Depression Treatment
Steadier days. Softer evenings. More of you to give where it matters.
We empower ALL people to FEEL, HEAL, & THRIVE after trauma with counseling that works.
- Austin
- Round Rock
- Texas Telehealth
When Your Low Mood Won't Lift...
You’ve been pushing through for weeks—maybe months. Getting out of bed feels heavy. Small tasks drain you. Patience runs short with the people you love, and guilt shows up right behind it. Food, sleep, energy, even your motivation to connect: everything’s out of rhythm. You’re not looking for a pep talk.
You want care that actually helps—because how you feel touches your family, your work, and your community every single day. This is where depression treatment that understands trauma belongs.
Why it can feel so heavy (& why that actually makes sense)
What looks like “low motivation” is often a nervous system doing what it learned: conserve energy, shut down to avoid more pain, expect less so disappointment stings less.
After trauma and difficult experiences, your body can default to this protective mode far beyond the original danger. It’s not weakness; it’s survival strategy.
With the right support, your system can learn a steadier baseline. As safety & motivation returns to the body, mood, focus, and connection follow.
Why Hope For The Journey
(Three Reasons Clients Choose Us)
True Trauma Specialists
This isn’t side work for us. It’s the core. Every clinician is trained in trauma-focused approaches (including EMDR) and deeply experienced with complex trauma, dissociation, and sexual trauma.
If you’ve felt “too complicated” before, you won’t hear that here. We know how to meet depth with skill.
Creative, Personalized Care
Some folks do best with weekly sessions. Others prefer focused bursts of work. We offer EMDR intensives—in office, in home, and at a restorative beach retreat in Galveston—so you can move farther, faster, when that’s right for you.
From your first call, a real person helps you find a best-fit therapist. Your plan evolves as we learn what helps (and what doesn’t). No rigid, one-size-fits-all path.
Real Change that Changes everything
Low mood touches every room you enter. We use proven tools to unwind stuck patterns so you think more clearly, feel more present, and show up in ways that match your values—as a parent, partner, friend, leader.
You deserve a life worth living & you shouldn’t have to waste another second feeling alone & unsupported. We’re here to help.
Our Proven Process
1. Feel
Starting therapy is hard! So first, we help you settle your nervous system & find your motivation.
You’ll build understanding of yourself, learning quick, real-world skills that reduce fog and shutdown: breath that helps, motivation habits, and sleep routines that hold.
2. Heal
Then, when steady enough, we help you process what’s driving the depression with proven depression treatment tools like EMDR, parts-work, and attachment-focused work—at your pace.
You’ll work closely with your therapist to build on what works changing how you feel about yourself.
3. Thrive
Next, we help you start to apply the positive things you now believe about yourself.
When you believe you are worthy & are meant to be here (because the past is no longer holding you back), your relationships, decisions, and patterns change. We’ll make sure that change will continue over time.
What Depression Treatment Sessions Look Like
Relief First Let’s get your sleep sorted and help you build a relief plan for the hardest parts of your day. You’ll track where your energy shows up (even a little) and that will help you know the depression treatment is working.
Understand Yourself Now you’ll be ready to explore how you tick, understand your triggers, and identify how you got here.
Deeper Phase Once you’re ready, we’ll consider EMDR (weekly or intensive) and/or build a treatment plan based on what’s working for you.
Integration Now you’ll work on building routines, communication skills, and relationship improvements based on the new ways you feel about yourself.
Depression Treatment with a History of Sexual Assault
EMDR Intensives (Healing in Days, not Months)
What Begins to Change as Mood Lifts
Where We Help
Our Guarantee (So Starting Feels Safer)
If you’re not satisfied after your first two sessions, we’ll refund you.
(Guarantee excludes intensives; pre-intensive consults are included.)
FAQ: Anxiety Treatment & EMDR (Austin, Round Rock, Texas Telehealth)
Many clients feel better with therapy alone; others benefit from a combined plan. We coordinate with prescribers when that serves your goals. You remain in charge of your choices.
