Depression Therapy in New Jersey
Colleen Makowsky offers depression therapy for adults across New Jersey — practical, evidence-based, by secure video.
Depression therapy at Colleen Makowsky LPC can help clients experiencing low mood, low energy, disconnection, flat affect, and difficulty functioning in daily life. Therapy aims to target the cause-and reduce the symptoms.
Colleen Makowsky offers depression therapy in New Jersey
Most people with depression are showing up — to work, to relationships, to daily life — but everything weighs more than it should. Depression therapy is about understanding what’s causing the low, not just managing it, and learning skills to lift it.
Persistent depressive disorder — when it’s been the baseline for years
Chronic low mood lasting two-plus years (formerly “dysthymia”). Often pre-dates any acute trigger. People describe it as “this is just how I am” or “I’ve been this way as long as I can remember.” CBT challenges the assumption that this is identity rather than biology or behavior; ACT works on movement in the directions you value despite the mood-until it catches up.
Situational depression — when something specific triggered it
Depression following a discrete event: job loss, breakup, diagnosis, move, identity shift, parenting transition. The depressed mood is a response to the situation, not a permanent state — though it can become persistent if the underlying loss isn’t resolved. SFBT-behavioral activation can jump start change in the right direction.
Perinatal-postpartum depression
Depression in the early months (or year-plus) after childbirth. Hormonal shift, chronic sleep deprivation, identity reorganization, isolation. Colleen works with the adult — not the child. The work covers mood, identity, return-to-self, and the experience of caregiving while running on empty. Specialized infant-bonding work is referred-out to a colleague.
Chronic low mood and anhedonia — the flat version of depression
No clear sadness, just dimness. Loss of interest in things you used to enjoy. Difficulty caring. Difficulty starting anything. Behavioral activation — a CBT/ACT intervention — can help: moving the body before the mood catches up, in 15-minute commitments instead of heroic overhauls.
Grief-adjacent depression — when loss became depression
Grief that became something more. Bereavement, divorce, role loss, identity loss. If grief is the primary symptom, visit the grief and loss page ; if depression is the dominant symptom — the flatness, the loss of motivation, the loss of meaning — depression therapy can help.
Three approaches to reduce depression
Depression therapy aims to break the cognitive loop, increase the motivation system, and clarify valuest. The three approaches below can help clients with depression improve their mental health. Colleen blends them session-to-session based on individual needs.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
For the thought loops that fuel low mood — “nothing will change,” “I’m the problem,” “what’s the point.” CBT tests the prediction against what actually happens, untangles the cognitive distortion, and builds practical responses you can use when the loop is on auto pilot. Strong evidence base for depression, especially situational and persistent presentations.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT works on accepting what you cannot change — identifying what you value, taking small steps toward finding meaning, even when the energy isn’t there. Good fit for chronic low mood, anhedonia, and depression that’s resistant to “just think positive” framing.
Behavioral activation
Not a separate modality — it’s a CBT/ACT intervention that often accompanies treatment. The principle: act first, motivation follows. Small concrete moves (a walk, a call, a meal) interrupt the depressive cycle. Builds in 15-minute commitments, not heroic overhauls. Particularly useful for anhedonia and low-motivation depression.
Depression and anxiety co-occur often; if both are showing up, we start with the one most interfering with daily life. If trauma is underneath the depression, visit the trauma therapy page — including information about Colleen’s training.
Colleen’s uses evidence-based therapy to treat depression
CBT and behavioral activation have decades of evidence for treatment of depression
APA Division 12 lists CBT as a first-line evidence-based treatment for major depressive disorder. Behavioral activation has strong meta-analytic support across persistent and situational presentations — sometimes outperforming more complex protocols. Colleen uses : cognitive work to break negative thought loops, behavioral activation when the motivation system is low.
Action combats depression more than insight. Insight helps you understand the cause; action lifts it.
Depression lives in the body and the thoughts
When motivation is low, talking about it doesn’t always solely raise it. Taking small concrete actions — within the limit of what’s actually possible can help one remember “doing matters.” Colleen meets you at the energy level you have, and addresses both the body and the mind in therapy sessions to reduce depression.
Start with what you can change today, and keep building on it.
Short-term focus, ongoing flexibility
Most depression therapy sessions span three to twelve months. Some clients report symptoms resolved in a few months. Sometimes sessions span longer periods for relapse prevention or to address more severe concerns causing the low mood. Therapy is tailored to clients’ individual needs.
Good therapy is practical. You should leave each session with something you can use — not just insight that stays in the room.
How we start — your first three steps
Reach out
Open the secure intake form or call (917) 519-8447. It takes about a minute, and we’ll set up your free 15-minute consultation from there.
15-minute consultation
We get on the phone for fifteen minutes. You tell me what’s bringing you in, what you’ve tried, and I tell you how I can help. If I cannot help, I’ll point you in a useful direction. No charge. No pressure.
