Depression therapy · Indianapolis · Online in Indiana & Florida
Depression Therapy in Indianapolis
When everything feels harder than it should.
Depression does not always look like lying in bed unable to function. Sometimes it does. But sometimes you're still working, parenting, answering emails, making dinner, showing up for people, and wondering why every ordinary thing suddenly requires an unreasonable amount of effort.
You may feel sad. Or you may not feel much of anything. Numb, irritable, disconnected, exhausted, or just less like yourself all count.
In person in Broad Ripple, Indianapolis · Online across Indiana · Florida with Jill and Christie
Adults, young adults and teens
Three therapists, different strengths. Teens see Jenny; here's how teen therapy works.
In person or online
Broad Ripple office (directions) or video anywhere in Indiana. Florida residents can see Jill or Christie.
Therapy that changes something
Insight is lovely. Eventually it should help you do something differently. We'll tell you what we're noticing.
Depression doesn't always look the way people expect
"I'm functioning. So can I really be depressed?"
Yes. One of the reasons depression goes untreated for so long is that people imagine it has to look dramatic. You can have depression and still get out of bed. Still laugh. Still have a career, a good marriage, children who love you, and feel profoundly unlike yourself.
You don't need every item on the right. And you don't have to wait until your life falls apart before getting help.
Those two sentences are not a reason to wait. They're a symptom.
- Everything taking considerably more effort than it used to
- Losing interest in things you used to enjoy, including sex
- Pulling away from friends, family, or your partner
- Feeling flat or numb rather than sad
- Sleeping much more, or much less, and tired either way
- Decisions and concentration feeling strangely difficult
- Irritability, or far less patience than usual
- Guilt, harsh self-criticism, hopelessness about things changing
- Going through the motions without feeling present
- Feeling like you "should" be able to handle this
Recognize a few of these? Fifteen minutes is a reasonable next step.
Schedule a free consultationThere is more than one way to experience depression
What kind of depression are we actually treating?
"Depression" describes a group of symptoms, not the whole story. Two people can meet the same criteria and need very different things from therapy. Treating the wrong problem exceptionally well is still treating the wrong problem.
Major depression
Persistent low mood or loss of interest, sleep and appetite changes, fatigue, trouble concentrating, worthlessness or guilt, and a sense that normal life requires enormous effort. For some people it comes once; for others it recurs. Your pattern shapes the plan.
How long does depression last? →High-functioning depression
You might not look depressed. That's part of what makes it hard. You work, take care of your family, pay the bills, respond when someone needs you, and privately think, "Why does everything feel this hard?" Being functional doesn't mean you're well, and being able to push through doesn't mean you should have to indefinitely.
Burnout, overwhelm, or depression?
Exhausted, cynical, detached, unmotivated, emotional battery at 4% for several months. Sometimes it's hard to tell where burnout ends and depression begins. Sorting out which one you're dealing with, or whether it's both plus a life transition, is part of the first few sessions.
After loss or a major life change
Death, divorce, betrayal, infertility, retirement, kids leaving, a diagnosis, the future you expected not arriving. Grief and depression overlap, and big changes expose questions that were easier to ignore when life was busy: Who am I now? Why am I not happier than I am?
Grief therapy →Connected to trauma
Shut down, disconnected, ashamed, numb after experiences that overwhelmed your ability to cope. When that's the root, challenging negative thoughts doesn't reach it. Treatment may include trauma-focused work or EMDR.
Trauma & EMDR therapy →Tangled up with a relationship
Depression affects relationships and relationships affect depression. You get quieter, more irritable, less affectionate, less interested in sex, more likely to withdraw. Individual therapy helps you understand what's happening and say it out loud; sometimes couples work is the better door.
Couples counseling →What treatment actually looks like
Depression therapy should involve more than talking about how depressed you feel.
Talking matters. Feeling understood matters. Having somewhere you don't have to pretend you're fine matters. But eventually therapy should help something change. We want to know what is maintaining the depression, and where we actually have leverage.
