Activation before motivation
Action first, feeling second — the order matters, and it is the reverse of what depression tells you.
Services · 06
Depression Counselling
When everything takes more effort than it should, the way back is smaller and more specific than you would expect.
50-minute sessionsWeekly to startGP coordination if needed
Per 50-minute session, plus GST. Full fees are on the packages and pricing page. Sessions run online by secure video across Australia and New Zealand, by telephone, or in person in Melbourne by arrangement.
Depression flattens motivation, then uses the missing motivation as evidence against you. We interrupt that loop with behavioural activation — small, scheduled, deliberately unambitious actions — while working on the beliefs that have hardened underneath it.
We also look at the practical scaffolding: sleep, movement, food, alcohol, daylight, contact with people. It is unglamorous and it matters. Where medical review is warranted, we will say so and work alongside your GP.
Depression can look like
- Waking tired no matter how long you sleep
- Losing interest in things that used to matter
- Withdrawing from friends, then feeling alone
- Harsh, automatic self-criticism
- Getting through the day and feeling nothing much
What we work on together
The inner critic
Identifying the voice, where it was learned, and how to answer it.
Reconnection
Rebuilding contact, structure and meaning in increments you can sustain.
How the work unfolds
Behavioural activationCBTSelf-critical voice workGP coordination
01
Take stock
Sleep, movement, food, alcohol, daylight, contact with people, and what a typical week actually looks like right now.
02
Activation
Two or three small scheduled actions a week, chosen because they matter to you and are small enough to happen without motivation.
03
The inner critic
Identifying the voice, tracing where it was learned, and building a fairer and more accurate one to answer it.
04
Rebuild
Structure, contact and meaning added back gradually, with relapse signs named so you catch a dip early next time.
“Small, boring, scheduled things. I did not believe it would work and it did.”
Client · depression counselling
Common questions
I have no energy for therapy. Is it worth starting?+
Yes, and we design for that. Early sessions ask very little of you between appointments — the work is deliberately sized for someone running on empty.
Do you work alongside a GP?+
Gladly. Where medication or a physical health review is warranted I will say so, and with your permission I will coordinate with your GP so you are not managing two disconnected conversations.
What if I have thoughts of not being here?+
Tell me. We make a safety plan together and it is discussed openly, not treated as an emergency to be handled elsewhere. If your risk is immediate, call 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14 rather than waiting for an appointment.
More answers in the general FAQs, or ask Anne directly.
Often works alongside
Individual Counselling
One-to-one work to understand what is going on and decide what to do about it.
Anxiety Counselling
Turn the volume down on worry and get your decisions back from it.
Grief Counselling
For any loss — death, separation, diagnosis, estrangement — at your own pace.
Ready to start with Depression Counselling?
Book online in under a minute, or send a question first — Anne answers her own enquiries.