Trainings & Speaking Engagements

Question 1

What are the common signs of depression?

Accepted Answer

Depression doesn’t always look the way people expect. It isn’t always visible sadness or crying — sometimes it looks like irritability, emotional numbness, chronic fatigue, or simply going through the motions for months without knowing why. At TrueMe, we see clients who’ve been living with depression for years without recognizing it as such. The most clinically significant signs include: persistent low mood or emptiness lasting more than two weeks, loss of interest or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed, changes in sleep or appetite, difficulty concentrating or making decisions, withdrawal from relationships, unexplained physical symptoms like fatigue or chronic pain, feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt, and in more severe cases, thoughts of death or self-harm. If several of these feel familiar — and they’ve been present for more than a couple of weeks — we encourage you to reach out.

Question 2

What causes depression?

Accepted Answer

There is rarely a single cause, and this is one of the most important things we communicate to our clients. Depression is the result of a complex interaction between biological, psychological, and environmental factors. Genetics, brain chemistry, chronic stress, trauma, grief, relationship patterns, and early life experiences can all contribute — often in combination. At TrueMe, we also understand depression through a psychodynamic lens: it frequently develops when negative messages absorbed from family, society, or past relationships become internalized as absolute truth. The inner critic that says “I’m not enough” or “nothing will ever change” isn’t an accurate reflection of reality — it’s a pattern that therapy can directly address and dismantle. Understanding what’s driving your depression is the first step toward treating it effectively.

Question 3

How is depression treated?

Accepted Answer

Depression is highly treatable — and at TrueMe, we use the most evidence-based methods available, tailored to each individual client. Our primary modality is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which works by identifying and restructuring the distorted thought patterns and avoidance behaviors that keep depression entrenched. For clients with trauma at the root of their depression, we integrate EMDR to process unresolved experiences that talk therapy alone can’t always reach. For clients who struggle to access or tolerate their emotional experience, we use AEDP to facilitate deep, transformative emotional processing in session. Beyond the clinical modalities, we also work with clients on building a healthy support system, improving sleep hygiene, incorporating movement, identifying cognitive distortions, and stopping the cycle of self-sabotage. Treatment is never a one-size-fits-all protocol — your plan is built entirely around your history, your goals, and what you’re dealing with right now.

Question 4

When should I seek help for depression?

Accepted Answer

Depression is progressive: the longer it goes unaddressed, the more deeply entrenched the thought patterns, behavioral withdrawal, and neurological changes become — and the harder the climb back feels. We encourage you to seek support if your low mood has persisted for more than two weeks, if you’ve lost interest in things that once mattered to you, if you’re withdrawing from the people in your life, if your functioning at work or at home has deteriorated, or if you’re relying on alcohol, food, or other coping mechanisms to get through the day. You do not need to be in crisis to deserve professional support. If depression is quietly shrinking your world — that is reason enough to reach out.

Question 5

Can depression go away on its own?

Accepted Answer

In some mild cases, particularly those tied to a specific stressor, depressive symptoms can ease once circumstances change. But we want to be clinically honest with you: for the vast majority of people experiencing a depressive episode, waiting it out without support prolongs the suffering — and increases the risk of it returning, often more severely. Depression alters thought patterns, behavior, and neurochemistry in ways that tend to self-reinforce. The withdrawal, the negative thinking, the loss of motivation — these all feed the cycle and make natural recovery increasingly unlikely over time. What we consistently see at TrueMe is that clients who engage in structured, evidence-based therapy don’t just recover — they come out the other side with a level of self-awareness and emotional resilience they didn’t have before. That’s the difference between waiting for depression to pass and actively building a life it can’t take hold of.

TRAININGS & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT | CALIFORNIA

Evidence-Informed Workshops Led by Therapists

Topic

Topic

Topic

Topic

Topic

Topic

CONTACT US TO APPLY FOR A WORKSHOP

Inquire About a Training

We'd love to hear from you!

Enter Details

Meet Our Therapists

Marina Edelman

Cheryl Baldi

Dr. Rachel Chistyakov

Sharalee Hall

Chris Calandra

Suzanne Perry

Hayley Willis

Jasmine Johnson

Kylee Garfield

Sean Palmer

Still have questions? We'd love to talk!

TRAININGS & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT | CALIFORNIA

Evidence-Informed Workshops Led by Therapists

Topic

Topic

Topic

Topic

Topic

Topic

CONTACT US TO APPLY FOR A WORKSHOP

Inquire About a Training

We'd love to hear from you!

Enter Details

Meet Our Therapists

Still have questions? We'd love to talk!

Have Project?

Want to Work With Me

Want to Buy Books?