Moving Beyond Depression Success Story

Lorena was referred to The Family Conservancy by her home visitor, after she shared that she was having regular thoughts of killing herself. As a single, teenage mother of a six-month old, Lorena was feeling defeated and hopeless. She was juggling two jobs with inconsistent schedules, arranging for both transportation to and from work and to stores for basic needs, and finagling last-minute child care with the sporadic help of her small support system.  

Lorena was hesitant to engage in therapy.  She had been in therapy twice, ending therapy each time because she felt misunderstood by her therapist. After meeting her prospective TFC therapist and learning more about the Moving Beyond Depression program, Lorena made the brave choice to give the program a try. On her initial screening, Lorena scored in the severe range for depressive symptoms. She reported feeling constantly tired and disinterested in doing things that she previously loved. She was weighed down by feelings that she had failed and had let herself and her daughter down. Life for Lorena felt unmanageable and irredeemable. 

While bogged down by these severe depression symptoms, Lorena still possessed innate strengths that brought about growth as the program progressed. Her eagerness to learn contributed to her regular completion of the goals she set with her therapist. Lorena learned the importance of caring for herself and ways to do so. Despite her chaotic schedule, she prioritized the practice of self-care, recognizing that doing so made her feel better about herself and, generally, more at peace. 

Slowly, her depression symptoms lessened to a level that enabled her to focus on her thoughts and their effect on her mood. Lorena discovered that her thoughts were often unfair to her, emphasizing the negative and overlooking the positive. Lorena worked with her therapist to strengthen her awareness of her thoughts and, subsequently, to reframe her thinking to be more balanced, accurate, and helpful. With the awareness that her thoughts are not always true, Lorena applied these restructuring techniques to her core negative belief of being unlovable. Using these behavioral and cognitive skills, Lorena achieved her primary goal of staying engaged in problem-solving in order to overcome her challenges — as opposed to reacting with intense, immobilizing emotions or to going numb and dissociating. 

Contrary to her previous experiences in therapy, Lorena successfully completed the MBD program, meeting all her goals for therapy – and more. At the program’s end, Lorena shared with pride all that she had accomplished. She no longer met criteria for Major Depressive Disorder. She had found happiness within herself. She now valued herself as a person. She felt wise and more connected to humanity. She had discovered a deeper purpose for her life. While financial stress is ongoing, and future obstacles are foreseen, Lorena communicated with confidence that she would overcome – for the sake of her child and herself.

 

Learn more about the Moving Beyond Depression program.