Understand the pattern
When did this start? What makes it worse, and what makes it slightly better? When you feel low, do you isolate, stay in bed, cancel plans, scroll, drink more, work more, or wait until you "feel motivated" before doing anything?
The things we understandably do when depressed usually bring short relief while quietly making the depression stronger.
Rebuild momentum
Depression says: wait until you feel better, then do things. The nervous system works in the opposite direction. Behavioral activation reintroduces activity, connection, pleasure, accomplishment, movement and structure, in steps small enough to survive a bad week.
Examine the story
Depression makes thoughts sound like facts. Nothing is going to change. I'm failing. Everyone else handles life better than I do. CBT helps you notice the patterns, test them against what's actually true, and change how much authority you give them. The goal isn't positive thinking. It's more accurate, more useful thinking.
Reduce the shame
Some people carry depression alongside a brutally harsh inner voice. You aren't tired, you're lazy. You didn't make a mistake, you're a failure. Therapy helps you tell accountability from shame and build a relationship with yourself that is considerably less cruel.
Connection matters
Depression pulls people inward.
You stop answering texts. Cancel plans. Talk less. Have less energy for your partner. Feel guilty that you aren't more engaged. And then you're even more alone, which depression counts as evidence.
Therapy helps you rebuild connection, tell the people around you what is actually happening, and stay in contact without performing cheerful. A treatment plan might include better sleep, reconnecting with things you used to enjoy, improving how you talk with your partner or family, and learning your early warning signs so the next dip is shorter.
Treatment should evolve as you do. We want to know not just whether you understand yourself better, but whether your actual life is starting to feel different.
Who you'd see
Three therapists. Different strengths. Pick the fit.
All three of us treat depression. Which of us is right depends on what the depression is tangled up with, and on who you're bringing: yourself, a teenager, a family, or a marriage.
Jenny Staats, LMSW
Teens, young adults, adults · Indiana
The fit when depression comes with ADHD, anxiety, overwhelm, trauma, or a transition that pulled the floor out: college, a first job, a move. Warm, practical, and allergic to vague plans.
Meet Jenny →Christie Jansing, LCSW
Adults, parents, families · Indiana & Florida online · Accepts insurance · Waitlisted
The fit when depression sits alongside trauma, parenting stress, family conflict, or midlife changes, including the emotional side of perimenopause. Thoughtful, grounded, relational.
Meet Christie →Jill Frame, LMFT, CST
Adults, couples · Indiana & Florida online
The fit when depression is wrapped around a relationship, a loss, an affair, or sex and intimacy going quiet. Direct, curious, and willing to tell you what she's noticing. Also the one writing this.
Meet Jill →55 minutes, usually weekly to start, then reassessed based on how you're doing.
6229 Indianola Ave, Broad Ripple (directions and parking), or online across Indiana. Carmel, Fishers, Zionsville and Brownsburg are a short drive.
Christie accepts insurance; Jenny and Jill are out-of-network and provide superbills. Current fees for each are on the Fees & FAQ page.
A free 15-minute phone consultation. Not sure who to choose? Say so; that's what the call is for.
We don't prescribe. We coordinate with your physician or psychiatrist when that's useful, with your permission.
Our depression articles, including how long depressive episodes last.
Who we work with
Depression doesn't belong to one age group.
Adults. Maybe this is the first time. Maybe it's come and gone for years. Or maybe you're functioning perfectly well on paper while privately thinking: surely life isn't supposed to feel like this much work.
Young adults. Your twenties: enormous freedom plus the constant suspicion that everyone else received instructions you somehow missed. College, careers, money, dating, identity. Depression shows up as withdrawal, stalled motivation, disrupted sleep, or feeling stuck while everyone else seems to be moving.
