed.” This means that if you’re interrupted for some reason, you feel the need to start over, as if it did not count to ward off the bad thing from your intrusive thought. I’ve personally worked with clients who could spend up to an hour trying to get a ritual “right” because they were interrupted. 3. You Can’t Stop Doing the Rituals-No Matter How Hard You Try OCD is by its nature compulsive. You feel compelled to engage in the rituals and you can’t control your intrusive thoughts. It’s not a choice, it’s a mental health issue. Don’t feel shame around OCD. OCD it very treatable; usually a combination of medication and counseling can control symptoms or make them go away completely. Counseling involved identifying intrusive thoughts and rituals, and slowly building up coping tools so that you can slow down the rituals and eventually stop. If you think you may have OCD, you can call a counselor or therapist who treats OCD and get their opinion. If you think you might have OCD, call Thrive Counseling to get an expert opinion. For more information about how therapy for OCD helps, go to our OCD Therapy page.

How To Forgive Yourself. Denver Counseling. Denver Therapy.

How Do I Learn to Forgive Myself?

Forgiveness is hard. Learning to forgive yourself is often the first step to creating a real change in your life or moving in a new direction. There’s a wonderful quote from the celebrated Carl Rodgers that wisely points out: “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” So how do we forgive ourselves for past bad behaviors, bad habits, broken relationships, or just plain not living up to our best selves? First, Know what Forgiveness is and What it isn’t Forgiving yourself is very similar to accepting yourself, warts and all. But it’s important to remember that acceptance is not the same as condoning your actions or thinking “it’s OK’ or “it’s no big deal.” Acceptance is simply recognizing your reality, and seeing our mistakes for what they are; mistakes that we made that had some consequences. We need to look these in the eye and really see them before we can move forward. Forgiving yourself is not letting yourself off the hook or excusing yourself. Don’t Sugarcoat It, But Don’t Unnecessarily Beat Yourself Up Either We all make mistakes, and forgiving ourselves means we see what we did, and we take responsibility for our part in it. We need to not judge ourselves overly harshly, but we do need to name what we did and see the negative consequences. For example, I was working with a client who was absent for most of his child’s early years due to his own drug addiction. He had a difficult time forgiving himself because his inner dialogue swung between letting himself off the hook and punishing himself by telling himself he was worthless and a horrible person. These two extremes may feel true in different moments, but the truth is in the middle. When we worked together, we came up with the language of “I was selfish and untreated in my addiction for years, this caused a rift in my relationship with my child. I’m working on it, but I know I have a tendency to be selfish, so I will be mindful of this.” Take It Into Context Nothing happens in a vacuum. When we make mistakes, when we’re short-sighted or hurtful, there’s usually a contributing factor at play. Maybe it unresolved trauma, maybe we just experienced a loss, maybe we are not taking responsibility to take care of ourselves. Whatever it is, it’s important in the self-forgiveness process to remember and name the context of our actions; not to excuse ourselves, but to ground ourselves in reality and learn from it moving forward. Right The Wrongs That You Can No one can rewind the past, but we can be pro-active to right the wrongs that we can. Whether our mistake was yesterday or decades ago, we can all reach out to those that we’ve hurt and apologize. If we can’t do that, we can look at what happened honestly and learn to not make the same mistake again. Lastly, Let It Go Forgiving another person means that you don’t get to use what they did as a weapon anymore. There are still consequences our their actions, but you can’t use their mistake to punish them when you’re feeling angry or sad. The same goes for forgiving yourself. When you’re feeling bad about yourself, it’s tempting to replay our past mistakes and beat ourselves up. But when we can take responsibility, and then let it go, we are removing that past mistake from our arsenal of weapons with which we can shame ourselves. This is how self-forgiveness moves us forward. It’s not an east process, but a worthwhile one.

People Talk About Their First Therapy Session

We love this amazing video from Boldly where people open up about their first therapy session. What really jumped out to us (what what we have heard from our own clients) were these quotes from the video: If I don’t tell people I know and love about my problems, why would I tell a stranger my problems? I was really nervous and I almost cancelled.. So much emotion came out at me, and I was such a great feeling..

