Depression Therapy in Orange County, CA
Have You Turned Into a Hermit and Stopped Caring About the Basics?
Depression often doesn’t look like dramatic sobbing. More commonly, it looks like:
- Staying in your room or on the couch and avoiding contact with people
- Ignoring messages, canceling plans, and feeling guilty about it but still not responding
- Letting hygiene slide — not showering, skipping brushing your teeth, wearing the same clothes
- Dragging yourself through work or school, then collapsing the moment you get home
- Scrolling endlessly, numbing out, zoning out, or sleeping to escape
You may look “fine” on the outside and be falling apart on the inside. That’s depression too.
My practice is a safe space for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, and questioning clients, as well as heterosexual and cisgender clients. Whether or not your depression is tied to identity stress, you don’t have to hide any part of yourself here.
What Is Depression, Really?
Depression is more than a bad week or a rough patch. It’s a mental health condition that affects how you think, feel, move, and show up in your life. It can feel like:
- An almost physical heaviness or emptiness in your chest or body
- No energy or interest in things that once mattered to you
- Feeling like you’re underwater, watching your own life from a distance
- Harsh, repetitive thoughts like “I’m a failure,” “I’m too much,” or “I’m not enough”
- A sense that nothing will ever really change — so why bother?
Depression can be mild and annoying or severe and life-threatening. At every level, it’s real, and it’s treatable.
If you are currently considering harming yourself or ending your life, please call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the U.S.), contact emergency services, or go to the nearest ER.
Types of Depression I Treat
“Depression” is a broad label. Understanding which pattern you’re experiencing helps us choose the right treatment.
Major Depressive Disorder (Clinical Depression)
Major depression involves episodes of low mood and loss of interest lasting at least two weeks, often much longer. Common features include:
- Feeling sad, empty, or numb most of the day, nearly every day
- Losing interest in hobbies, sex, or relationships you used to enjoy
- Significant changes in sleep (insomnia or oversleeping)
- Appetite or weight changes
- Fatigue, low energy, and difficulty getting things done
- Concentration problems and indecisiveness
- Recurrent thoughts that life isn’t worth living
Major depression can come in waves throughout life. Therapy, sometimes combined with medication, can lengthen the time between episodes and lessen their intensity.
Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)
Persistent Depressive Disorder is a chronic, lower-level depression that lasts for years. People often describe this as:
- “I’ve always felt this way” or “This is just my personality”
- A constant low mood, pessimism, or emotional flatness
- Chronic fatigue, low motivation, and trouble starting or finishing tasks
- Long-standing low self-esteem or self-doubt
Because dysthymia becomes your “normal,” it’s easy to miss. With the right depression therapy, it’s still very possible to feel better than you do now.
Bipolar Depression
Bipolar Disorder involves cycles of depression and elevated mood (mania or hypomania). During depressed phases, you may feel many of the same symptoms as major depression: intense low mood, hopelessness, and withdrawal.
The elevated phases can look like:
- Feeling unusually energised or invincible
- Racing thoughts, fast speech, and big ideas
- Impulsive or risky behaviour with money, sex, substances, or work
- Very little need for sleep
Bipolar I vs. Bipolar II
- Bipolar I: At least one episode of full mania, often with significant impairment or hospitalization, plus depressive episodes.
- Bipolar II: At least one major depressive episode and at least one hypomanic episode (milder elevation). Hypomania often flies under the radar, so Bipolar II is frequently misdiagnosed as recurring depression.
Because bipolar depression responds differently to medication than unipolar depression, an accurate diagnosis matters. I often collaborate with psychiatrists to support clients with bipolar disorder.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Seasonal Affective Disorder is a pattern in which your mood drops during specific seasons. For many people, symptoms:
- Begin in fall as daylight decreases
- Peak in winter with low energy, oversleeping, and craving carbs
- Ease up in spring and summer
Others experience a spring/summer pattern. Therapy, light therapy, and lifestyle changes can significantly reduce the impact of SAD.
What Causes Depression?
Most people want a simple answer — “Is it my brain or my life?” In reality, depression usually comes from a mix of:
- Biology: genetics, neurotransmitters, hormones, medical conditions, and side-effects of some medications.
- Life experiences: grief, breakups, chronic stress, burnout, overwork, or ongoing financial/immigration stress.
- Trauma: abuse, neglect, bullying, homophobia, transphobia, racism, or growing up unseen or unsupported.
- Environment: isolation, lack of support, draining work, unsafe relationships, or living in survival mode.
- Identity stress: hiding who you are, code-switching constantly, or feeling like there’s no safe space to exhale.
In therapy, we don’t just label you as “depressed.” We slow down and map what’s driving it in your nervous system and your story so we can target the most effective levers for change.
Can I Actually Recover from Depression?
