Expert support for managing depression, rediscovering hope, and building a life that feels worth living.
Depression doesn't have to define your life. Whether you're experiencing persistent sadness, loss of interest in things you once loved, or simply feeling stuck and empty, remember that depression is a treatable mental health condition—relief is possible with the right support and proven strategies.
What to Expect from Depression Therapy
Initial Sessions
You'll explore your depression's causes, symptoms, and impact on daily life, with your therapist explaining how therapy addresses depression and setting clear treatment goals.
Active Treatment
Focuses on challenging negative thought patterns, building behavioral activation skills, improving relationships, and developing strategies to manage symptoms and prevent relapse.
Duration
Weekly sessions are typical, with most people noticing improvement within 8-16 sessions, though more complex depression may require longer treatment.
Between Sessions
Practice new skills, complete mood tracking, engage in scheduled activities, and work on thought records to support lasting change and recovery.
Meet Our Expert Depression Therapists
Our therapists who specialize in depression treatment understand both the clinical approaches that work and the compassionate support needed to help you find your way back to a life that feels meaningful and worth living.
Jessica K. Inge, M.S.W.
LCsw-c, Licensed social worker
Baltimore, MD
Jessica works with individuals experiencing depression in various contexts—postpartum depression, depression following trauma or loss, and depression related to major life changes. She creates a safe, supportive environment where clients can be vulnerable about their struggles while learning practical tools for managing depressive symptoms and reconnecting with meaningful relationships and activities.
Andrea Castelhano, PsyD
Licensed Psychologist
Baltimore, MD
Andrea works with individuals struggling with depression—particularly depression related to body image concerns, eating disorders, perfectionism, and identity issues. She understands how depression can be intertwined with self-criticism, shame, and cultural pressures. Andrea provides both empowering tools and compassionate support to help clients develop self-acceptance while building skills to manage depressive symptoms and improve quality of life.
Elise Swanekamp, M. S.
LGPC, Licensed Counselor
Baltimore, mD
Elise works with individuals and couples experiencing depression, anxiety, ADHD, and life changes. She uses a collaborative approach that helps clients make value-driven decisions rather than depression-driven ones. Elise understands how depression can make everything feel harder—getting out of bed, going to work, maintaining relationships—and helps clients build sustainable strategies for managing symptoms and creating a more balanced life.
Cassie Ekstrom, M.S.W.
LCSW-C, Licensed social worker
Baltimore, MD
Cassie works with individuals and couples struggling with depression, anxiety, addiction, trauma, and relationship challenges. She brings a direct, grounded approach that helps clients cut through the fog of depression and identify concrete steps forward. Cassie is skilled at helping clients understand the connections between depression and other aspects of their lives—relationships, substance use, life transitions—and addressing the whole picture rather than just symptoms.
Jennifer McMillan, M.S.
LCPC, Licensed counselor
Baltimore, MD
Jen works with individuals dealing with depression, anxiety, life transitions, and identity struggles. She uses evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help clients understand and challenge the thought patterns and behaviors that maintain depression. Jen creates a safe, nonjudgmental space where clients can be honest about their struggles while building practical skills for managing symptoms and reconnecting with what matters to them.
Zak Fusciello, M.S.
LCPC, Licensed Counselor Baltimore, MD
Zak works with individuals and couples experiencing depression, anxiety, relationship conflict, substance misuse, and stalled creativity or motivation. His warm, genuine style helps clients feel comfortable exploring difficult topics, and he understands that depression often shows up as numbness, disconnection, or lack of motivation rather than just sadness. Zak helps clients reconnect with what brings meaning and vitality to their lives while building skills to manage depressive symptoms.
Rachel Greenberg Larson, M.A.
LCPC, Licensed counselor
Baltimore, MD
Rachel works with individuals across the developmental spectrum—from children to adults—on depression, anxiety, substance use, and behavioral problems. She takes a strengths-based approach while helping clients build concrete skills for managing depression and living more fully. Rachel is particularly skilled at helping young adults navigate depression during critical life transitions and at supporting families when a child or teen is struggling with depressive symptoms.
Unique Arnold, M.S.W.
