Depression can make everything feel harder—getting through the day, connecting with people, even finding the motivation to care about things you once loved. It can affect your work, school, relationships, and how you see yourself. If you're feeling stuck in sadness, fatigue, or numbness, you're not alone—and you don’t have to navigate it on your own.

At Josh Colby Counseling, we offer depression treatment in Grand Rapids for adults and teens. Whether you’re struggling with your own symptoms or you’re a parent concerned about your teenager, we provide evidence-based, compassionate therapy designed to meet each person where they are. Whether the symptoms are new, persistent, or returning after a period of stability, help is available.

Understanding Depression: It Shows Up in Many Ways

Depression isn't the same for everyone. Peer-reviewed research in mental health consistently highlights the diverse ways it can manifest. For some, it might feel like a constant state of exhaustion or deep sadness. For others, it could be a sense of numbness, increased irritability, or a feeling of disconnection from people and activities that once brought joy.

Common signs of depression can include:

• Persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness.

• Increased irritability or a heightened sensitivity to criticism.

• A significant loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities.

• Withdrawing from friends and family, choosing isolation.

• Changes in sleep patterns, such as difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much.

• Physical symptoms like persistent fatigue, headaches, or stomach pain.

• Difficulties with concentration, focus, and making decisions.

• Feelings of worthlessness, excessive guilt, or being overwhelmed.

• In teens: This can sometimes look like increased school avoidance, frequent mood swings, unexplained anger, or engaging in more risky behaviors.

If these signs resonate with you or someone you care about, depression therapy can offer a path towards feeling more grounded and hopeful.

What Contributes to Depression? Understanding the Bigger Picture and Recognizing the Symptoms of Depression

It's important to know that depression rarely has a single cause. Current research indicates that it often arises from a combination of factors working together. For both adults and teens, these can include:

• Brain chemistry and genetics: Differences in brain chemicals and a family history of mental health conditions can increase vulnerability.

• Life experiences: Trauma, chronic stress, or experiences like bullying can significantly impact mood.

• Physical health: Medical issues or hormonal changes can sometimes contribute to depression.

• Social and emotional factors: Struggles with identity, family conflict, loss, social pressures, isolation, and a lack of support can all play a role.

Whatever the underlying causes, it's crucial to remember that experiencing depression is not a personal failing. It's a signal that something within needs attention and care, and therapy can provide that support.

Types of Depression We Treat

Depression doesn’t look the same for everyone, and it often shows up differently in teens than in adults. We work with a wide range of mood disorders and experiences, including:

• Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): Intense symptoms lasting at least two weeks, often impacting school, work, or relationships

• Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia): Long-term depression that may feel less intense but lasts for years

• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Depression that occurs seasonally, often during fall and winter

• Teen Depression: May present as anger, withdrawal, poor academic performance, or low self-esteem

• Postpartum or perinatal depression

• Situational or adjustment-related depression: Triggered by loss, trauma, transitions, or chronic stress

Every person’s experience is different. Whether your symptoms are mild or severe, treatment options are available—and you don’t have to wait for it to get worse to seek support.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):Changing Thoughts, Changing Feelings

One of the most effective approaches we use for treating depression is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Backed by extensive peer-reviewed research, CBT is a practical therapy that helps you understand how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected. It empowers you to identify and change negative thought patterns and unhelpful behaviors that contribute to depression.

In CBT, we might explore:

• Challenging Depressive Beliefs: Depression often brings with it negative and unrealistic beliefs about yourself, the world, and the future. These beliefs can lead to significant disengagement from activities and social relationships. For example, the belief "I'm not good enough" might lead to avoiding activities where you fear failure, while "No one really cares about me" can result in withdrawing from social connections. CBT helps you examine the evidence for and against these beliefs, develop more balanced perspectives, and understand how these thoughts impact your actions and mood.

• Behavioral Activation: Taking Action Towards Feeling Better: Research shows that a decrease in enjoyable and meaningful activities is both a symptom and a maintaining factor of depression. Behavioral Activation, a key part of CBT, focuses on intentionally re-engaging in activities that have the potential to improve your mood, even when you don't feel like it. This might involve small, manageable steps like going for a walk, connecting with a friend, or spending time on a hobby. The idea is that by changing your behavior, you can start to experience positive shifts in your mood and energy levels.

• Managing Rumination and Hopeless Thoughts: CBT provides strategies to interrupt cycles of negative thinking and develop more constructive ways of responding to difficult thoughts, preventing them from leading to deeper feelings of depression.

• For teens: CBT helps adolescents develop skills in emotion regulation, positive self-talk, and social confidence, all while addressing the impact of negative thoughts on their engagement in school and with peers.

CBT equips you with practical skills to manage your mood and build a more fulfilling life.

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART): A Different Path to Healing

In addition to CBT, we also utilize Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) for depression. ART is an innovative therapy that uses eye movements and guided imagery to address distressing memories and current stressors to change how you feel about them.  ART can help:

• Address underlying emotional wounds that may be contributing to your depression.

• Shift negative images and beliefs associated with your struggles, fostering more positive and empowering perspectives.

• Often provide relatively rapid relief from distressing symptoms.

We will discuss whether ART might be a helpful addition to your treatment plan.

How Therapy Helps with Depression

Working with a mental health professional gives you space to talk openly about what you’re feeling, without judgment. Whether you're a teen facing pressure at school or an adult trying to hold everything together, therapy can help you make sense of what’s happening and take steps toward change.

In depression therapy, we’ll help you:

• Identify emotional patterns and what contributes to low mood

• Build tools to manage daily stress, motivation, and self-criticism
  Understand the deeper roots of what you're experiencing

• Reconnect with purpose, relationships, and meaning

• Support your physical health through routines and balance

• For teens: provide a space that’s private, affirming, and engaging—while working with parents when appropriate

Whether you’re looking for relief from persistent symptoms or support during a tough chapter, talk therapy can offer clarity, stability, and hope.

When Extra Support Might Be Needed

Sometimes, depression symptoms can be more severe, and therapy alone might not feel like enough. In these situations, we will have open and honest conversations about whether additional support, such as medication, a psychiatric evaluation, or intensive outpatient services, could be beneficial. Seeking extra support is a sign of strength and a commitment to your well-being.

Taking the First Step for Depression Treatment in Grand Rapids

Whether you're an adult carrying the quiet weight of exhaustion or a teen navigating overwhelming sadness, you don't have to face depression alone. At Josh Colby Counseling in Grand Rapids, Michigan, we offer a warm, respectful, and effective path towards healing. We also provide online therapy throughout Michigan for those who prefer the convenience of meeting from home.

We support teens (ages 14+), adults of all backgrounds, and couples, and we are here to help you take that courageous first step towards feeling better.

Ready to explore how we can help? Schedule a free consultation today.