Low mood
Therapy for depression and low mood
Low mood is not a failure of willpower and it does not usually lift by being pushed through. Sessions are held over video, anywhere in India, in English or Hindi.
Free 15–20 minutes · Sessions from ₹1,200 · English or Hindi
What people describe
Depression is not always sadness. Very often it presents as flatness, and people arrive apologising for not having a reason.
- —Things you used to enjoy have stopped registering.
- —Everything takes more effort than it should, including small things.
- —You are functioning — work, family — and running on empty underneath it.
- —Sleep has changed, in either direction.
- —You are unusually harsh with yourself, in a voice you would never use on anyone else.
- —You feel guilty for feeling this way, because nothing bad has happened.
How the work goes
Depression maintains itself through withdrawal. Energy drops, so you do less; doing less removes the sources of reward and contact that lift mood; mood drops further. The spiral is slow enough that most people do not notice it happening.
Therapy works on both ends: re-establishing activity in a way that is actually achievable at low energy, and examining the beliefs that have hardened while you were depleted.
Starting from what is possible
Not an ambitious routine you will fail and feel worse about. Small, specific, achievable steps that rebuild momentum from where you actually are.
Looking at the internal commentary
Depression narrows thinking into a set of confident conclusions about yourself and the future. Examining them, rather than arguing with them, is much of the work.
Reconnecting with what mattered
Values and interests do not disappear during depression; access to them does. Restoring that access matters more than chasing happiness.
Understanding what set it off
Sometimes there is a clear cause, sometimes not. Either is workable, and the absence of a reason is not evidence that the depression is invalid.
What usually changes
- Mornings get less heavy.
- The self-critical voice gets quieter and less automatic.
- Things start registering again — slowly, and unevenly.
- You stop needing to justify how you feel.
- You recognise a downturn earlier next time, and respond to it differently.
As a counselling psychologist I do not diagnose or prescribe. For moderate to severe depression, medication alongside therapy frequently works better than therapy alone, and I will recommend a psychiatric assessment where I think it is warranted. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, please contact Tele-MANAS on 14416, KIRAN on 1800-599-0019, or emergency services on 112 — this is not a crisis service.
What it costs
- Discovery call, 15–20 minutes
- Free
- Single session, up to 60 minutes
- ₹1,200
- Three-session bundle
- ₹3,200
- Six-session bundle
- ₹6,000
Paid sessions are arranged after the discovery call. There is no obligation to book one.
Common questions
That is a fair question and not one to settle alone. A useful marker is duration and breadth: low mood most of the day, most days, for two weeks or more, affecting sleep, appetite, concentration and interest across your whole life rather than one part of it. A doctor can also exclude physical causes — thyroid problems, anaemia and vitamin deficiencies produce very similar symptoms.
No. Plenty of people who benefit from this work would not meet criteria for any diagnosis, and do not need one to start.
Yes, and the combination is often more effective than either alone. Tell me on the first call so I have the full picture, and keep your prescriber informed.
Typically 12 to 20 sessions, though it varies considerably with how long the low mood has been present and what is driving it. Early sessions often feel harder before they feel easier.
That is common and it is workable. You do not have to arrive with an account prepared. Sessions can start slowly, and difficulty speaking about it is itself something we can work with rather than an obstacle to starting.
Next step
The first conversation is free, and there is no obligation to book a session afterwards.
Fifteen to twenty minutes over video. You describe what has been going on, ask whatever you want to ask, and we both decide whether this is a fit.
Book a free discovery call