LCSW-C, licensed social Worker
Baltimore, MD
Unique uses a collaborative, strengths-based approach to help clients improve their emotional well-being and make positive changes despite depression. She creates a safe space for clients to work through depression, life transitions, relationship changes, grief and loss, and trauma. Unique believes everyone deserves support in healing and building the life they want, even when depression makes it hard to imagine that possibility.
Justina Stokes, M.S.W.
LCSW-C, Licensed SOCIAL WORKER
Baltimore, MD
Justina works with individuals seeking a more joyous and meaningful life despite depression's attempts to keep them isolated and disconnected. She helps clients understand the deeper patterns beneath their depression while building practical skills for managing symptoms. Justina's warm, thoughtful approach creates space for clients to explore what's really driving their depression and what they truly value, even when it feels impossible to access joy.
Ready to begin depression treatment?
If you're ready to begin depression treatment, we're here to help. Contact the Baltimore Therapy Group to schedule an initial consultation. We'll match you with a therapist who has specific experience treating depression and can help you build the skills and insights you need to reclaim your life. You don't have to feel this way forever—there are proven strategies that can help.
Take the first step toward feeling better—reach out to us today.. You also have the right to receive a good faith estimate of costs before your therapy begins.
Therapy for Depression in Baltimore
Living with depression can feel like moving through life behind a thick fog. Nothing feels quite as bright, engaging, or meaningful as it used to. You might wake up exhausted even after a full night’s sleep, struggle to focus at work, or feel disconnected from people you care about. Simple tasks that used to be automatic—showering, making meals, responding to texts—can feel monumentally difficult. For some people, depression shows up as intense sadness or emptiness. For others, it’s more like numbness—feeling nothing at all, just going through the motions.
Depression is classified as a mood disorder and mental health condition according to clinical diagnostic criteria, and is one of the most common mental health issues people face. Recognizing the symptoms of depression—such as persistent sadness, loss of interest, changes in sleep or appetite, and difficulty concentrating—is essential for seeking help and starting effective treatment.
At the Baltimore Therapy Group, we specialize in helping people work through depression and rediscover a sense of vitality and meaning. Our therapists are mental health professionals who use evidence-based approaches that have been proven effective for treating depression and helping people build lives they genuinely want to live. An accurate diagnosis is crucial to ensure the right treatment is provided and to distinguish depression from other conditions with similar symptoms.
We want you to know: depression is treatable. There are a variety of effective treatments available to treat depression, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), behavioral activation, and psychodynamic therapy. With proper support, depression can be treated effectively, leading to significant improvements in quality of life. You don’t have to feel this way forever. With the right support and strategies, most people see significant improvement in their symptoms and quality of life.
Most people with depression see meaningful improvement within 8-16 therapy sessions — With evidence-based treatment approaches like CBT, psychodynamic psychotherapy, DBT, and behavioral activation, depression symptoms become manageable, allowing you to reconnect with life.
What Depression Looks Like
Depression isn’t just “feeling sad.” It’s a complex experience that affects your thoughts, your body, your emotions, your behavior, and your relationships. Depression symptoms can include a wide range of experiences, from persistent low mood and loss of interest to physical exhaustion and difficulty functioning in daily life. For many people, depression has become so familiar that they’ve forgotten what it feels like to genuinely enjoy things or feel hopeful about the future.
Mental and Emotional Symptoms:
Persistent sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy
Difficulty concentrating, making decisions, or remembering things
Negative thoughts about yourself, your life, or your future
Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
Thoughts of death or suicide
Physical Symptoms:
Fatigue or loss of energy, even after rest
Changes in appetite—eating much more or much less than usual
Sleep problems—trouble sleeping (insomnia), waking up too early, or sleeping too much
Moving or speaking more slowly than usual
Physical aches and pains with no clear cause
Significant weight loss or weight gain
Techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation can help alleviate some of the physical symptoms associated with depression.
Behavioral Patterns:
Withdrawing from friends, family, and social activities
Difficulty completing work, school, or household responsibilities
Neglecting personal care and hygiene
Increased use of alcohol or substances to cope
Avoiding activities that used to bring pleasure
Staying in bed or on the couch for extended periods
Developing coping skills is an important part of managing depression and improving daily functioning.
