Depression Therapy in Los Angeles

Depression often arrives as flatness: less motivation, a heaviness, a distance from a life that looks fine from outside. When it's been there long enough, it can start to read as a trait, as simply who someone is. As a depression therapist in Los Angeles, I work to find what's driving it. I see clients in person in Northeast Los Angeles, serving Altadena, Pasadena, Highland Park, and Downtown LA, and online across California.

Presentation

Depression can show up as fatigue, irritability, numbness, broken sleep, a loss of interest in what used to matter. It runs from acute to a low, steady baseline. However it presents, it's treatable across that range.

A depth approach

Symptom relief is part of the work; and depression usually carries word of something unresolved, a loss, an inherited pattern, the long cost of holding oneself to an impossible standard. The orientation is psychodynamic. Our work looks at what the depression is tied to and brings it into view, where it can move. It's somatic and body-centered as well, because depression settles in the body, in low energy and heaviness and disconnection, and that responds to direct attention.

Common focus areas

• Numbness, flatness, or a stuck quality
• Loss of motivation or interest
• Harsh self-criticism
• Grief or loss that has waited to be felt through
• The weight of cultural and family expectation

What to expect

We start with a brief phone consultation. Intake takes stock of the depression's severity, how long it's lasted, and what it's doing to sleep, energy, and daily function, alongside the relevant history. Where symptoms are severe, we may talk about coordinating with a physician or psychiatrist for a medication evaluation. Sessions are usually weekly; early work tends to function and footing while the longer arc goes after the drivers.

Frequently asked questions

Do you prescribe medication? No. I'm a licensed clinical social worker; I provide therapy. When medication might help, I coordinate with a physician or psychiatrist who can evaluate and prescribe.

How long until something shifts? Function often improves before the underlying pattern does. The timeline moves with severity, and we review it together.

Is online depression therapy effective? Yes; telehealth is well-supported for depression, on a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform. I assess severity and risk to confirm it's the right level of care.

Fees and insurance? I charge $200 per 50-minute session for individuals. A limited number of sliding scale spots are available.

I do not take insurance but I can provide superbills for you to submit for reimbursement.

Free 15-minute consultation: 818-925-8623 or yasmin@yasminsauditherapy.com.

Yasmin Saudi, MSW, LCSW, Licensed Clinical Social Worker #141050