Depression Counseling in Dallas for People Who Feel Stuck and Flat
If getting through the day takes more than it used to, if joy feels far away, or if you've started pulling back from people and plans, you're in the right place. I'm Andy Sibley, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor in Dallas. Depression counseling here is about lifting the weight enough that life feels possible again.
LMFT & LPC, licensed in Texas & Louisiana. 20+ years of experience. Accepting new clients.
What is depression counseling?
Depression counseling is talk therapy that helps you ease persistent low mood, emptiness, and loss of interest so daily life feels workable again. You and a licensed therapist map what feeds the heaviness, rebuild small routines that matter, and practice responses that interrupt the downward pull. The goal is not forced cheer. It is more energy, clearer thinking, and more of your life back.
Does this sound like your week?
Maybe mornings feel impossible and you run on empty by noon. Maybe nothing interests you the way it used to. Some people come in crying a lot. Others feel nothing at all, just a gray flatness they can't shake.
You try to push through. You tell yourself other people have it worse. Then the heaviness finds a new corner of your life, and you're back at square one, exhausted and short with the people you love.
None of that means you're weak or broken. It usually means your system is stuck in a low place, and that can change with the right help.
How I help with depression in Dallas
I keep the work practical. My job is to help you understand what your depression is doing and give you tools you can use the same week, not just insight that sits on a shelf.
- Low mood and emptiness. We name what the heaviness is doing in your week and find small openings where energy can return. You learn to catch the slide earlier.
- Sleep, appetite, and body drag. Depression often lives in the body as much as the mind. We work on the basics that make everything else harder when they fall apart.
- Loss of interest and motivation. When hobbies, work, and people feel pointless, we rebuild engagement at a pace you can handle, without fake pep talks.
- Depression that hits your relationships. Distance, irritability, and withdrawal land hard on partners and family. If that's part of your story, couples counseling can sit alongside individual work when it helps.
- Depression next to anxiety or stress. Worry and low mood often travel together. When both show up, we treat the full picture. My anxiety counseling page covers that side of the work.
What makes my approach different
A lot of therapists treat depression as a checklist of symptoms. I look at the whole picture: how you think, how your body is holding up, and how depression shows up in the people closest to you. Holding both an LMFT and an LPC license means I'm trained for what's going on inside you and between you and others.
I've done this work for more than 20 years, licensed in Texas and Louisiana, with a background teaching psychology at Louisiana Tech University. You get someone who has sat with a lot of people in a lot of hard moments and knows it can get better without promising a perfect outcome.
What to expect
- Reach out. Call (214) 227-6651 or request an appointment through the client portal. Tell me a little about what's going on. It takes a few minutes.
- First session. We meet and map your depression: when it shows up, what it costs you, and what you've already tried. No pop quiz, no judgment.
- We build skills. Over the next sessions you get tools for the body and the mind, plus a clearer sense of what keeps the heaviness going.
- We check in. We keep asking whether the work is helping. This is your life, and you set the direction.
Fees and insurance
Individual sessions are $200 for 50 minutes, or $300 for an extended 80-minute session. I accept Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Optum, UMR, and United Healthcare. Coverage varies by plan, so it's worth calling the number on your card to confirm your benefits. If that feels like a hassle, reach out and I'll help you sort it out. See the full fees and insurance details.
My office is in East Dallas near Uptown and Knox-Henderson, right on Central Expressway. If you're looking for a therapist close by, read about my Uptown Dallas practice. Online therapy is available across Texas when coming in isn't realistic.
Questions people ask about depression counseling
How much does depression counseling cost in Dallas?
A 50-minute individual session with me is $200 self-pay. Extended 80-minute sessions are $300 if you want more time. I accept Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Optum, UMR, and United Healthcare, so your out-of-pocket cost may be lower with insurance.
How long does depression therapy take?
It varies. Some people feel more energy and clarity within a few months of consistent work. Others need longer if depression has been around for years or sits next to anxiety, grief, or relationship strain. We'll check in regularly so you're not guessing whether it's helping.
Do you offer online depression therapy in Texas?
Yes. I see clients in person at my Dallas office and online by secure video anywhere in Texas. Video works well when getting out of the house feels impossible or traffic makes coming in hard. Many people mix both.
What happens in the first depression counseling session?
Mostly we talk. You tell me what depression looks like in your week, what has changed, and what you've already tried. I'll ask about sleep, appetite, stress, and relationships so we have the full picture. By the end we'll have a clear place to start. You don't need to prepare a speech.
Does insurance cover depression counseling?
Often yes, when depression is a covered mental health service on your plan. I accept Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Optum, UMR, and United Healthcare. Benefits differ by plan, so call the number on your card or reach out and I'll help you sort out what to expect.
What are signs I need help for depression?
When low mood, emptiness, or numbness starts running your days, your sleep, your work, or your relationships, it's worth getting help. You don't need a crisis first. Plenty of people come in because they're tired of white-knuckling it alone and want tools that actually stick.
What is the difference between depression and sadness?
Sadness is usually tied to something specific and eases as life moves. Depression hangs on. It can dull interest, energy, sleep, appetite, and hope even when nothing "big" is wrong. You can be sad without depression, and you can feel depressed without crying. In therapy we treat the pattern in front of us, not just the label.
Can couples counseling help if depression is hurting my relationship?
Yes, when depression shows up as distance, irritability, or one partner carrying more of the load. Individual work helps you feel better day to day. [Couples counseling](/specialties/couples-counseling/) can sit alongside it when the relationship needs its own attention. We decide together what fits.
Ready to talk?
You can ask questions first. There's no pressure and no commitment. If you're willing to try, that's usually enough to start.