First session, then ongoing work
Sessions run 38 to 53 minutes, by secure video, weekly to start. Depression therapy typically spans three to twelve months — it varies by individual. You should notice change in the first 3-4 sessions.
WHAT A SESSION LOOKS LIKE
What a depression therapy session actually looks like
Practical sessions, by secure video. Here’s what a depression session actually covers — and what you leave with.
About depression
Depression rarely has one cause. It has roots — childhood scars, stress accumulation, biology, and difficult circumstances from life experience. Identifying the origin determines how you resolve it.
Family-of-origin patterns — how feelings were experienced when growing up
Depression often runs in families partly because of genetics, partly because of learned behaviors. The household that didn’t talk about feelings, the parent who modeled persistent low mood, the family that viewed emotions as an inconvenience — the patterns repeat. Identifying them, and choosing differently, is part of the work.
Long stretches of unmanaged stress
Depression sometimes increases quietly due to years of pressure without relief — caregiving, career, financial precarity, chronic illness. Depression can be an indicator of exhaustion. Learning to regulate/prioritize, and practice self care is necessary for healthy functioning.
Postpartum and hormonal windows
The months after childbirth carry biological risk for depression in adults. Sleep deprivation, hormonal shifts, identity reorganization, isolation — all compound. Specialized infant-bonding work will be referred out.
Grief that became depression
Sometimes grief doesn’t lift — it converts into a persistent low-mood. Visit the grief and loss page for information on bereavement; if depression is the main symptom — flat affect, loss of motivation, loss of meaning, therapy for depression can help.
Identity or role loss without a replacement
Job loss, divorce, empty nest, retirement, immigration, transition out of a long-held identity. When a role disappears and nothing has filled the space it occupied, depression often occurs. SFBT can help clients identify and begin the next chapter.
It might be time to reach out if…
Most people struggle too long — partly because are stuck in a loop believing nothing will help. The signs that indicate counseling can help usually look like this.
If you experience two or three of these scenarios, schedule a 15-minute consultation to see if Colleen can help.
Colleen Makowsky offers depression therapy across New Jersey
Colleen Makowsky
MA · LPC · NCC · CCTP · CAIMHP
Licensed counselor in Fort Lee, NJ. Adults and couples across all of New Jersey by secure video.
MA in Community Counseling, Montclair State University.
Trauma-informed (CCTP) · CBT · ACT · behavioral activation for depression work.
OUR LOCATION
Online counseling across New Jersey
I’m a service-area provider — I work with adults and couples statewide by secure video. My base is Fort Lee, NJ (Bergen County), but you can see me from anywhere in New Jersey.
Hours
By appointment
Weekdays and weekends
Morning, afternoon, evening
Phone
(917) 519-8447
EXPLORE OTHER SERVICES
Types of therapy
Anxiety Therapy · Trauma Therapy · Grief & Loss Counseling · Self-Esteem & Life Transitions · Individual Therapy
Depression therapy FAQ
What does insurance cover?
Colleen accepts Aetna, Cigna/Evernorth, Optum/UnitedHealthcare/Oxford, Horizon BCBS NJ, Oscar, Medicare, and most EAPs. Out-of-network superbill available on request. Medicaid is not accepted. See the insurance and cost page for carrier-by-carrier specifics.
How long are sessions?
Sessions run 38 to 53 minutes, occasionally 60 minutes if needed.
How long does depression therapy take?
Three to twelve months is the standard frame, it varies by individual need. Some people report reduced symptoms after a few months. Others stay longer for relapse prevention or to address persistent patterns/further exploration of underlying causes.
Do you prescribe antidepressants?
No. Colleen is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) who provides talk therapy. Colleen can refer you to a psychiatric medication provider to explore medication options alongside therapy. With your consent, Colleen will coordinate with the prescriber.
I have depression AND anxiety — do I have to work on one first?
No. Depression and anxiety co-occur often. We start with the most severe symptoms that are interfering with daily life; the other symptoms usually start to lift simultaneously as treatment overlaps. — CBT and ACT address both.
I’m in the postpartum window — can you work with me?
Yes. Colleen works with adults in the perinatal/postpartum window experiencing depression: low mood, identity shift, isolation, sleep deprivation, return-to-self, and caregiving work. For specialized infant-bonding work Colleen refers out.
What if therapy hasn’t worked for me before?
That’s common and worth talking about on a consultation. Maybe the fit was off, maybe the modality wasn’t right, maybe it was not the right time. Colleen asks what you’ve tried to avoid repetition.
RELATED SPECIALTIES
Anxiety Therapy in NJ · Grief & Loss Counseling in NJ · Self-Esteem & Life Transitions in NJ
READY TO START?
Schedule your free 15-minute consultation
If the sadness persists, schedule a 15-minute consultation to see if Colleen can help.