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When you’re struggling with clinical depression, it can feel like a weight pressing down on every part of life. You may lose interest in things you once enjoyed, withdraw from people you care about, struggle with sleep, or find that everyday responsibilities require more energy and motivation than you have available. For some people, depression feels like persistent sadness. For others, it may feel more like numbness, exhaustion, irritability, or simply going through the motions.
Depression is a serious mental health concern and a form of mental illness, but support is available. People may experience depression symptoms for a variety of reasons, and there is no single treatment plan that is right for everyone.
At Louis Laves-Webb, LCSW-S, LPC-S & Associates, we provide depression treatment in Austin, TX through outpatient psychotherapy and counseling. Our outpatient services include individual therapy, group therapy, and family therapy, with individualized care shaped around each client’s unique needs, history, concerns, and goals
.If you have been struggling for a long time, tried therapy before, or are unsure what kind of support you need, you do not have to have everything figured out before you begin.
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Depression is more than having a difficult day or periodically feeling sad. Clinical depression can involve persistent changes in mood, energy, concentration, relationships, appetite, sleep, motivation, and interest in everyday life.
Major depressive disorder is a recognized mental health disorder in which depression symptoms persist and meaningfully interfere with daily functioning. Symptoms generally need to be present for at least two weeks for a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, although duration alone does not determine whether someone has depression.
Depression can look different from one person to another. Someone may experience intense sadness and withdrawal, while another client continues working, parenting, or socializing while privately feeling emotionally depleted.People may experience depression for a variety of reasons. A holistic approach considers several areas that may matter, including:
The brain and body are also involved in mood regulation, but depression is more complex than any single biological, psychological, or environmental explanation.
Depression treatment begins with understanding the client as a whole and developing a treatment plan around their symptoms, experiences, challenges, and goals.
Depression affects millions of adults in the United States. The National Institute of Mental Health has estimated that approximately 21 million adults experience a major depressive episode in a given year.
Many adults experiencing depression still do not receive treatment. In 2021, the National Institute of Mental Health reported that approximately 61% of U.S. adults with a major depressive episode received treatment during the previous year, meaning more than one-third did not.
There are many reasons someone may hesitate before seeking depression treatment. Stigma surrounding mental illness, uncertainty about therapy, difficulty finding the right therapist, previous disappointing experiences, or simply not realizing how much depression has begun to affect daily life can all make taking the first step harder.
For adults seeking depression treatment in Austin, psychotherapy can provide a place to better understand what they are experiencing, develop practical tools, explore emotional patterns, and create a treatment plan that reflects their individual needs.
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Depression symptoms can vary considerably and may change in frequency, intensity, and duration over time. Age, culture, life circumstances, physical health, stress, and other mental health concerns may all shape how depression is experienced.
Common symptoms may include:
Loss of interest is one possible symptom of depression, but no single symptom confirms a depressive disorder.
Symptoms can range from relatively mild changes in mood and energy to severe depression that significantly interferes with daily life. Severe symptoms may also include suicidal thoughts or self-harming behaviors and may require more immediate mental health support.
If you or a loved one is in immediate danger or struggling to stay safe, call 911, go to the nearest emergency department, or contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Depression does not look exactly the same in every person. Mental health professionals may use different diagnoses, specifiers, or descriptive terms to better understand the pattern of symptoms a client is experiencing and develop an appropriate treatment plan.
Depression with melancholic features may involve a pronounced loss of pleasure, significant changes in mood, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, changes in sleep or appetite, or symptoms that feel particularly intense in the morning.
Someone experiencing melancholic features may also notice that positive events do little to improve their mood.
Depression with atypical features may involve mood that temporarily improves in response to positive experiences. Other symptoms may include increased sleep, increased appetite, sensitivity to rejection, or a heavy feeling in the arms or legs.
The word “atypical” does not mean the symptoms are unusual or unimportant. It describes a particular pattern that may be considered when assessing depression.
Catatonia involves significant changes in movement, responsiveness, speech, or behavior and can occur alongside severe mental health disorders, including major depressive disorder.
Because catatonic symptoms can be medically serious, they warrant professional assessment.
Seasonal affective disorder, sometimes called seasonal depression, involves depressive symptoms that follow a recurring seasonal pattern.Some people notice changes in mood, energy, sleep, motivation, or interest during particular times of year. The pattern most commonly begins during fall or winter, although experiences vary.
Postpartum depression can occur after childbirth and may involve persistent sadness, anxiety, exhaustion, changes in sleep, difficulty concentrating, guilt or worthlessness, or difficulty experiencing interest or pleasure.These symptoms are different from the temporary emotional changes sometimes called the “baby blues.” Significant or persistent symptoms after childbirth are worth discussing with an appropriate mental health or medical professional.
Some people begin therapy after already trying one or more approaches and still feel stuck. This can be frustrating, especially when you have invested time and hope into treatment without experiencing the relief you expected.
