Depression

Depression is more than temporary sadness.

Children are likely to feel sad at times. Sadness is another emotion that comes and goes. It’s part of life. But your child isn’t sad from time to time. In your child’s case, sadness is there most of the time.

If your child spends most of their time in bed, isolated from family and friends, they are experiencing something more than brief sadness.

Even activities your child once enjoyed and looked forward to are no longer of interest to them. This lack of interest seems something deeper – rather than temporary sadness.

You’ve noticed that your child’s grades are slipping, and a lot of times, they can’t even find the energy to get up and go to school. You’ve given up hope of them completing assignments and getting them turned in on time.

Nothing seems to bring them out of their depression.

You’ve tried to get your child to be more active during the day, eat healthily, and follow a good sleep routine. You’ve encouraged your child to connect with peers through extracurricular activities.

Even though you have attempted to support your child in many ways, nothing is working to lift their mood. Most of the time, your child responds to these encouragements with anger, lashing out at you, criticizing themselves, and slipping deeper into their depression.

You have never felt further away from your child and are losing hope that your child will ever experience the level of happiness they once had.

Based on your child’s age and development, I will either use a play therapy approach or Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy during session. Your child will learn to recognize their emotions, situations that trigger sadness and extended low mood, and implement positive coping skills into their lives.

I assure you there is hope.

When depressed, children express their feelings differently from adults. They may show strong emotions, have a lack of interest, deviate from their everyday routines, or appear extremely sad. When children show signs of depression, their caregiver needs to seek professional help.

I have worked with many children and adolescents who have experienced extreme sadness, impairing their daily functioning. I have seen children step out of the darkness and enjoy life again.

I have seen children and families like yours heal from the wounds of depression. I know this is possible for your child and your family as well.

I would love the opportunity to join your journey to emotional freedom. If you are ready to experience joy again, please call me at (336) 289-4492.