Depression Therapy
Signs it is time to take depression seriously
Depression is not always someone in bed all day. In the Northern Virginia area, it is often the person who keeps showing up, keeps producing, and feels increasingly hollow while they do it.
For some, depression looks like irritability, short temper, or checking out in relationships. For others, it shows up as brain fog, no motivation, and an endless loop of “I should be doing better than this.” For a kid, you may see dropping grades and withdrawing from friends and hobbies.
Insight Into Action Therapy provides individualized therapy for busy lives. Our team works with depression in all its forms, from the onset of a first depressive episode to long standing, treatment resistant depression that has already outlasted multiple medications and therapists.
Counseling for depression
People come to us when something in the picture shifts from “stress” to “this is not normal for me.” Common indicators include:
- Constant exhaustion that sleep does not fix
- Loss of interest in work, family, sex, or hobbies that used to matter
- Increased withdrawal, isolation, or going through the motions socially
- Persistent guilt, self criticism, or feeling like a burden
- Changes in appetite, weight, or sleep patterns
- Difficulty concentrating, making decisions, or completing basic tasks
- Thoughts that life would be easier if you were not here, with or without intent
Sometimes depression is clearly on the surface. Other times it is buried under anxiety, substance use, or workaholic habits. The first step is to sort out what is really happening.
Evaluation
Depression treatment at Insight Into Action Therapy begins with a structured evaluation that may include:
- A detailed clinical interview covering current symptoms and history
- Review of previous diagnoses, medications, and therapy outcomes
- Screening for other conditions like, anxiety, trauma, OCD, or substance use
- Discussion of medical history, sleep, hormones, and other physical contributors
- Psychological testing when the picture is complex or has not responded to standard care
Clients leave this process with a clear plan that guides the plan for therapy, medication, or both.
How we treat depression
Insight brings therapists, psychiatrists, and psychologists together in one practice. With your consent, your care is coordinated as a single plan.
Medication management – Is based on your history and response patterns. Our psychiatrists focus on mood while also addressing sleep, energy, and concentration, monitoring side effects carefully, and coordinating with your therapist so treatment stays aligned.
Therapy with a clear purpose – We focus on the drivers that maintain depression, including self critical thinking, avoidance, isolation, disrupted routines, and unresolved stress or loss. Therapy is skills based and practical, with evidence based methods such as CBT, DBT informed work, and mindfulness, applied consistently with measurable goals.
Clinical sophistication – With more complex needs like treatment resistant depression we do not default to another dose tweak. We look for what is being missed, including misdiagnosis, unaddressed trauma or grief, co-occurring anxiety or substance use, and the thought and behavior patterns that keep symptoms locked in place.
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Treating the full picture
Depression often overlaps with anxiety, OCD symptoms, substance use that started as coping, and behavioral compulsions such as gambling or pornography use. We assess these factors directly and address them within the same clinical system, so you are not piecing care together across multiple offices.
Clients choose us for clinical depth, coordinated services, and treatment grounded in evidence and real weekly practice. If you are seeking an evaluation, psychotherapy or medication management for depression, contact our office to schedule an appointment.