Teens. Rarely obvious sadness. More often irritability, sleeping constantly, grades dropping, quitting activities, pulling away, or simply not seeming like themselves. Teen therapy helps sort out what's happening and makes a plan the teen and the family can both live with.
Questions, answered
Questions about depression therapy
How do I know whether I'm actually depressed?
Depression can be persistent sadness, but it's just as often loss of interest, fatigue, irritability, withdrawal, sleep changes, trouble concentrating, guilt, or simply not feeling like yourself. If it's lasted a few weeks or is affecting your work, relationships, sleep or ability to enjoy anything, talking to a therapist is reasonable.
You don't have to determine whether you "qualify" before making the appointment. A screening questionnaire is useful; it's not the same as a clinical assessment, which also looks at how long this has been going on, previous episodes, sleep and physical health, medications and hormonal changes, grief, trauma, stress, substance use, and whether ADHD or anxiety is in the mix.
How long does depression last?
There's no universal timeline. It depends on the type and severity, what's happening in your life, previous episodes, physical health, and whether you get treatment. Some episodes lift in months; others last considerably longer. Having been depressed a long time does not mean you'll always feel this way.
How long does depression last? → and How long do depressive episodes last? →
Will it go away on its own?
Sometimes. But "it might eventually go away" is not much of a treatment plan. Untreated depression can run for months and affect relationships, work, physical health, and quality of life while you wait. Effective treatments exist. You don't need to wait until things are severe.
What type of therapy works for depression?
Several approaches have good evidence: CBT, behavioral activation, interpersonal work, mindfulness-based approaches, and trauma-focused therapy or EMDR when trauma is part of the picture. Medication helps some people, alone or alongside therapy. The right mix depends on the person, not just the diagnosis.
Do I need medication?
Not necessarily. Some people improve with therapy alone; others benefit from medication; many do best with both. We don't prescribe, but we'll tell you honestly if we think a conversation with a prescriber would help, and coordinate with your physician or psychiatrist with your permission.
How long will I need therapy?
It depends on what you're working on. A first episode tied to a specific stressor needs something different from recurrent depression plus trauma, ADHD, grief or a long-running relationship problem. We start with enough consistency to build momentum, then reassess. The goal isn't therapy forever. The goal is therapy that's actually useful.
Is this depression or burnout? Do I need to know before I come in?
No. Start with what you've noticed. Sorting out whether it's depression, chronic stress, burnout, grief, anxiety, ADHD, a transition, or several of those is part of the assessment, not a prerequisite for it.
Do you offer online depression therapy?
Yes, by video anywhere in Indiana with any of us, and in Florida with Jill or Christie (how that works). Online therapy works well for most people with depression, and on the days when getting dressed, driving somewhere, and making waiting-room conversation feel like three extra tasks you didn't request, it can be the difference between coming and cancelling. You need a private spot; a parked car counts. If you're not sure your setup works, ask on the consult call.
Do you take insurance?
Christie accepts insurance and currently has a waitlist. Jenny and Jill are out-of-network and provide a superbill you can submit for possible reimbursement; your plan decides how much. Current fees and payment details are on the Fees & FAQ page.
How do I pick a therapist?
Read the three cards above and go with your gut, or use the free 15-minute call to describe what's going on and let us tell you who fits. Jenny for teens and the ADHD/anxiety overlap; Christie for trauma, parenting and family stress, and insurance; Jill when the depression lives inside a relationship, a loss, or an affair.
You don't have to be miserable enough
You're allowed to get help before everything falls apart.
There's a peculiar thing people do with depression.
I still have a job.
My marriage isn't terrible.
I should be grateful.
I should be able to handle this.
None of those answer the question that actually matters:
If you're functioning but miserable, that matters. If you've stopped feeling like yourself, that matters. If everything feels harder than it should, that matters too. Come as the person who actually needs the appointment.
Schedule a free 15-minute consultationIn person in Broad Ripple · Online in Indiana & Florida · Fees on the Fees & FAQ page