Blog Highlight: Understanding Depression & Seasonal Affective Disorder
Depression can impact mood, energy, motivation, and daily functioning — but it’s also highly treatable. For some individuals, symptoms appear or worsen during certain times of year, particularly in fall and winter. This seasonal pattern is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and may include low mood, fatigue, sleep changes, or withdrawal from activities. Therapy can help individuals understand their symptoms, build coping skills, and restore balance and hope — whether depression is seasonal or year-round. Support is available, and you don’t have to navigate this alone.
Therapist Spotlight: Monica Scheftgen, MS, LPC-IT
Monica provides supportive therapy focused on helping clients navigate depression, anxiety, stress, and life changes — including patterns that may fluctuate with the seasons. She emphasizes creating a safe, nonjudgmental space for clients to explore thoughts and feelings and develop practical skills for emotional well-being. Her compassionate, client-centered style supports growth and healing across life’s ups and downs.
Therapist Spotlight: Olivia Starrett, MS, LPC-IT
Olivia brings warmth, empathy, and evidence-based care to her work with individuals facing anxiety, depression, life transitions, and mood changes — including those related to seasonal shifts. She uses a collaborative, strengths-based approach to help clients build insight, develop emotional regulation skills, and find balance during challenging seasons of life.
“Winter Blues: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder” by Norman E. Rosenthal, MD
Written by the psychiatrist who first identified Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Winter Blues offers clear, compassionate guidance for understanding seasonal mood changes. The book explores why symptoms emerge during darker months and shares evidence-based strategies — including light therapy, daily routines, and cognitive tools — to support emotional well-being throughout the winter season.
Podcast Pick: Speaking of Psychology: How to know if you have seasonal affective disorder, with Kelly Rohan, PhD
Even though winter can be a bear, most of us just bundle up, get through it or embrace it and find ways to get outside and stay active. But as many as six out of every 100 people in the U.S. experience Seasonal Affective Disorder, known as SAD. It’s more than just the winter blues – it can be very difficult for people who suffer from it and this stretch of winter, January and February, tends to be the most brutal. Our guest is Kelly Rohan, PhD, a Seasonal Affective Disorder expert who is leading a five-year study on people who suffer from SAD at the University of Vermont.