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Counselling for Depression in India: How Does Counselling Help People with Depression?

Several studies conducted over the years have confirmed that counselling can treat and manage depression effectively. Other than alleviating depression symptoms, it teaches coping techniques and helps patients prevent the occurrence of depressive bouts.

There was a time when depression was treated primarily with medications. However, these days most psychologists use only counselling or psychotherapy when initiating treatment for depression.

The effect of counselling is particularly impressive in individuals experiencing mild to moderate symptoms of depression. At times, it is the only line of treatment used for these patients. However, counselling for depression and anxiety should be coupled with medication in patients diagnosed with severe clinical depression.

How Does Counselling Help People with Depression?

Here are a few ways psychotherapy can help individuals with depression:

  • Counselling sessions help patients learn useful strategies to cope with depression and manage symptoms of the condition more efficiently.
  • During counselling sessions, patients often discover how certain behaviours and beliefs are responsible for triggering depression bouts or exacerbation of symptoms. Once you identify those triggers, your psychotherapist will help you make necessary changes to avoid them.
  • Counselling sessions will teach you the right ways to address aspects of life that can cause depression symptoms or worsen them.
  • The best psychologist in Gurgaon will also introduce you to strategies that will improve your quality of life. These strategies will make you more confident and also improve your communication skills. These changes will prevent recurrence of depression and other associated mental health issues.
  • Psychological counselling is mandatory even for depression patients treated with medication. Other than helping them manage symptoms more efficiently, counselling sessions help these patients manage various side effects of anti-depression drugs.
  • There are also innumerable instances where regular counselling has supported the process of ending or reducing the use of anti-depressants.

Factors That Influence the Progress of Psychological Counselling

The definition of depression describes the condition in a certain way. However, the ailment is not the same for all. Almost every patient suffering from depression experiences unique circumstances at some point. Hence, counselling starts showing results at different times in different people. Here are a few factors that decide how effective counselling will be for a particular patient:

  • Confidence levels
  • Duration and severity of depression bouts
  • Whether there’s any history of trauma
  • Whether the patient has gone through painful experiences during childhood
  • How much faith the patient has in his/her therapist (studies have shown that the more a patient can trust the therapist the more productive the counselling sessions are)
  • How quickly treatment for depression started

Counselling for Individuals with Mild to Moderate Symptoms

Counselling is usually the only treatment prescribed for mild to moderate depression. A patient in this category will typically need to undergo six to 12 sessions to experience a significant difference in the intensity of his/her symptoms. However, at times, psychotherapists need the patient to arrive for as many as 24 sessions to produce the desired results.

There are also instances when individuals with moderate depression have undergone more than 24 sessions to learn to manage the symptoms. It happens mostly when patients need to deal with more extreme triggers.

Counselling for Individuals with Severe Clinical Depression

Psychiatrists use a combination of medicines, psychotherapy, and other mental health management techniques to manage severe clinical depression symptoms. Often, the patient needs to undergo up to 24 sessions to see significant changes in his/her symptoms. If the symptoms are too severe, the therapist may advise patients to undergo counselling twice a week.

Things to Remember to Get the Best Results from Counselling Sessions

Working with the best psychologist in Gurgaon will increase your chances of seeing desired results quickly. However, to make every session more productive, you must ensure that you trust your psychotherapist. If you don’t trust the professional, it’s unlikely that the session will have any positive impact on your state of mind.

Indeed, some cases of depression are so severe that patients don’t showcase any remarkable difference even after several sessions of counselling. However, most people should start feeling better after three of four sessions. If you don’t have a similar feeling after four sessions, you should look for another psychotherapist. You should change your therapist even if you find the current one intimidating.

Conclusion

Counselling for depression and anxiety is beneficial only when you have access to the right professionals. This is where Muskan Wellness comes in. The clinic has India’s best psychologists. These people have years of experience in managing different forms of depression successfully.

About Author

The author is an experienced psychotherapist and has been a part of various research works on effective therapies for depression. Currently, she is leading the team of psychological counsellors at Muskan Wellness, the most trusted mental health clinic in Delhi NCR. The biggest achievement in her professional life so far is the introduction of advanced counselling techniques to make psychotherapies more effective.

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