Depression therapy in NYC when everything feels heavy
Many people who search for a depression therapist in NYC are still going to work, answering messages and showing up for their families — they just feel like they are doing it from behind glass.
Depression is not always sadness. Sometimes it is flatness, irritability, sleeping too much or not at all, losing interest in things you used to love, or a voice that tells you everyone would be better off without your problems. In some families it gets called laziness, ingratitude or thinking too much. Whatever it has been called at home, it is real, it is common and it can lift. Rubina offers a steady place to talk about it without being rushed or judged.
- LCSW
- CASAC-2
- Author of Stop Being Okay
- Urdu · Hindi · Punjabi
- In person in NYC
- Online across New York
How depression shows up for the people Rubina sees
Composite stories, not real clients — but the patterns are familiar.
The high-functioning one
A nurse works double shifts, cooks for her family and remembers everyone's birthday. At night she sits in the car outside her building for twenty minutes because she cannot face walking in. She doesn't feel sad exactly. She feels empty, and she is frightened by how long it has lasted.
After the move
A man moved to New York for a better job. On paper his life improved. In reality he eats alone, talks to his mother on video and pretends things are great. Months later he notices he hasn't laughed properly since he arrived.
The student who stopped
A college student was always the top of her class. This semester she stopped opening emails and skipped exams. Her parents think she is being careless. She thinks she is broken. Neither is true.
How Rubina works with depression
The first goal is simply to make you feel less alone with it. Depression convinces people that they are a burden, so the act of speaking honestly to someone who stays calm and interested is already part of the treatment.
From there, Rubina combines several approaches. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps you catch the harsh, all-or-nothing thoughts that depression produces and question them. Small, realistic behavioral steps — a walk, a call, a meal eaten sitting down — help rebuild energy from the outside in. Self-compassion focused work addresses the inner critic that so many people mistake for motivation. When depression is connected to loss, trauma or a family pattern, she makes room to explore those roots too.
You don't have to arrive with insight or a plan. Some weeks the session will be about one difficult conversation or one bad night, and that is enough. Over time those small pieces add up to a clearer picture of what keeps the heaviness in place and what helps it shift.
Rubina also pays attention to the context around your low mood: money stress, a difficult marriage, immigration, isolation, caregiving for an aging parent. Depression is rarely only in your head. It lives inside a life, and the life deserves attention as well.
What can shift over 8 to 12 sessions
No two people recover at the same speed, and there are no guarantees. Clients often notice:
- Mornings become slightly more manageable, and small tasks stop feeling impossible
- You can tell the difference between a bad day and the old heaviness returning
- You have a plan for the hard evenings instead of just waiting them out
- You speak to yourself with a little less cruelty
- You reconnect with one or two people or activities that once mattered
- You understand how grief, burnout or past trauma may be feeding the low mood
If you are having thoughts of ending your life, please call or text 988 or call 911 right now. Therapy is a good next step, but your immediate safety comes first.
Psychotherapy for depression, and depression with anxiety
People often ask what the best therapy for depression is. The honest answer is the one you will actually keep coming to, with someone you trust. Within that, Rubina draws on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression — noticing the thoughts that keep you stuck and testing them gently — together with acceptance and commitment therapy, self-compassion work and small, practical steps back toward the things that used to matter.
Depression rarely arrives alone. Many clients come looking for a therapist for depression and anxiety together: low mood in the morning and racing thoughts at night. For others, depression looks like irritability and anger rather than sadness, or like stress that never lifts. Therapy treats the whole picture rather than one label at a time.
If you have been searching for a depression counselor or a depression therapist near me, sessions are in person in New York City and online across New York State. And if depression is affecting your marriage too, couples therapy can help both of you understand what is happening.
What sessions look like
Sessions are 50 minutes, weekly at first. Rubina meets clients in person in New York City and online across New York State. Online sessions can be easier on days when leaving the house feels like too much.
You can speak in English, Urdu, Hindi or Punjabi. Rubina will ask about your sleep, energy, relationships and what you have tried so far, then build a plan with you. Current rates are on the fees page.
Rubina K. Singh, LCSW, CASAC-2
Rubina has spent more than fifteen years in mental health. She holds a BSW from Rutgers, an MSW from Capella and is completing her doctorate in social work. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New York, a CASAC Level 2 addiction counselor, and the author of Stop Being Okay. She grew up between cultures, and she speaks English, Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi.
Questions people ask
Is it depression or am I just tired?
Tiredness usually improves with rest. If you have felt low, empty or uninterested in things for weeks, or rest doesn't seem to help, it is worth talking to a professional. You don't need a label to start therapy.
My family doesn't believe in depression. Can I still come?
Yes. Many clients come without telling their families. Therapy is confidential, and Rubina can also help you think through whether, and how, you might talk to family later.
Do I need medication as well?
Some people benefit from medication alongside therapy, and some don't. Rubina doesn't prescribe, but she can help you decide whether to see a psychiatrist or doctor and work alongside them.
How long does depression therapy take?
Many people notice changes within a few months of weekly sessions, but it varies. You and Rubina will check in regularly on whether the work is helping.
What if I can't find the words in session?
That is very common with depression. Rubina is comfortable with silence and will ask simple questions to help. You can also write things down beforehand and read them out.
Do you offer TMS, light therapy or shock therapy (ECT)?
No. TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation), ECT and light therapy for seasonal depression are medical treatments, prescribed and given by psychiatrists and physicians. Rubina provides psychotherapy. Many people use therapy alongside those treatments, and with your permission she is glad to work with your psychiatrist or doctor.
My depression hasn't improved with medication. Can therapy still help?
Often, yes. When depression has not responded to medication — sometimes called treatment-resistant depression — therapy is commonly part of the plan, alongside a psychiatrist who reviews the medical side. Rubina does not prescribe or provide inpatient care. If you are having thoughts of ending your life, call or text 988 or call 911 now.
Last reviewed October 13, 2026 by Rubina K. Singh, LCSW
Reaching out is the whole first step.
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