--- title: "Depression therapy · California telehealth · depth-oriented" description: "Depression therapy across California via telehealth with Joshua Acosta-Duque, LCSW. 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Depth-oriented work with Joshua Acosta-Duque, LCSW. English & Español.", "url": "https://withlovewellnesstherapy.com/services/depression-therapy", "provider": { "@id": "https://withlovewellnesstherapy.com/#joshua" }, "areaServed": { "@type": "State", "name": "California" }, "serviceType": "Depression" }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is what I'm feeling 'real' depression?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The label matters less than the fact that something in you has gone quiet. We can figure out the shape of it together — you don't need a diagnosis to deserve the work." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "I've been on and off meds for years. Can therapy still help?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. Medication can lift the floor; depth work is what changes what's built on top of it." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How is this different from CBT alone?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "CBT is one of the tools I use. Depression usually has roots older than the current loop, so we do both — the interruption and the underlying repair." } } ] } ] --- [Skip to content](#main) [](/) [About](/about)[Approach](/approach) [Services](/services) [Who I work with](/who-i-work-with) [Insights](/insights)[Español](/es)[Contact](/contact) [Book a free call](/book) ![A single potted plant on a wooden sill against an overcast window](/assets/hero-depression-Bv5VFSfU.jpg) [All services](/services) 05 Depth work # Depression Not sad. Not lazy. Not broken. Just carrying something that hasn't had anywhere to go. What this actually is ## The long version. Depression rarely announces itself. Most people I work with describe it as flatness, distance, a low hum of not-quite-right that has become their baseline. You're still functioning. You're still getting through. And something underneath has gone quiet in a way that's beginning to cost you. This work doesn't try to talk you out of it or hurry you into feeling better. It listens for what the flatness is protecting you from feeling, and — slowly — makes room for what's underneath. Sound familiar? ## You might recognize — - Everything takes more effort than it should, including things you used to enjoy - You're going through the motions and no one around you can tell - Sleep and appetite are off — too much or too little - A quiet self-criticism you'd never speak out loud about anyone else - You've been 'fine' for so long you're not sure what better would even feel like How we work ## The work itself. We start by taking the story of it seriously — not just the symptoms. Psychodynamic work to understand what depression has been doing for you, CBT and behavioral activation to interrupt the loops that keep it in place, and EMDR when older grief or trauma is sitting underneath it. If medication belongs in the conversation, we talk about a good psychiatry referral. This is not a mood-fix; it's a return to feeling like a person. [Book your free 15-min call](/contact) [See full approach ](/approach) FAQ ## Questions people actually ask. Is what I'm feeling 'real' depression? The label matters less than the fact that something in you has gone quiet. We can figure out the shape of it together — you don't need a diagnosis to deserve the work. I've been on and off meds for years. Can therapy still help? Yes. Medication can lift the floor; depth work is what changes what's built on top of it. How is this different from CBT alone? CBT is one of the tools I use. Depression usually has roots older than the current loop, so we do both — the interruption and the underlying repair. Related services ## Where this work often overlaps . [ Primary focus Anxiety & chronic stress Primary focus. EMDR, DBT, and CBT for the version of you that looks fine and feels wrecked. Read more ](/services/anxiety-therapy)[ Specialization Burnout & high-achiever therapy For people who look fine on paper and are quietly running on empty. Read more ](/services/burnout-therapy)[ Depth work Grief & loss For the part no one around you seems to know how to sit with. Read more ](/services/grief-therapy) ## Ready to actually work on this? [Book your free 15-min call ](/contact) With Love Wellness Center Depth-oriented therapy across California. Sessions in English & Español. Telehealth-only practice. Begin [Book your free 15-min call](/contact) In a crisis or emergency, call or text [988](tel:988) or [911](tel:911). Services - [All services](/services) - [EMDR therapy](/services/emdr-therapy) - [Anxiety & chronic stress](/services/anxiety-therapy) - [Trauma & PTSD](/services/trauma-ptsd-therapy) - [Relationship & attachment patterns](/services/relationship-therapy) - [Depression](/services/depression-therapy) - [Substance use, recovery & codependency](/services/substance-use-therapy) - [Burnout & high-achiever therapy](/services/burnout-therapy) - [Life transitions](/services/life-transitions-therapy) - [Grief & loss](/services/grief-therapy) - [Men's issues](/services/mens-therapy) Who I work with - [Overview](/who-i-work-with) - [Latino/a/x adults](/who-i-work-with/latino-therapy) - [LGBTQ+ adults](/who-i-work-with/lgbtq-therapy) - [Veterans & first responders](/who-i-work-with/veterans-therapy) - [High achievers](/who-i-work-with/high-achievers) Serving California - [California online therapy](/california-online-therapy) - [Los Angeles](/california/los-angeles) - [Orange County](/california/orange-county) - [San Diego](/california/san-diego) - [San Francisco](/california/san-francisco) - [San Jose](/california/san-jose) - [Sacramento](/california/sacramento) Insights - [All insights](/insights) - [High-functioning anxiety](/insights/high-functioning-anxiety) - [When therapy didn't work](/insights/when-therapy-didnt-work) - [Are my problems bad enough?](/insights/are-my-problems-bad-enough) - [Perfectionism & anxiety](/insights/perfectionism-and-anxiety) - [Can't think your way out](/insights/why-you-cant-think-your-way-out) Practice - [About Joshua](/about) - [Approach](/approach) - [Rates & insurance](/rates) - [Reviews](/reviews) - [Contact](/contact) En Español - [Inicio](/es) - [Sobre mí](/es/sobre-mi) - [Terapia de ansiedad](/es/terapia-de-ansiedad) - [Terapia de trauma](/es/terapia-de-trauma) - [Contacto](/es/contacto) With Love Wellness Center · Telehealth across California · sessions in English & Español. Individual results vary; therapy outcomes are not guaranteed. This website is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for clinical care. Website by [Automaus.ai](https://automaus.ai) © 2026 With Love Wellness Center · Joshua Acosta-Duque, LCSW · CA LCSW #121584