Depression Therapy in Orlando, FL | Chappell Counseling
Depression Therapy in Orlando, FL

Depression therapy for finding your way back to yourself.

If depression has settled in — the low energy, the flat mood, the sense that things that used to matter don't anymore — it can feel like you've disappeared from your own life. Depression isn't a character flaw or a lack of effort. Working with a therapist can help you understand what's happening underneath it, and start finding your way back.

Take a Quick Check-In
What It Can Feel Like

Depression shows up in more ways than sadness

Low energy or constant fatigue, trouble concentrating, sleeping too much or too little, loss of interest in things you used to enjoy, feeling worthless or overly self-critical, irritability, appetite changes, and a heaviness that makes even small tasks feel like a lot — depression often shows up as an absence as much as a feeling.

Self Check-In

The PHQ-9: a quick depression screening

The PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) is a short, widely used screening tool clinicians use to get a sense of how depression has shown up for you over the past two weeks. It's not a diagnosis — only a licensed clinician can provide that — but it's a useful, evidence-based starting point, and a helpful thing to bring into a first session.

Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following?

1. Little interest or pleasure in doing things
2. Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless
3. Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much
4. Feeling tired or having little energy
5. Poor appetite or overeating
6. Feeling bad about yourself, that you're a failure, or that you've let yourself or your family down
7. Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading or watching TV
8. Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could notice, or the opposite — being so fidgety or restless that you've been moving around a lot more than usual
9. Thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself in some way

Please answer all 9 questions to see your score.

Your Score

If you're having thoughts of harming yourself or feel unsafe, please reach out right away: call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), or go to your nearest emergency room.

The PHQ-9 is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. It was developed by Drs. Spitzer, Williams, Kroenke and colleagues. If your score is elevated, or depression is affecting your daily life, reaching out to a licensed therapist is a good next step.

Common Patterns

Types of depression I work with

  • Major Depressive DisorderA period of persistent low mood, loss of interest, and other symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks.
  • Persistent Depressive DisorderA lower-grade depression that lingers for two years or more, often mistaken for "just how I am."
  • Situational DepressionDepression triggered by a specific stressor or loss — a breakup, job change, grief, or major life transition.
  • High-Functioning DepressionDepression hidden behind a functioning exterior — showing up to work, meeting obligations — while privately feeling flat, exhausted, or numb.
What Contributes to Depression

Depression rarely comes from just one place

Sometimes it's loneliness — not necessarily being alone, but feeling like no one really gets what's going on with you. Sometimes it's discouragement, after trying for a long time and not seeing things change. Sometimes you just can't picture a path forward from where you are, and that alone is exhausting. And sometimes there's no clear reason at all — you've lost your sense of what any of it is for.

A lot of depression also shows up after loss. A relationship ending, a job you thought would last, a parent getting older, a version of your life you thought you'd have by now. That kind of depression isn't a malfunction — it's a pretty normal human response to something that mattered going away.

If any of this sounds familiar, you're not broken, and you're not behind. But if it's been sitting there for a while, or it's started running the show, it's worth talking to someone about.

My Approach

How I'll help you work through it

01

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

02

Person-Centered

03

Internal Family Systems Informed

04

Trauma Psychoeducation

Get Started

Book a session today.

Whether you're looking for short-term support or ongoing therapy, I'm happy to help you get started.

Request Appointment