Types of Depression We Treat
Depression manifests in different forms, each with its own characteristics:
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): Characterized by persistent low mood and loss of interest lasting at least two weeks, along with other symptoms that interfere significantly with daily functioning. This is what most people think of when they hear “depression.” Mild depression is a less severe but still impactful form, where symptoms may not be as intense but can still disrupt daily life. Certain therapies, such as light therapy or talk therapy, may be especially effective for mild depression, while medications may have limited effectiveness in these cases.
Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia): A chronic form of depression lasting at least two years, with symptoms that may be less severe than major depression but are long-lasting and interfere with quality of life. Chronic depression refers to these long-lasting depressive symptoms that may require ongoing treatment, including both medication and psychological support.
Postpartum Depression: Depression that develops after childbirth, characterized by persistent sadness, anxiety, exhaustion, and difficulty bonding with the baby. This goes beyond typical “baby blues” and requires professional treatment.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Depression that follows a seasonal pattern, typically beginning in fall or winter and improving in spring and summer. Related to reduced sunlight exposure and changes in circadian rhythms.
Depression with Anxious Distress: Depression accompanied by significant anxiety symptoms—worry, restlessness, difficulty concentrating due to worry, fear that something awful might happen.
Depression Related to Life Events: Depression triggered or worsened by major life changes, losses, trauma, chronic stress, or relationship problems. While situational factors may play a role, clinical depression still requires treatment.
Depression can also co-occur with other mental health conditions, such as anxiety disorders, PTSD, substance use disorders, and eating disorders. This overlap can affect diagnosis and treatment planning. Bipolar disorder is another mood disorder that includes episodes of depression as well as periods of elevated or irritable mood (mania or hypomania), and may require specialized treatment approaches.
How Depression Therapy Helps
Effective depression treatment addresses the thoughts, behaviors, and life circumstances that contribute to and maintain depression. The goal is to reduce symptoms, improve functioning, and help you build a life that feels meaningful and worth living. Therapy aims to relieve symptoms and ease depression symptoms so that individuals can function better in daily life.
Research consistently demonstrates that therapy is highly effective for treating depression, with approaches like CBT and behavioral activation showing strong evidence of success in randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews. These approaches have been shown to significantly improve depression symptoms for many people.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Depression
CBT is one of the most extensively researched and effective treatments for depression. The approach is based on the understanding that depression is maintained by patterns of negative thinking and behavioral withdrawal that can be changed.
How CBT Works:
CBT helps you identify the specific negative thoughts that fuel depression—thoughts like "I'm worthless," "Nothing ever works out," "There's no point in trying," or "Things will never get better." These thoughts feel absolutely true when you're depressed, but they're often distorted in predictable ways.
Once you can recognize these patterns, your therapist will help you:
Examine the evidence for and against negative thoughts
Consider alternative, more balanced perspectives
Test your predictions through behavioral experiments
Develop more realistic, helpful ways of thinking
CBT also addresses behavioral patterns that maintain depression—particularly withdrawal and inactivity. When you're depressed, you tend to withdraw from activities, which leads to fewer positive experiences, which reinforces the depression. CBT involves gradually reengaging in meaningful activities (behavioral activation) even when you don't feel motivated, which helps break the cycle.
Behavioral Activation
Behavioral activation is a core component of depression treatment that focuses on helping you reengage with activities that provide pleasure, mastery, or connection. When you're depressed, you tend to withdraw from life—but this withdrawal actually makes depression worse.
How Behavioral Activation Works:
Your therapist will help you:
Identify activities that used to bring pleasure or satisfaction
Schedule specific activities, even small ones, into your week
Start with manageable goals and gradually build up
Track your mood in relation to activities
Notice how engagement affects your energy and mood
The key insight is that you don't have to wait until you "feel like it" to do things—action comes first, and motivation and improved mood follow.
Psychodynamic Approaches for Depression
Some therapists at Baltimore Therapy Group use psychodynamic therapy to help clients understand the deeper patterns and relational dynamics that contribute to depression. This approach explores:
Patterns from your past that affect current relationships and self-concept
Unconscious conflicts or feelings that contribute to depression
How you relate to yourself and others
The meaning and function of depressive symptoms in your life
Psychodynamic therapy helps you develop insight into why you feel and behave the way you do, which can lead to lasting change.
