Depression can make life feel like hard work. Getting out of bed, replying to a message or deciding what to eat can take more effort than you seem to have. You might feel sad, empty or cut off from people—even those you love. Sometimes you keep going, doing everything you’re supposed to do, while very little of it feels meaningful or enjoyable.

Then there’s what you tell yourself about it: that you should be coping better, that other people have it worse, that you have no reason to feel this way. As if feeling bad weren’t enough, you now get to feel bad about feeling bad.

In therapy, I’m interested in what depression feels like for you and what else is happening in your life. There may be grief, loneliness, difficult relationships or years of putting your own needs last. There may be no obvious explanation. We don’t have to force one.

We can take time to understand what you’re struggling with, what keeps you stuck and what might help. There’s room for the things you find difficult to say, including the things you think you shouldn’t feel. You don’t need to arrive knowing how to explain it all. That’s part of what we can work out together.