3 Things You Don’t Want Your Therapist To Know-And Why You Should Tell Them

We all “know” that we should be open with our therapists, that’s the reason we have a therapist in the first place. A place that is just for you, with your therapist or counselor’s undivided attention. A place with no judgement. However, it is still really hard to be open, and it’s normal to feel embarrassed about some things that come up in therapy. Here are the 3 top things that I notice my clients feel embarrassed about, and why I love when they share them with me. 1 I’m not sure if I can trust my therapist completely. Why you feel this way: You know that your therapist is there for you. You hired them after all! They are bound by very strict rules of confidentiality. But still, this is a stranger after all. How do you know that they won’t tell their friends about “that crazy client of mine?” We don’t share a lot of ourselves most of the time, so you feel really open and vulnerable. Why you should tell your therapist: We completely understand. Most of us have going through therapy or counseling ourselves and we know what it feels like to be vulnerable and wonder if the person on the other side of the room is really trustworthy. We love to have these conversations so that we can reassure you, explain how confidentiality works, and explore any deeper trust issues that this brings up. If you feel uncomfortable with being the only one talking about themselves, you can also ask questions about us. It will help your process if you can talk openly with your therapist about trust. 2. I do this really embarrassing thing to cope, and I feel ashamed about it. Why you feel this way: We all do things to cope with difficult emotions and thoughts-good things, bad things, crazy things, embarrassing things. When we are put under a certain kind of stress, we all have the urge to act out. Sometimes it’s surprising what we find ourselves doing in deeply uncomfortable moments. We just want to feeling to go away, and we stumble upon something that gives us temporary relief. Why you should tell your therapist: We get it. We’ve heard it all. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. We are here to help you and to understand you. Here’s an incomplete list of unhelpful coping that I’v heard about just this past month: Stealing things pacing binge eating binge drinking using drugs punching yourself pulling out you hair picking a fight with your spouse starving yourself making yourself throw up See? You’re not as alone as you think you are, and these behaviors are not part of your personality, but a behavior that you are reaching for in moments of desperation. Your therapist wants to know so that they can work together with you to find better coping tools. 3. I’m not sure this therapy is working. Why you feel this way: Maybe you’ve been going to counseling for a while, and you are just not seeing the progress that you want to. Or you feel disconnected from the process. Or not heard or understood. You wonder where the therapy is going, or you’re not sure of your goals anymore. This is really common. Why you should tell your therapist: We do not take this personally. We want to know what you’re thinking about the process and if you’re unhappy with it. We are here to serve you and help you towards your goals. Often, we can re-adjust to get back on track. Sometimes we see lots of progress that is not apparent to you, and we love the opportunity to point that out. Perhaps it’s time to end therapy because we’ve reach our goals. We want to know so we can help.

How To Find a Therapist near the Denver Tech Center

If you’re looking for a therapist in a large metro area like Denver, it helps to be more targeted in your search. Thrive Counseling is located just north of the Denver Tech Center, so we have a lot of clients that either live or work in the Denver Tech Center (or the DTC, as the locals call it). Sometimes we are not a good fit for someone, and they ask me how to find a different therapist in the Denver Tech Center. Here’s three ways to go about it: 1.If you want to find a therapist that takes your insurance, call your insurance company directly and ask for referrals. They have the definitive list for who is in-netowrk with you, and you can ask them to search in a specific area for you. 2.You can use a Therapist Directory like Psychology Today, and search via your Zip code. This will give you a list of therapists in your area. 3.Call Thrive Counseling or send us an email. We are near the Denver Tech Center and would love to hear from you.

How Do I Find a Therapist in my Network?

We’ve all been there. You’ve decided you’re interested in finding a counselor in your area. You may even know what type of therapist is right for you. But first, do they take your insurance? Insurance networks can be really confusing, especially with therapy and counseling. Here’s how to find a therapist in your insurance network: Call your chosen therapist and ask them. Ok this seems obvious, but I have definitely had first-time consultations with clients who take the time to come into my office and have never asked me whether I take their insurance or not. Most therapists list on their website which insurances they take, but if it doesn’t be sure to call and ask. Understand the Difference between In-Network and Out-Of-Network Benefits It’s crucial to understand in-network vs. out-of-network benefits when you are looking for a therapist. In-Network means that a therapist has a contract with your insurance company and has agreed to see the plan’s members for a fixed price. You, as the insured person, are only responsible for a co-pay to your therapist. You can go see any therapist that is in-network and only pay the co-pay each time you see them. Out-of-network means that a therapist has not agreed to join the insurance plan’s network and does not have a contract with them. So you, as the insurance holder, as responsible to pay the therapist. Some plans will reimburse you for your costs, and any therapist can give you the correct receipt (usually called a Superbill), which you then mail into your insurance company to be reimbursed. Some plans don’t have this benefit. So be sure you call your insurance company and ask. You can call as say “I want to see a therapist that’s out-of-network, can I be reimbursed for those expenses?” Use an Online Listing to Find a Therapist that’s In-Network for You There are a few online listings for therapists. Therapists pay a fee each mont to put their profile on the website, and you can search by zip code, specialty, and (importantly) by insurance company. The two biggest ones are Psychology Today and GoodTherapy. When All Else Fails, Call Your Insurance Company for a List You can call Member Services for your insurance company and ask for a list of all the in-network therapists in your area. Why is this a last-ditch effort? Well, lately insurance companies have come under fire for not having updated lists (meaning the list includes therapists that have moved, closed their practices, etc). This is the problem of Narrow Networks. But if you’re still trying to find a therapist that’s in-network for your insurance company, it’s worth calling the insurance company directly.

