Depression Counseling in Austin, TX
Discover Hope Beyond the Darkness
Depression can feel like a fog over every part of your life — draining, isolating, hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t been there. Therapy helps you trace where the heaviness comes from and build real tools for relief, at a pace that respects how hard showing up already is.
4.9★
Average rating in our most recent client survey
15 years
Serving Austin since 2011
4,000+
Clients served
30 therapists
With varied licensure and levels of experience
Sarah Becker, LPC-A
Supervised by
Rosalie Piedra, LPC‑SI'm a big hobbyist — circus arts, rock climbing, and hands-on DIY.
Amy Nikitenko, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
I love camping with family, trekking the wilderness, and crafty DIY projects.
Jadese Jasper, Internship Student
Supervised by
Marla Sanderson, LMFT‑SI love meditation, music-filled dog walks, new recipes, and history rabbit holes.
JonTayé Bonds, LPC-S
Senior Therapist
I recharge with yoga, drawing, bullet journaling, and singing in the car.
Laurie Stevens-Beck, LPC-S
Senior Therapist
I can't start my day without grounding, a little yoga, and morning meditation.
Karla Chamberlain, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
I love reading, writing, gardening, cooking, nature walks, and caring for animals.
Amber Arellano, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Weekly dance, daily reading, and time in nature keep me grounded.
Teresa Gross, LPC
Senior Therapist
Yoga, meditation, and recharging in calm, quiet spaces keeps me grounded, grateful, and present.
Eleni Milliken, LPC-A
Supervised by
Colleen Bardelli, LPC‑SI recharge in nature with my dog, through movement and creative expression.
Sydney Loza, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
I work out almost every day — it keeps me sane (my husband agrees).
Jennifer Kirsten, LMSW
Supervised by
Gianna Viola, LCSW‑SI'm happiest swimming, hiking, cooking, or journaling in nature.
Craig Lesley, LPC-A
Supervised by
Laurie Stevens‑Beck, LPC‑SI'm happiest with my dogs, open-water swimming, grilling, and yoga.
Karla Corro, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
I love time with my three dogs and husband — hikes and road trips!
Brittany Tyrrell, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
A Massachusetts transplant who loves family, reading, baking, traveling, and the outdoors.
Looking for a therapist? We’ll help you find a perfect match.
Matcha is our matching tool. It’s free, there’s nothing to sign up for, and it takes about a minute.
- Narrow by insurance, availability, and how a therapist works
- Save the ones you want to come back to
- Or just describe what you’re going through, and let it find the fit
Understand the Weight
Depression works quietly — sapping motivation, dimming things you used to love, and telling you this is just who you are now. It isn’t. Recognizing the pattern is the first move. What we hear most often:
- Motivation that’s simply gone, even for things you loved
- Sleeping too much, too little, or never feeling rested
- A fog that makes small decisions feel enormous
- Withdrawing from people, then feeling worse for it
- Irritability or numbness where feelings used to be
- A harsh inner voice narrating all of it
Recognize this? Reach out — a short conversation with our team can tell you a lot, and reaching out is often the hardest step.
Take Gentle Steps Forward
We start with the root sources of the heaviness — past events, current stressors, or a mix — and set goals sized to where you actually are. Small, achievable steps rebuild confidence in a way willpower lectures never will.
What if I don’t have the energy for therapy?
That concern is depression talking — and we build for it. Sessions don’t require you to arrive articulate or motivated; showing up is the whole assignment at first, and telehealth from your couch counts.
Your therapist works with the energy you have, not the energy you wish you had. Early wins are deliberately tiny, because in depression, traction beats intensity every time.
Not sure you can commit? Ask for a call — no commitment needed to talk it through.
Develop Self-Compassion
Depression almost always travels with a harsh inner judge — the voice that calls exhaustion laziness and struggle weakness. We help you replace that self-judgment with kinder, more realistic views, releasing the guilt and shame that keep the fog thick.
This isn’t positive thinking on command. It’s learning to talk to yourself the way you’d talk to someone you love — a skill, practiced until it’s a habit.
Use Evidence-Based Tools
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness practices, behavioral activation, journaling — we use tools with research behind them to interrupt negative loops and lay down healthier pathways, matched to how your depression actually behaves.
Medication, therapy, or both?
It depends on your situation, and it’s your call. Therapy alone helps many people significantly; for moderate to severe depression, the research often favors combining it with medication prescribed by a physician or psychiatrist.
Our therapists don’t prescribe, but we’re glad to coordinate with your prescriber — or point you to one — and we’ll give you our honest read on what we’re seeing, either way.
Want to talk it through? Ask for a call.
Embrace Ongoing Progress
Recovery from depression is rarely a lightning bolt — it’s a gradual journey of steady growth. The fog thins, colors come back one at a time, and one day you notice you’re planning something you’re looking forward to. We walk that whole road with you.
We work with several insurance plans and offer clear self-pay rates — see Rates & Insurance, or get in touch and we’ll check your coverage before you begin.
The Depression Therapy Journey
From first call to light that lasts — here’s the whole arc, one step at a time.
1Reach out
Often the hardest step, so we keep it small: a short, low-pressure conversation. A few minutes, no commitment.
2Get matched
Matcha, our custom matching platform, pairs you with the therapist best suited to how your depression shows up — fit makes the fog lift faster.
3Understand the weight
Early sessions trace where the heaviness comes from — past events, current stressors, the stories in between — with zero judgment.
4Small steps, real traction
Tools and tiny wins, sized to your actual energy — because in depression, traction beats intensity every time.
5Light that lasts
We track progress together and say so when you’re ready — colors back, plans you look forward to, and skills that keep the fog from returning.
How We Treat Depression
Depression wears different faces, so your therapist draws from several evidence-based approaches and follows your lead.
Mindfulness-based therapy
Noticing dark thoughts without believing every word they say — a proven guard against relapse. Every AMC therapist is also a trained mindfulness teacher.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
The loops between thoughts, feelings, and actions — mapped and interrupted, so the spiral stops feeling inevitable.
Behavioral activation
Action before motivation — tiny, deliberate steps that restart the engine, because waiting to feel like it is depression’s favorite trap.
Self-compassion practices
Softening the inner judge that calls exhaustion laziness — releasing the guilt and shame that keep the fog thick.
Sleep, routine & body basics
Depression lives in the body too. We work on sleep, movement, and daily structure — the quiet foundations recovery is built on.
EMDR when loss or trauma feeds it
When depression is anchored to something that happened, EMDR helps the memory lose its weight — paced carefully, always with consent.
Find the right therapist for your depression
Choose whichever way feels easier. Scroll down to meet the AMC therapists who treat depression and request someone by name.
Or answer a few questions in Matcha, our custom AI-assisted matching tool, and we’ll suggest therapists whose experience and availability may fit your needs.
What our clients are saying about us
The breathing technique, being gentle to myself, and learning to recognize when I am not living in the present moment, among other coping skills my therapist has been teaching me have helped me tremendously with anxiety. She is easy to talk to, gentle, and listens without judgement. I am so thankful I found her and recommend her to everyone.