Mood Disturbances
When psychological distress is part of your daily life, it’s time to get help in learning how to lessen the pain you’re experiencing and creating new coping mechanisms. Medication can be useful in lessening acute symptoms. And it’s also important to address the ways your distress has become part of how you think of yourself and how you function in your world.
I don’t pathologize (that’s why I didn’t call this page “mental illness”). Brains come in many different configurations, and our work is about understanding yours and how to help you thrive. We will talk about your strengths and ability to build resilience, while also exploring your life experiences for potential roots of a mood disturbance in order to heal wounds that may be worsening your distress.
I use multiple modalities—including internal family systems, existential, and brainspotting—to help you understand your responses to painful experiences and reduce the added distress that comes with those responses. We will work through interpersonal challenges, coping mechanisms, and building self-esteem. I work with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and other manifestations of mood disturbances.
Bipolar
I help clients learn how to manage and cope with the ups and downs of bipolar. It is important to learn about warning signs so you can take action, explore ways to maintain healthy interpersonal relationships, establish routines that help stabilize you, and develop techniques to reduce the potentially damaging effects of uncontrolled mood swings.
Depression
The numbness, self-criticism, and loss of joy that are hallmarks of depression can be debilitating. I work with you to identify root causes of depression (whether they are neurochemical, psychosocial, or both), explore the ways depression might be related to past experiences and how you can resolve the resulting emotions remaining, learn how to maintain relationships even when you feel a strong desire to isolate, and develop daily routines that help keep you going. I also offer a supportive, validating space for you to express the despair, worthlessness, and other emotions that can be associated with depression.
Anxiety
Fear underlies most anxiety—and sometimes existential dread also plays a role. Through a combination of somatic and existential approaches, I can support you in learning how to intervene in anxious spirals and reground yourself. I can also aid you in understanding the fears that are gripping you. Once you are able to see these fears more clearly, we can find ways to lessen them.
Suicidal thoughts
Having suicidal thoughts can be a terrifying experience. While it is important to plan for keeping yourself safe when you’re feeling suicidal, it is also important to understand why you’re having such thoughts, learn how to manage them, and uncover the roots of your distress so these thoughts no longer have a grip on you.
I provide a framework in which you can interact with your suicidal thoughts, find out what needs they are expressing, reconnect to hope, and learn how to take care of yourself in ways that are less distressing.
Self-worth
No matter what type of mood disorder you’re facing, it is often hard to develop and maintain self-worth and self-esteem. In an ideal environment, we develop self-esteem starting at a young age and over the course of our lives. However, many of us did not have support from adults in learning how to value ourselves. We may have internalized critical voices from our past or have gone through painful experiences that left us feeling unwanted or unworthy. We may have strong judgments of ourselves based on what we perceive as the limitations of living with a mood disorder.
I provide support as you explore who you are in a deep way, find out what you can appreciate about yourself, and process past experiences or relationships that damaged your self-worth so you can renew it.
I don’t pathologize (that’s why I didn’t call this page “mental illness”). Brains come in many different configurations, and our work is about understanding yours and how to help you thrive. We will talk about your strengths and ability to build resilience, while also exploring your life experiences for potential roots of a mood disturbance in order to heal wounds that may be worsening your distress.
I use multiple modalities—including internal family systems, existential, and brainspotting—to help you understand your responses to painful experiences and reduce the added distress that comes with those responses. We will work through interpersonal challenges, coping mechanisms, and building self-esteem. I work with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and other manifestations of mood disturbances.
Bipolar
I help clients learn how to manage and cope with the ups and downs of bipolar. It is important to learn about warning signs so you can take action, explore ways to maintain healthy interpersonal relationships, establish routines that help stabilize you, and develop techniques to reduce the potentially damaging effects of uncontrolled mood swings.
Depression
The numbness, self-criticism, and loss of joy that are hallmarks of depression can be debilitating. I work with you to identify root causes of depression (whether they are neurochemical, psychosocial, or both), explore the ways depression might be related to past experiences and how you can resolve the resulting emotions remaining, learn how to maintain relationships even when you feel a strong desire to isolate, and develop daily routines that help keep you going. I also offer a supportive, validating space for you to express the despair, worthlessness, and other emotions that can be associated with depression.
Anxiety
Fear underlies most anxiety—and sometimes existential dread also plays a role. Through a combination of somatic and existential approaches, I can support you in learning how to intervene in anxious spirals and reground yourself. I can also aid you in understanding the fears that are gripping you. Once you are able to see these fears more clearly, we can find ways to lessen them.
Suicidal thoughts
Having suicidal thoughts can be a terrifying experience. While it is important to plan for keeping yourself safe when you’re feeling suicidal, it is also important to understand why you’re having such thoughts, learn how to manage them, and uncover the roots of your distress so these thoughts no longer have a grip on you.
I provide a framework in which you can interact with your suicidal thoughts, find out what needs they are expressing, reconnect to hope, and learn how to take care of yourself in ways that are less distressing.
Self-worth
No matter what type of mood disorder you’re facing, it is often hard to develop and maintain self-worth and self-esteem. In an ideal environment, we develop self-esteem starting at a young age and over the course of our lives. However, many of us did not have support from adults in learning how to value ourselves. We may have internalized critical voices from our past or have gone through painful experiences that left us feeling unwanted or unworthy. We may have strong judgments of ourselves based on what we perceive as the limitations of living with a mood disorder.
I provide support as you explore who you are in a deep way, find out what you can appreciate about yourself, and process past experiences or relationships that damaged your self-worth so you can renew it.
Resources:
An Unquiet Mind
Why Am I Still Depressed?
The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide
The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression
Speaking of Sadness
The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook
Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself
An Unquiet Mind
Why Am I Still Depressed?
The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide
The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression
Speaking of Sadness
The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook
Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself
Want to get started? Find answers to common questions on my get started page. Send me an email at augustinkendalltherapy@gmail.com or fill out the form below.