Effective treatment for depression and persistent depressive disorder.
About This Service
Depression is not sadness that you haven’t tried hard enough to shake. It is an illness and it responds to the right care.
Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions in the world, and one of the most misunderstood. It is not a personality weakness, a lack of gratitude, or something that should lift if you “keep busy” or “think positive.” It is a clinical condition with biological, psychological, and social dimensions, and it can be treated.
In India, depression in women is frequently unrecognised and unacknowledged. Women are expected to be the emotional backbone of the family. They are required to keep functioning, to keep caring for others, to manage homes and careers and relationships regardless of what is happening internally. Many women living with depression have never once been asked how they are actually doing. We will ask that question and create the space for you to answer it honestly.
Our counselling service covers both major depression and dysthymia (the persistent, lower-grade depression that can last for years and which many women have come to accept as simply “how they are”) Both are treatable. Neither is permanent.
Symptoms and Concerns We Address
What depression and dysthymia can look like:
PERSISTENT LOW MOOD
Feeling sad, empty, or hopeless most days, not just occasionally, mood fails to lift with good news or pleasant events
LOSS OF PLEASURE
Things that once brought joy – food, music, friendship, work – all of it starts feeling flat, pointless, or inaccessible
EXHAUSTION AND LOW ENERGY
Experiencing a heaviness that is not about lack of sleep, waking up already depleted, and struggling to motivate yourself to do even small tasks
NEGATIVE SELF-TALK
A relentless inner narrative of worthlessness, failure, or guilt which is often disproportionate to any real circumstances
WITHDRAWAL AND ISOLATION
Pulling away from people, activities, and responsibilities – not out of preference, but because everything feels too effortful
dIFFICULTY THINKING AND DECIDING
Foggy thinking, indecisiveness, or an inability to concentrate that affects work and daily life
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
Changes in appetite, sleep disturbance, unexplained aches and pains – depression lives in the body as well as the mind
THOUGHTS OF HOPELESSNESS OR SELF-HARM
Feeling that things will not get better, or thoughts of not wanting to be here (which always deserve immediate, compassionate attention)
Our Therapeutic Approach
Evidence-based, warmly human, and built around your specific depression
- Thorough assessment of your depression
Depression has different patterns, different triggers, and different depths. We begin by understanding your specific presentation – when did it start? what maintains it? what is it connected to? We need to know this so the healing work is tailored to you, and not following a generic protocol. - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT for depression works on the negative thought patterns and withdrawal behaviours that maintain and deepen the illness. We address the thinking that says “things will never change” and the behaviour that confirms it. We do so gently, steadily, and with evidence. - Behavioural Activation
Depression narrows life significantly. Behavioural Activation reverses this carefully by reintroducing meaningful activity and small moments of engagement and pleasure before the mood lifts, because the action often precedes the feeling rather than the other way around. - Addressing grief, loss, and unprocessed pain
Depression often has its roots in loss. Loss of a person, a role, a version of life that did not happen. We work on what has not yet been grieved or acknowledged, because unprocessed pain does not disappear; it becomes depression. - Self-compassion and inner critic work
The harsh, relentless self-criticism that accompanies depression is both a symptom and a driver. We work on the inner critic directly so as to not to silence it, but to reduce its cruelty and its authority. - Relapse prevention and sustaining recovery
For women who have had multiple depressive episodes, we work on recognising early warning signs and building a personal recovery plan, so that a dip does not have to become a fall.
If you are experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please reach out immediately to us, or to iCall (9152987821). Medication can be a powerful complement to therapy for moderate to severe depression, and we work collaboratively with psychiatrists when needed.
What to Expect
What depression counselling looks like
- A first session that asks how you have really been
Not “how are you managing” but how you have actually been. The first session is for honest, full disclosure of your experience, without having to perform wellness or minimise the weight of it. - Structured treatment with regular review
CBT for depression is structured and time-focused. We set goals, track progress, and review regularly, so you always know what we are working on and can see how far you have come. - Meaningful improvement within 12–16 sessions
Most women experience significant improvement in mood, energy, and engagement with life within a few months of consistent, structured therapy. Recovery is not the absence of all difficulty, it is a rebuilt capacity to live fully. - Online sessions available
On the days when getting out of bed feels like too much, an online session means you can still access support in your own space, without the additional effort of travelling. - Long-term support available for dysthymia
For women with persistent low-grade depression, recovery often requires longer, more sustained work. This is not a failure. It reflects the chronicity of the condition. And our therapy space is here for as long as you need it.
