Therapy for Depression in Edinburgh

What depression feels like

Depression is more than sadness. You might feel flat, hollow, or exhausted in a way that sleep doesn’t fix. Things that once interested you may feel distant or pointless. You may go through the motions of your life without really feeling present.

Some people describe depression as heaviness. Others experience it as numbness — a strange absence of emotion and sensation where these things used to be. Whatever form your depression takes, when you are inside it, it can be hard to ever imagine feeling different again. The world narrows, and the future can feel very flat.

Depression often comes hand in hand with self-criticism: this might be the sense that you should be coping better, that other people are managing things that you can’t, or that something is fundamentally wrong with you. This inner voice is part of the depression — though it’s easy to take it as truth.

When therapy might help

One of the difficult things about depression is that it can make seeking help feel pointless. This hopelessness is itself a symptom of depression — though it doesn’t always feel like one. Too often it simply feels like the truth.

It may be worth considering therapy if:

• You’ve felt low, flat, or empty for weeks or months rather than days
• Things you used to enjoy no longer hold interest or pleasure for you
• You’re getting through the day but feel disconnected from the people and things around you
• You’re withdrawing from others, not because you want to be alone, but because you don’t have the energy to be around other people
• You have a persistent feeling that something is wrong, that you’re broken or deficient in some way
• You’ve experienced loss — a bereavement, a relationship ending, a change in health or circumstances — which has led to a sadness that hasn’t lifted

You don’t need to be in crisis, and you don’t need to have reached rock bottom. You’ll be the best judge of when things have got out of place in your life and when you need to ask for help.

How therapy helps

Depression often has roots in experiences that are very hard to talk about. Losses that were not fully grieved. Anger that had nowhere to go. Relationships that left you feeling unseen or unloved. Therapy gives you somewhere to bring these things where they can be explored without pressure and without judgement.

I work from both psychodynamic and person-centred frameworks. In psychodynamic work, we pay attention to patterns — how your depression tends to arrive, what triggers it, and what stories you’ve come to tell yourself about your depression and your self-worth. Often these stories made sense at the time they arose. They may have helped you understand a disorientating situation, or may simply have been the only response available. What is clear is that they no longer fit the life you lead now. Carrying them, and trying to live by them, has become its own burden. Understanding where they came from is the first step to holding them differently.

Person-centred therapy contributes something different: the experience of being received as you are, without conditions. Depression often involves a deep sense of feeling unacceptable — the thought that you are too much, or not enough. The therapeutic relationship itself can begin to challenge that belief, not through argument, but through sustained, genuine contact with someone who listens and cares.

Depression isn’t a problem that is fixed quickly. It often takes time to develop, and the work of tackling it can take time too. But the therapeutic process doesn’t need to be grim. Many people find that being listened to carefully — by someone who isn’t frightened by what they hear — can itself be a great relief. I want the room to feel like a place where you don’t have to perform being well. Paradoxically, that permission, over time, may help you feel better.

What a course of therapy might look like

The shape of therapy for depression is different from therapy for anxiety. Where anxiety tends to present itself loudly, depression can be quiet — and the early sessions often reflect that. You may not know what to say. You may feel that what you’re bringing isn’t significant enough. That’s fine. The work begins wherever you are.

In the first few weeks, much of what happens may simply be about being heard. You don’t need to perform insight or arrive with a clear account of what’s wrong. This is something we can work on together. I’ll be listening for what’s present in our sessions and for what’s left out — what you’re able to feel, what you’re not, and what might be happening underneath the surface.

Over time, the work tends to deepen. We may begin to look at how you relate to your own needs — whether you feel able to express them, whether you expect them to be met, and what happens when they’re not. We may explore your earlier experiences: family dynamics, losses, and pivotal moments where something important went unrecognised or unexplained. These experiences shape what depression looks like in the present, and understanding them often makes things more legible and more bearable.

Gradually something may begin to shift. It may not be dramatic. (It might not be like therapy in the movies). But you might notice that you are able to care about something that you’d previously stopped caring about. You might find yourself angry where before you only felt flat. Anger in this context is often a good sign: it means something matters again. The return of feeling, even difficult feelings, is often the first real sign of change.

What you might bring

Depression takes many forms. You don’t need a diagnosis, and you don’t need to be in crisis. Common experiences include:

• Persistent low mood or a feeling of emptiness
• Loss of interest in things that used to matter
• Fatigue, difficulty concentrating, or poor sleep
• Withdrawal from friends, family, or social life
• Self-criticism, guilt, or a sense of worthlessness
• Feeling stuck — unable to move forward but unsure why
• Grief or loss that hasn’t resolved

If any of this sounds familiar, therapy may help. I’m not looking to fit you into a clinical category. I am interested in your experience of your life.

