How do you evaluate a therapist’s ability to deal with depression?

More significantly, how do you evaluate a therapist’s ability to deal with your depression, because it’s not going to be the same as someone elses.

It’s important to understand that the goodness of fit between therapist and client is very personal and individual. The same therapist might have a lot of success with one person who’s depressed, and not much with another.

In short, you are going to have to judge for yourself, and this will require devoting some time, and checking in with yourself. You should ask yourself, “Do I feel relatively comfortable, safe and not judged with this therapist?” Do you feel listened to? Do they seem reliable and competent? If you can answer “yes” to all of those questions, you likely have found someone who can effectively work with you at reducing your symptoms of depression.

Keep in mind, therapy can be hard, and you may leave some sessions feeling worse then when you came in. Things often can get much worse before they get better, because it’s often necessary to discard dysfunctional coping mechanisms that you’ve relied on for most of your life. This can often result in leaving you feeling defenseless and sometimes without a stable sense of identity.

As painful as this may be, it’s an important stage that you must endure while you work on developing a new healthier foundation, and a new way of being in the world.