Yes. “Recover” doesn’t mean you’ll never feel sad again. It means:
- Your lows are less intense and less frequent
- You come back from bad days faster
- You re-engage with people, work, and activities that matter to you
- You have tools to navigate your mind and body instead of being ruled by them
Recovery looks different for everyone. Some people feel a dramatic shift; others notice small changes that add up over months — more energy, fewer shutdowns, more real connection.
You don’t have to figure this out alone. Let’s take the first step together. Call so we can schedule a consultation.
Do I Have Depression?
You don’t have to have every symptom on a checklist to “qualify.” It may be depression if, for at least a couple of weeks, you notice several of these:
- Persistent low mood, emptiness, or irritability
- Loss of interest in people, sex, hobbies, or work
- Sleeping far more or far less than usual
- Eating significantly more or less than usual
- Low energy nearly every day
- Feeling slowed down or, sometimes, agitated and restless
- Difficulty focusing, remembering, or making decisions
- Feeling worthless, like a burden, or consumed by guilt
- Recurrent thoughts that life isn’t worth living
Depression can also masquerade as:
- “I’m just lazy” (when your nervous system is actually shut down)
- “I’m just an angry person” (especially for men and some LGBTQ folks, depression shows up as irritability)
- “I’m just burnt out” (burnout and depression often overlap)
A formal diagnosis can be helpful for treatment and insurance, but you don’t have to diagnose yourself perfectly before reaching out. If you recognise yourself in this page, that’s enough reason to get support.
Evidence-Based Therapy for Depression
The most effective depression treatment usually combines psychotherapy with other supports, such as medication and lifestyle changes. Here’s how I work with depression in my practice.
Psychotherapy (Talk Therapy)
Good therapy is not just venting once a week. In depression therapy with me, we will:
- Map your symptoms, triggers, and patterns so they start to make sense
- Identify the stories you tell yourself about who you are and what you deserve
- Connect your current struggles to past experiences without getting stuck there
- Experiment with small, doable changes that gradually shift your daily life
My style is collaborative, direct, and compassionate. I won’t lecture you or give you clichés. We’ll build something that actually fits you.
EMDR for Trauma-Linked Depression
If your depression is tied to trauma, shame, or chronic invalidation, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can be especially helpful. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (such as guided eye movements or alternating taps) to help your brain reprocess stuck experiences so they’re less triggering in the present.
Clients often notice:
- Old memories feel less charged and less defining
- Self-blaming thoughts soften and shift
- More emotional space and access to genuine self-compassion
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a structured, evidence-based approach that focuses on the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. In CBT for depression, we might:
- Track automatic negative thoughts that deepen your depression
- Challenge all-or-nothing and catastrophising patterns
- Develop more balanced, reality-based ways of thinking
- Use behavioural activation — small, planned actions — to get you moving again
CBT can be especially powerful when combined with deeper trauma work and identity-affirming support.
Medication (Collaborative Care)
For some people, medication is an essential part of stabilising mood and energy. It may be especially important if you:
- Have moderate to severe depression
- Have bipolar disorder
- Have not improved with therapy alone
I don’t prescribe medication, but I regularly coordinate with psychiatrists and medical providers. If we decide together that a med evaluation could be useful, I’ll help you connect with a prescriber and integrate their recommendations into your overall treatment plan.
Light Therapy for Seasonal Depression
For Seasonal Affective Disorder (and some people with non-seasonal depression), light therapy can support your internal clock and energy levels. This usually means:
- Using a clinically appropriate light box for a set amount of time each morning
- Pairing light exposure with regular sleep and wake times
- Integrating it with psychotherapy and, when needed, medication
We’ll discuss if light therapy is appropriate for you and how to use it safely.
Lifestyle and Nervous System Support
When you’re depressed, “just exercise more and eat better” is infuriating advice. We’ll avoid the shame-y wellness talk and instead look at realistic shifts that support your nervous system, such as:
- Micro-changes in movement and daily structure that don’t overwhelm you
- Sleep routines that work with, not against, your body
- Reducing or reworking your relationship with alcohol or other substances
- Creating small rituals of connection, pleasure, or meaning — even on bad days
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s building a life that is more livable and less dominated by depression.
You don’t have to figure this out alone. Let’s take the first step together. Call so we can schedule a consultation.
Contact Jim Brillon for Depression Treatment in California
If you’re exhausted from feeling this way and scared nothing will change, you don’t have to figure it out alone. Working with an experienced depression therapist can give you structure, tools, and a real relationship that supports healing — not just survival.
I offer:
- In-person depression therapy in Orange County (Los Alamitos and Costa Mesa)
- Online depression therapy for adults anywhere in California
- LGBTQ-affirming, trauma-informed care that welcomes all parts of who you are
We’ll move at a pace that feels safe, but we will move. The first step is a conversation.
You don’t have to figure this out alone. Let’s take the first step together. Call so we can schedule a consultation.