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Gavin HamnettMS, LMHC
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Grief, depression, or both?

For adults in New York whose sadness has lasted longer than they expected and who want to understand it.

Request a free consultation
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Who This Is For

Sometimes it is one, sometimes the other, and often it is both. I can't tell you which from a web page, but I can share how the two tend to feel different, and why the label matters less than getting support.

Grief usually stays connected to what you lost. It comes in waves, set off by a song, a date, an empty spot at the table, and between waves you can still laugh or enjoy something. Depression tends to be flatter and more constant. It can spread into how you see yourself. When grief goes on a long time, it can slide into depression, and the line gets blurry.

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What People Notice

  • Waves or a fog

    Grief tends to come and go. Depression often feels like a fog that doesn't lift.

  • Tied to the loss

    With grief, the pain points back to someone or something. With depression, it can feel like it is about everything.

  • How you see yourself

    Grief usually leaves your sense of worth alone. Depression often turns on it.

  • Time

    Grief changes shape over months. When nothing has shifted in a long while, it is worth a closer look.

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How I Work With Grief and Depression

I don't need you to arrive with the right label. We start with what you are living with. Somatic work helps because both grief and depression show up in the body: a heavy chest, tired limbs, a throat that tightens when the loss comes up. Giving those sensations slow, kind attention can help feelings move that have been stuck.

Psychodynamic work helps when a recent loss stirs up older ones, or when depression was around long before this loss. Underneath it all, I believe the Self you were born with is still intact, even when you can't feel it. Part of our work is finding the way back to it.

More about my approach
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What Sessions Look Like

  1. Talk it through first

    A free 20 minute phone consultation. You don't need to know what to call what you are feeling.

  2. Sessions at your pace

    55 minutes, weekly or every two weeks, in Rhinebeck, Hudson, or by telehealth in New York State.

  3. Room for both

    Some weeks we stay with the loss, and some weeks with the heaviness that has settled around it.

What Can Shift

Whether it is grief, depression, or both, what I hope for is that feeling returns: the sadness that belongs to the loss, and also interest, warmth, and a sense of being yourself again.

If the sadness has lasted longer than you expected, a free 20 minute phone consultation is a gentle place to start.

Rates in Brief

Sessions are $160 for 55 minutes. The first step is a complimentary 20 minute phone consultation.

Rates
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Questions People Ask

Do I need a diagnosis first?

No. You can come in without knowing what to call it, and we can make sense of it together.

Is it normal to still grieve years later?

Yes. Grief doesn't follow a schedule, and an old loss can still ache on certain days.

What if I already take medication?

That works alongside therapy. Therapy can work alongside the care you already have.

What if I am in crisis?

Please call or text 988, or call 911 right away. My practice does not provide emergency services.

Related Pages

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Grief and Loss

Therapy for adults in New York carrying grief that has nowhere to go.

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Depression

Therapy for adults in New York who feel flat, heavy, or far away from themselves.

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Grief That Won't Ease

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Start With a Free Consultation

Send me a short message and I'll set up a free 20 minute phone call.

Request a free consultation (845) 532-8336