3 Reasons You Might Benefit from Counseling

It’s easy to think you can solve your problems on your own but even the strongest of individuals need help sometimes. Self-help books, talking with loved ones, or seeking online counsel have their places in helping you overcome mental or emotional barriers. Sometimes you need real help to get your life back where it should be. The best way to find this help is through a certified counselor or therapist. It can be difficult to get over preconceived notions or stigmas about counseling. It is one of the best ways to get your life moving forward again. Let’s look at three different situations of when its best to stop trying to solve your problems on your own and why you might need a counselor. 3 Reasons You Might Need Counseling in Life If You’re Stuck in a Rut People often try several healing techniques or self-help before finally turning themselves over to the help of a counselor. If you don’t seem to go anywhere with your own self-help and you feel “stuck” in a mental or emotional rut, it’s time to make an appointment with a counselor. If you are your wit’s end, you have nothing to lose when meeting with a counselor. If You’re Having Dangerous Thoughts Even the happiest people go through dark times. If you’re having dangerous thoughts such as suicidal or homicidal notions, you need to seek a counselor immediately. These types of thinking patterns are not normal, and need to be taken care of before anyone is at real risk, including yourself. If you are having suicidal or homicidal thoughts, call a counselor, or help hotline. If You Need More Resources A counselor will do what they can for you during sessions, but sometimes the best help a counselor can give to you is other resources. These resources could include literature, different patterns of thinking, and other support groups. With a counselor, you get the individual efforts to help yourself along with other resources and suggestions. It can be difficult to take the steps to meet with a counselor but a counselor is trained and ready to help you resolve your issues. If you’re stuck in a rut, are having dangerous thoughts, or just want more resources to help yourself don’t stay stuck, call a counselor right now.

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Do you get blue during the holidays? Do you fall into a depression? For some, as the holidays and winter roll in, things seem to slow down and get dreary. Whether it affects your daily life or not, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that many just shrug at. For those who suffer from it, it can be debilitating if left untreated during winter. Let’s look at what SAD is, what the symptoms are, and what type of treatments are available. More About Seasonal Affective Disorder Seasonal affective disorder typically begins in the fall months and gets worse the further into winter it affects a person. Low energy and moodiness are two key symptoms that people tend to attribute to the stress of the holidays, working hard before taking time off and seeing extended family. However, these symptoms can be the start of season affective disorder beginning to burrow its way into you. Seasonal affective disorder is a type of major depression that comes out during fall and winter. Some of the other symptoms of SAD include: Low interest in your normal activities Feeling agitated or sluggish Changes to your appetite and weight loss Sleeplessness Difficulty concentrating At the worst of SAD, you may experience suicidal thoughts if left untreated. For most, these symptoms will fade away once spring rolls in. If you suffer from other forms of depression or mental illness, it’s important to recognize that those “winter blues” can cause your other symptoms to be heightened and overwhelm you. While everyone feels sad or down occasionally, it’s not normal to feel that way all the time. That’s why identifying seasonal affective disorder and reaching out for treatment is essential for those who are suffering from more than just a case of the blues. If you already suffer from a mental illness, making sure to reach out to your therapist as soon as you begin feeling blue. There’s a variety of treatment options to overcome seasonal affective disorder, such as talking to a therapist, light therapy, medication, and immersing yourself in a new activity or meeting new people. Working with a therapist will help you identify the symptoms of SAD, put together plan to treat it, and overcome it so it doesn’t overtake your life during the fall and winter months each year.

How Do I Find a Weekend Therapy Appointment in Denver?

At Thrive Counseling, we get it. You’re busy. You’re working hard at your job during the week and you need to find a weekend therapy appointment. We are excited to announce that a new therapist, Jessica Leiby, has just joined our team specifically to work on the weekends and meet that need. So if you need a weekend therapy appointment in Denver, contact us and we will be happy to meet you on the weekend.

How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love The Frown

Holding two conflicting emotions is actually important for your mental health.

How to Tell if Your Therapist is Effective

Setting up an initial consultation with a new therapist can be scary and intimating. It’s normal to wonder what you might talk about or what you should ask to determine if this is the right therapist for you. For my consultations, I always want you to leave the meeting knowing at least three things. If you are going to meet a therapist for the first time, keep these in mind and if the therapist doesn’t provide them, make sure you ask. The Therapist grasps my concerns and can verbalize them. I make sure to spend time asking a lot of nosy questions to really understand what brought you here in the first place. I also place emphasis on reflecting this back to you, making sure I got it right. This starts us out on the right foot, and leads to the second important piece of the consultation. The Therapist reflects realistic goals framed around my concerns and individualized to me. After I’ve done a quick assessment and made sure I understand your concerns, I talk with you about realistic and operational goals that therapy can help with. This could come from a conversation around symptom reduction or future directions you want to move in. Goals can be changed and revised as we work together, but you should know initially what can be accomplished in therapy and roughly how long this will take. The Therapist explained to me what working with them would be like. Finally, I spend time explaining what my approach is like, and how that will be individualized to you and your goals. I want you to have a good grasp of what to expect from me, and what kind of work will be expected of you to meet your goals. There are, of course, more things that are usually covered in a consultation. But these are the most important points to cover so you can decide if a therapist will work for you and help you meet your goals.