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) Elements
Depression often involves difficulties in relationships—conflicts, loss, role transitions, or social isolation. Many therapists integrate interpersonal approaches that focus on:
Improving communication in important relationships
Processing grief and loss
Navigating major life transitions
Building social support and connection
Building Skills for Long-Term Wellness
Beyond addressing current symptoms, depression therapy helps you develop skills to maintain wellness and prevent relapse:
Recognizing early warning signs of depression
Building a support system
Developing healthy routines around sleep, exercise, and nutrition, including following a healthy diet. Good nutrition can support mental health, and adopting a nutritious eating pattern, such as the Mediterranean diet, may improve mental health outcomes and support overall treatment.
Creating meaningful structure in your daily life
Identifying and pursuing values-based goals
Some people also explore dietary supplements or alternative treatments as part of their wellness plan, but these options should always be discussed with a healthcare provider to ensure safety and effectiveness.
Frequently Asked Questions About Depression Therapy
How long does it take for depression therapy to work?
Many people begin noticing some improvement within 4-6 sessions, though significant, lasting change typically takes 8-16 sessions or longer, depending on the severity and complexity of depression. Factors that influence timeline include how long you've been depressed, whether there are co-occurring conditions, and how actively you engage in treatment. Progress isn't always linear—there will be better and worse days—but the overall trend should be toward improvement.
What's the difference between sadness and clinical depression?
Everyone feels sad sometimes in response to disappointments, losses, or difficult circumstances. Clinical depression involves persistent symptoms lasting at least two weeks that significantly interfere with your ability to function in work, relationships, and daily activities. Depression often includes physical symptoms, changes in thinking patterns, loss of interest in most activities, and a quality of suffering that goes beyond normal sadness. If you're unsure, a mental health professional can help you determine whether what you're experiencing constitutes clinical depression.
Will I need medication for my depression?
Therapy is highly effective for mild to moderate depression, and many people don't need medication. However, for moderate to severe depression, or depression that hasn't responded to therapy alone, a combination of therapy and medication is often most effective. Your therapist can help you think through this decision and can refer you to a psychiatrist if medication might be helpful.
What if I'm too depressed to even start therapy?
It's common to feel too exhausted, hopeless, or unmotivated to reach out for help. This is a symptom of depression itself—it makes everything feel pointless, including getting help. If this resonates with you, consider that many people who felt exactly as you do now have found that taking just one small step—making a phone call or filling out a contact form—was the beginning of feeling better. You can start with teletherapy if leaving home feels overwhelming. Remember that therapists understand depression and won't judge you for your symptoms.
Can therapy really help if my life circumstances are truly difficult?
Yes. While therapy can't change difficult external circumstances—financial stress, chronic illness, loss—it can help you cope more effectively, maintain perspective, build resilience, and find meaning despite challenges. Therapy helps you distinguish between suffering that's inherent to your situation and additional suffering caused by depression itself. Many people find that even when circumstances don't change, their ability to navigate those circumstances improves significantly with treatment.
What's the difference between depression and burnout?
Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress, typically work-related. While burnout and depression share symptoms like fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and loss of motivation, depression involves more pervasive hopelessness, worthlessness, and loss of pleasure across all areas of life. It's possible to experience both simultaneously, and both can benefit from therapy. A therapist can help you understand what you're experiencing and develop an appropriate treatment approach.
How do I know if my depression is serious enough for therapy?
If depression is interfering with your daily functioning, relationships, work, or quality of life—or if you've been feeling depressed for more than a couple weeks—it's worth seeking professional help. You don't have to be at a crisis point or experiencing the "worst" depression to deserve support. Early intervention often leads to faster improvement and can prevent depression from worsening.
What if I've tried therapy before and it didn't help?
Not all therapy is equally effective for depression. If you've tried therapy before without improvement, it may be that the approach wasn't evidence-based for depression, the fit with the therapist wasn't right, or you weren't ready at that time. CBT, behavioral activation, and psychodynamic therapy all have strong research supporting their effectiveness for depression. Working with a therapist who specializes in depression treatment and with whom you feel comfortable can make a significant difference. It's also worth noting that sometimes multiple attempts with different therapists or approaches are needed before finding what works.