Treatment-resistant depression is a term generally used when major depressive disorder has not improved sufficiently after appropriate treatment attempts. Definitions vary, and a difficult treatment history does not mean meaningful progress or recovery is out of reach.
Previous treatment can provide useful information for the next stage of the process. Therapy can explore what you have already tried, what helped even a little, what felt unproductive, whether therapist fit played a role, and whether important concerns were left unaddressed.
A new treatment plan may involve a different form of psychotherapy, clearer treatment goals, additional behavioral tools, or greater attention to trauma, relationships, anxiety, self-esteem, or other concerns occurring alongside depression.
For some clients, recovery may begin through small changes such as returning to routines, reconnecting with supportive relationships, experiencing more interest in everyday activities, or developing a clearer understanding of patterns that have kept them feeling stuck
.The healing process may look different for every client, which is why individualized care remains important.
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Depression can affect many areas of mental health at the same time. Someone dealing with depression may also be struggling with anxiety, trauma, grief, relationship challenges, chronic stress, low self-esteem, major life transitions, or a sense of disconnection from the people and activities that once mattered to them.
These concerns do not always fit into neat categories. Anxiety can make it harder to rest or disengage from worry, while depression may reduce energy and motivation. Relationship stress can contribute to emotional distress, while feeling depressed may also make connection and communication more difficult.
Current events can become part of that picture as well. Political uncertainty, upsetting news, conflict with loved ones, or feeling powerless about events outside your control may add another layer of stress for some clients.If political events are affecting your mental health, election stress counseling can provide space to process those concerns and develop healthier boundaries around stressors that may feel difficult to escape.
A treatment plan can consider the full picture rather than reducing your experience to a single symptom or disorder.
Depression is one of many reasons a person may seek support from a therapist. Yet stigma, fear of judgment, uncertainty about the therapy process, or previous treatment that did not feel helpful can make seeking support difficult.
Our approach starts by listening to your individual experience. A therapist can work with you to assess the symptoms and challenges affecting your life, clarify treatment goals, and develop a treatment plan based on your unique needs rather than assuming everyone with depression needs the same approach.
A holistic approach to depression treatment may explore several areas at once. This can include current stressors, relationships, self-esteem, avoidance, past experiences, anxiety, daily routines, and emotional patterns that may be making depression harder to navigate.
Therapy may also provide tools for developing new patterns over time. Depending on your treatment plan, this may include:
Individualized care also means that recovery will not look exactly the same for every client. For some people, meaningful progress may involve more energy or interest. For others, recovery may mean feeling less isolated, understanding themselves more clearly, or having better tools for responding when depression becomes more intense.
The therapy process can change as your goals change. Healing is rarely perfectly linear, and periods of progress may exist alongside difficult weeks or setbacks. The goal is to support recovery in a way that reflects your actual life rather than an abstract definition of success.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based approach that examines connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
When treating depression, CBT may help clients recognize patterns such as harsh self-criticism, hopeless predictions, avoidance, or all-or-nothing thinking. Clients can then work with their therapist on developing more balanced perspectives and new patterns of behavior.
CBT may also include behavioral strategies that encourage gradual re-engagement with meaningful activities. These tools can be particularly relevant when depression has reduced motivation or interest in everyday life.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy may also be useful when depression occurs alongside anxiety or other concerns.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy combines elements of cognitive therapy with mindfulness practices intended to strengthen awareness of thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations.
For someone dealing with depression, mindfulness may be useful when repetitive negative thoughts become difficult to disengage from. Techniques may include mindful breathing, grounding, meditation, and present-moment awareness.
Rather than asking clients to simply stop negative thoughts, mindfulness offers a way to notice them with greater awareness and choose how to respond.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy may be a viable approach for clients whose depression is connected with internal conflict, shame, self-criticism, trauma, or long-standing emotional patterns.
IFS explores different internal “parts” and the ways those parts may attempt to protect someone from painful experiences.
Rather than treating these responses as personal failures, IFS encourages curiosity and self-compassion. For some clients, this framework may be useful for understanding why certain patterns continue even when they know they want something different.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based psychotherapy most commonly associated with trauma-related concerns.
EMDR may be useful for some clients experiencing depression alongside trauma, PTSD, distressing memories, or unresolved experiences. The process uses structured bilateral stimulation while working with distressing memories and associated beliefs.
Whether EMDR belongs in a depression treatment plan depends on the client’s history, symptoms, treatment goals, and therapist assessment.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, is another psychotherapy approach that may be useful for people who feel caught in ongoing struggles with difficult thoughts or feelings.
Rather than making symptom elimination the only measure of success, ACT may focus on psychological flexibility, personal values, and taking meaningful action even when uncomfortable experiences are present.
