What depression actually feels like
Depression is often described as persistent sadness, but many people experience it differently: as numbness, as a heaviness that makes everything harder, as an inability to feel pleasure in things that used to matter, or as a quiet sense of disconnection from their own life. Some people describe feeling like they are watching their life from behind glass.
These are all valid experiences of depression. They are also all things that respond to support, and none of them mean you are broken or beyond help.
The approach in sessions
Leah draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), polyvagal theory and somatic awareness to work with depression at both the physiological and psychological level. Rather than trying to force positive thinking, ACT helps you change your relationship to difficult thoughts and feelings and reconnect with what matters to you.
Sessions also work with the nervous system. Depression often involves a dorsal vagal state, a kind of shutdown the body uses when it has been under sustained stress. Understanding this physiologically can be clarifying and, for many people, relieving. It shifts the experience from what is wrong with me to this is what my system learned to do, and that shift makes it something you can actually work with.
When to see a doctor as well
If your depression is severe or has not responded to therapy, it is worth speaking to your GP. Medication and counselling work well together for many people. Leah can work alongside any medical treatment you are receiving and can refer you to appropriate professionals if needed.
In person in Carlton, or online
Sessions are available in person at 167 Drummond Street, Carlton VIC 3053, or online from home. When depression makes leaving the house difficult, online sessions remove that barrier entirely.
Common questions
Can counselling help with depression?
Yes. Counselling gives you a steady, judgment-free place to understand what is happening and start reconnecting with your life. I use ACT and nervous-system work rather than forced positive thinking. For some people it is enough on its own. For others it works best alongside care from their GP.
Should I see my GP as well?
If your depression is severe, has lasted a long time, or has not shifted with support, yes. Medication and counselling often work well together. I can work alongside any treatment you are having and refer you on if you need more.
What if I do not have the energy to get to sessions?
That is a real part of depression, not a lack of commitment. Online sessions mean you can join from home, and we keep the pace manageable.
What if I need help right now?
Counselling is not a crisis service. If you are in crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, any hour of the day. In an emergency, call 000.
Learn more about individual counselling or read the frequently asked questions.