What to expect

We will meet weekly for 50 minutes, in person in Edinburgh’s New Town or online. I work from a consulting room on Drumsheugh Gardens, in a quiet building a few minutes’ walk from the West End and Princes Street. If you’d rather work online, sessions are by secure video call, available across Scotland and the UK.

Sessions are conversational. You don’t need to prepare anything or know what to say. Some weeks you’ll have a lot to bring; other weeks, less. Both are part of the work.

I understand that depression can make starting anything feel difficult — including therapy. If you’re unsure, I offer a free 20-minute online consultation. We can talk about what’s happening and you can ask any questions. There’s no obligation after this call to begin regular work together.

I’m not a doctor and can’t prescribe medication. If you feel that medication might be helpful for you then I would suggest speaking with your GP. Many people pursue therapy alongside a course of antidepressants, and for some this combination proves more effective than either course in isolation.

Frequently asked questions

• Can I have therapy for depression while taking antidepressants?

  Yes. Many people pursue therapy alongside medication, and research suggests this combination is often more effective than either approach alone. Therapy and antidepressants work very differently. Medication alleviates symptoms by altering brain chemistry. Therapy meanwhile explores the experiences and patterns which underlie your low mood. I’m not a doctor and can’t advise on medication, but I’m happy to work alongside your GP’s treatment plan.

• What if I don’t know why I’m depressed?

  That’s common, and it’s not a problem. You don’t need to arrive with a clear explanation of what’s wrong. Depression may not have a single identifiable cause — it can build gradually from experiences, relationships, and losses that are hard to pin down. Part of what therapy can do is to help make sense of what feels senseless. We’ll start wherever you are.

• How do I know if I’m depressed or just going through a difficult time?

  The line between these two states isn’t always clear, and it may not need to be. If you’ve felt low, flat, or disconnected for weeks rather than days, and it’s affecting how you live your life, that’s worth paying attention to — whether or not it meets a clinical definition. I’m not a doctor and I don’t exclusively work with those who have a formal diagnosis. Often, a sense that something isn’t right is enough.

• How long does therapy for depression usually take?

  It depends on the person and the depth of what you’re working through. Some people notice a shift within a few months; others find that longer-term work is what allows lasting change. Depression that has been present for years often connects to patterns laid down much earlier in life, and understanding these patterns takes time. We’ll check in regularly about how the work is going and whether it feels useful.

• What happens in therapy for depression if I don’t feel like talking?

  That’s okay. Depression can make it hard to find words, hard to concentrate, hard to feel that anything is worth saying. You don’t need to arrive with prepared material. Sometimes the most important sessions are the ones where little is said. Sometimes a session of silence may be followed by a session of intense conversation. I’m comfortable with silence, and I won’t push you to talk before you’re ready. Part of the work is simply being present with another person who isn’t trying to fix you or cheer you up.

• Can therapy make depression worse before it gets better?

  This can happen, yes. The reason is that therapy involves turning toward difficult feelings rather than away from them — and that can feel uncomfortable, particularly in the early stages. Some people find that allowing themselves to feel things they’ve been suppressing temporarily intensifies their low mood. If this happens we’ll talk about how to manage it, and we’ll work at a pace that feels right. A downturn isn’t necessarily a sign that therapy isn’t working; it may be a sign that something real is being touched. I’ll tell you what I think is happening throughout, but what we discuss and how fast we go will always be your decision.

• Is depression something that can be fully resolved, or will I always have it?

  There’s no simple answer. Some people experience a single episode of depression that resolves and doesn’t return. Others find it recurs at different points in their lives — often during periods of stress, change, or loss. One thing therapy can offer is a clearer understanding of your own patterns: what tends to trigger low mood, what sustains it, and what helps you move through it. That understanding doesn’t guarantee that depression won’t return, but it does mean you’re better placed to recognise it earlier and respond differently. It also allows deeper exploration of what might connect seemingly separate depressive episodes.

About this page

Written by Tom Wells, MBACP, COSCA. Last reviewed April 2026.

Trained at the University of Edinburgh (PGDip Counselling and Psychotherapy). Registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (profile on the BACP register) and with Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA).

Scope of practice: adults aged 18 and over; individual therapy only. I do not offer couples therapy, EMDR, formal diagnosis, or medication; where any of these would serve you better, I am glad to point you towards them.