No. We start with safety and skills. EMDR doesn’t require graphic detail to work—we follow your pace.
Most people see early shifts within a few weeks (sleep, energy, getting through the day). Deeper relief grows as we address roots with EMDR and reinforce new habits. we process root causes with EMDR—weekly or intensive. The rate of healing often depends on the amount of trauma, neglect, or betrayal you’ve experienced.
You’ve heard about EMDR and are curious, but also a little nervous. Does it work? What is it like? Is it like mind-control? Does it actually work online? Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a proven, powerful tool. It helps heal trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and many other mental health issues. We know. It sounds like magic. I mean, is it possible to have a memory that’s haunted you your entire life suddenly feel farther away and not as important? The answer is yes (and no). EMDR is a short-term treatment model that can heal simple traumas in as little as 1-3 sessions. While it is powerful and often very effective, it is not magic. Instead, it is an 8-phased treatment model that is tailored to your needs. It may take many months or even years to complete. This will depend on if you are suffering from complex trauma or other complicated issues. EMDR therapy may be simple and fast or more complicated. Either way, our therapists at Hope For The Journey have got you covered.
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You may have tried other counseling options before. You may have even tried EMDR before and not had great results. The benefits you receive from EMDR are a direct result of your therapist’s skills and training. Plus, your own readiness for treatment.
At Hope For The Journey, our EMDR therapists receive regular, ongoing consultation and training.
- EMDR Basic Training
- Follow Up Consultation towards EMDR Training
- Weekly Complex Trauma Consultation Group
- EMDR Certification
- EMDR Consultant Training
You’re not a lost cause. Pacing, approach, and fit matter. Trauma-informed, nervous-system-based care often unlocks movement where past attempts failed or stalled. AND it typically does it in a gentler way. We go slow to go fast.
- Austin, Texas
- Round Rock, Texas
- Online Therapy for all of Texas
No. You won’t need to “white-knuckle” it through your worst memories.
Before we start working on memories, you will learn how to shift into a state of calm and safety fast.
We will also develop several “resources” to help you turn down the intensity of a memory if needed.
This is part of Phase Two of EMDR: Preparation. This phase might be pretty long, depending on how complex your history of trauma is.
Well…all therapy is leaning into things that are uncomfortable or painful. However, if we’re doing our job right and you’re feeling comfortable enough to be real about your experience, we will help you build the skills and confidence you need to tolerate the emotions before we dive into the deep stuff.
BLS can occur in many ways. This can may including eye movements, tapping, alternating tones in your ears, and more.
For kids, it might look like playing patty-cake or coloring on a piece of paper back and forth.
For online therapy, your therapist will likely instruct you how to tap below your shoulders, on your legs, or cheeks. Or, they might have you use an online program that assists you in doing eye movements or using tones.
EMDR therapy has a distinct beginning and end, unlike some therapies that can go on and on for years.
You know you’re done when you truly believe something positive about yourself. You can see it playing out in your reactions, your relationships, and your relaxed body. You feel different.
We’re a self-pay practice and provide superbills for out-of-network reimbursement. See current rates here: /rates-insurance/.
Meet Our Depression Treatment Team
Clinical Director Katy Harmon, LCSW, EMDR, IFS Level I
Resident Clinician Sabina Masnica, LMSW, EMDR pending
Advanced Clinician Heather Hammock, LMFT, EFT, EMDR, Sex Therapist
Senior Therapist Maegan Woytek, LPC, EMDR Certified
Traci W. Pirri, LCSW-S, Owner/Executive Director
Advanced Clinician Shauna Diawaku, LPC, EMDR
Resident Clinician Oliver Papa, LPC-Associate, EMDR, Narrative Therapy
Resident Clinician Bailey Pellissier, LMSW, EMDR
Start a Different Chapter
You don’t have to carry this alone.
Match with a therapist who specializes in trauma-related mood symptoms and depression treatment in Austin, Round Rock, and across Texas via telehealth. We’ll build a practical plan that fits your life—and supports the people who count on you.