For someone struggling with depression, this may include identifying what still matters to them and gradually reconnecting with parts of life that have become difficult to engage with.
Interpersonal therapy is a structured psychotherapy approach that focuses on relationships, social connection, grief, role transitions, conflict, and other interpersonal challenges that may intersect with depression.
Relationship-focused work may provide space to explore how isolation, communication patterns, changing roles, loss, or ongoing conflict affect mood and everyday functioning.
For someone whose depression has made connection more difficult, exploring these interpersonal patterns may support greater awareness and healthier ways of relating.
At Louis Laves-Webb & Associates, LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy provides a compassionate space where clients can explore depression, anxiety, identity, relationships, family concerns, discrimination, self-image, or other experiences without treating identity itself as the problem.
People may experience depression for many different reasons. For LGBTQIA+ clients, rejection, family conflict, discrimination, safety concerns, or identity-related stress may add additional layers to existing mental health challenges.
Therapy may support greater self-understanding, self-compassion, connection, and a healing process that reflects the client’s own goals.
A depression treatment plan may incorporate different counseling techniques depending on the client, therapist, symptoms, and treatment goals.
Mindful breathing, body awareness, meditation, and related mindfulness techniques may help clients become more aware of thoughts and feelings while strengthening the ability to return attention to the present.
Deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, and similar techniques may be useful for clients dealing with depression alongside anxiety, physical tension, or emotional distress.
Depression may be accompanied by intense self-criticism, guilt, shame, or low self-worth. Self-compassion exercises may help clients notice these patterns and develop a less punitive relationship with themselves.
Behavioral activation involves gradually increasing participation in meaningful or rewarding activities.
When depression reduces motivation and interest, a therapist may help clients identify small, manageable steps toward routines, relationships, responsibilities, and activities that matter to them.
Communication, boundary setting, and other interpersonal skills may be useful when depression occurs alongside isolation, relationship difficulties, family conflict, or difficulty asking others for support.
Grounding exercises may be useful during periods of emotional overwhelm or anxiety by directing attention toward the present environment, physical sensations, or another immediate point of focus.
Some clients benefit from writing about thoughts, feelings, experiences, or recurring patterns. Journaling can provide another way to reflect on what is happening between therapy sessions.
Depression can affect sleep in different ways. Therapy may include discussion of daily structure, bedtime routines, activity levels, screen use, and other habits that may support healthier rest and overall functioning.
These techniques may be incorporated into therapy based on the treatment plan. The goal is not to use every tool with every client, but to identify strategies that fit the client’s needs.
At Louis Laves-Webb & Associates, we provide depression treatment and other outpatient services through two Austin, TX office locations.
Our Central Austin office is located near the University of Texas and offers a convenient option for adults seeking mental health support in Central Austin.
601 West 18th St
Austin, TX 78701
Our North Austin office provides another option for clients seeking psychotherapy and counseling in Austin, TX.
3818 Spicewood Springs Rd, Suite 300
Austin, TX 78759
Online therapy is also available throughout Texas for clients who prefer virtual sessions or have difficulty attending therapy in person.
Therapy may be worth considering if depression symptoms are interfering with your relationships, work, school, physical well-being, motivation, or ability to participate in everyday life.
You do not need to wait until symptoms become severe before seeking support. Some clients begin depression treatment because they feel noticeably different from themselves. Others have been struggling for years and are finally ready to explore a different approach.
Several psychotherapy modalities may be used for depression depending on the person’s symptoms, treatment goals, and unique needs. These can include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, interpersonal therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and, in some settings, Dialectical Behavior Therapy.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy may help clients identify unhelpful patterns in thoughts and behaviors, while Acceptance and Commitment Therapy focuses more on psychological flexibility, personal values, and responding differently to difficult internal experiences. Dialectical Behavior Therapy may be used when concerns such as emotional regulation or self-harming behaviors are also present.
The right treatment plan depends on the individual rather than on choosing one therapy modality for everyone.
Yes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a widely studied psychotherapy approach for depression. CBT may help clients examine negative or rigid thinking patterns, understand connections between thoughts and behavior, develop practical tools, and gradually establish new patterns that better support everyday functioning.
Whether CBT is the right approach depends on the individual client and their treatment goals.
Therapy sessions commonly fall within a range of about 45 minutes to one hour. Individual therapy sessions at Louis Laves-Webb & Associates are generally about 50 to 55 minutes.
Session frequency and the overall length of depression treatment can vary based on symptoms, severity, treatment goals, and what feels useful as the therapy process develops.
Treatment-resistant depression generally refers to major depressive disorder that has not improved sufficiently after appropriate treatment attempts.
Research has shown that a substantial portion of people with depression do not reach remission after an initial treatment. In the large NIMH-funded STAR*D study, about one-third of participants reached remission after the first treatment step, while additional participants improved without reaching full remission.
For someone returning to psychotherapy after previous treatment, this history can help guide the next treatment plan. Therapy may explore what has already been tried, what provided some benefit, where the person continues to feel stuck, and whether another therapeutic approach may support recovery.
It may. Depression and anxiety frequently occur alongside one another, but each client’s experience is differenty.
A treatment plan can consider both concerns and explore how worry, avoidance, low motivation, physical tension, relationships, and other experiences interact in daily life.
Group therapy may benefit some clients by creating opportunities for connection, reflection, skill building, and mutual support.
Depression can sometimes lead to withdrawal and isolation. Being around others who are also working through personal challenges may provide a different form of support from individual therapy.
These terms describe different levels of mental health treatment.Outpatient treatment generally involves attending scheduled therapy sessions while continuing to live at home and maintain everyday responsibilities.
An Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) provides more structured support and more treatment hours than standard outpatient services. IOPs are designed for people who need greater structure but not the intensity of a partial hospitalization program or inpatient care.
A Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) is a more intensive, highly structured form of outpatient psychiatric treatment. Patients generally participate during the day without remaining at the facility for 24-hour care.
Inpatient treatment involves staying in a hospital or psychiatric facility for continuous care and stabilization. Inpatient stays are often short-term, but the length varies according to symptom severity, safety, progress, and discharge needs rather than following one universal timeline.
You may see seven to ten days cited as a general estimate for short-term inpatient psychiatric treatment, but there is no single length that applies to every patient.
The duration of an inpatient program depends on factors such as severity, safety, stabilization, treatment response, and the level of support a person will have after discharge. Someone experiencing severe depression or an immediate safety concern should be assessed by an appropriate crisis or medical professional.
An inpatient program provides a substantially higher level of support than ordinary outpatient psychotherapy. Treatment may include psychiatric assessment, structured therapy, safety monitoring, group programming, discharge planning, and medication management when appropriate.
Patients in psychiatric inpatient care may also meet regularly with a psychiatrist or medical team while their symptoms, safety, and treatment plan are assessed. The exact schedule varies by program rather than requiring every patient to meet with a psychiatrist once every day.
Yes. Depression treatment can involve psychotherapy alone or, for some people, a combination of approaches. APA guidance recognizes psychotherapy as an established treatment for depression, either on its own or alongside other forms of care depending on the individual.
Psychotherapy can also have benefits that continue after treatment ends by helping clients develop skills, recognize patterns, and respond differently to future challenges.
When depression remains severe after multiple treatment attempts, medical providers may consider options beyond traditional psychotherapy. Depending on the patient and circumstances, these can include changes in antidepressant treatment, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), ketamine or esketamine, or Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT).
TMS uses magnetic stimulation to influence brain activity involved in mood regulation. Ketamine and esketamine are known for their relatively rapid effects in some people with treatment-resistant depression, with NIMH noting that esketamine can sometimes begin reducing symptoms within hours. ECT is another established medical treatment used particularly for severe depression that has not responded sufficiently to other approaches.
These medical interventions are different from outpatient psychotherapy, but understanding the broader range of depression treatment can be useful for clients and loved ones navigating severe or persistent symptoms.
Recovery is personal. For one client, recovery may mean reconnecting with relationships or activities. For another, it may mean greater energy, more motivation, emotional flexibility, or a renewed sense of hope.
Recovery may also involve learning how to recognize patterns earlier, use supportive tools, and respond to difficult periods without assuming that a setback erases previous progress.
Therapy can support the healing and recovery process by helping clients develop skills and create a treatment plan that can change along with their needs.
Depression affects everyone differently. LGBTQIA+ clients may experience many of the same challenges as anyone else while also navigating concerns related to identity, discrimination, family acceptance, relationships, safety, community, or feeling misunderstood.
At Louis Laves-Webb & Associates, LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy offers a compassionate environment where these experiences can be explored without treating sexual orientation or gender identity as the problem.
Some clients may be dealing with depression alongside anxiety, trauma, relationship concerns, chronic stress, family conflict, or the exhaustion of navigating environments where they do not feel fully understood.
Our holistic approach considers the many areas of a client’s life that may matter rather than reducing depression to a single cause. Therapy may support greater self-understanding, practical coping strategies, self-compassion, and a recovery process that reflects the client’s own priorities.
You do not need to know exactly why you feel this way before reaching out.
Whether depression is new, you have been struggling for years, or previous treatment did not provide the relief you hoped for, the first step can simply be talking with a therapist about what has been happening.
Louis Laves-Webb, LCSW-S, LPC-S & Associates provides outpatient depression treatment in Austin, TX, with therapy available in Central Austin, North Austin, and online throughout Texas.
Your treatment plan should reflect your experiences, your goals, and your unique needs.
601 West 18th St
Austin, TX 78701
3818 Spicewood Springs Rd
Suite 300
Austin, TX 78759
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