Therapists

Two individuals who may help you in deciding about seeing a professional are your bishop and your doctor. A bishop may recommend you to LDS Family Services, and they in turn will be able to counsel you from a gospel perspective. A doctor can recommend other types of professionals, all of whom will approach your problem in their own unique way. Some examples are:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy: this focuses on the internal dialog inside a person’s head and what he or she can do to change the fallacies in thinking. This approach does not focus on why a person is feeling the way they are, but rather on what they can do about it. This is, in my opinion, the type of therapy most helpful for depression victims. At least two of my own family members have gone through it, and said “it helped me a WHOLE lot” and “I often refer back to what I learned in therapy in my head”. For those interested in cognitive-behavioral therapy, I would recommend The Feeling Good Handbook by Dr. David D. Burns.
Interpersonal therapy: this focuses on a person’s relationships with others and how they affect one’s feelings. The idea is that improving social support and relationships will improve the person’s emotional well-being.
Psychoanalysis: this is the type of therapy that focuses on one’s past and on the causes of depression. It does not currently have much research supporting it, and it is probably what Elder Packer’s warning is about; it can be so much about digging too deep and placing blame that I do not believe it is a healthy way to go about dealing with depression.
It is also helpful to understand the differences in degrees and education between mental health professionals:
A Psychologist with a Ph.D. has a research degree in clinical or counseling psychology. This is the traditional degree for psychologists and takes 6-7 years.
A Psychologist with a Psy.D. has a professional degree in clinical psychology, which focuses more on practice than on research. It also takes 6-7 years to obtain.
A Counselor or Therapist has a Master’s degree in Clinical or Counseling Psychology, which takes 2 years to obtain. They are trained in psychotherapy techniques, but not much in assessment, theory, or research.
A Social Worker may have a Master’s or Ph.D. in social work. Social Workers are trained in psychotherapy technique like counselors, but with an emphasis on integrating people within community resources.[1]
If you do choose to see a Therapist, be aware of their viewpoints and what they emphasize. If you disagree with them, don’t connect with them, or don’t feel that they are helping, let them know. If it doesn’t work out, try someone new. They certainly are not all the same.
A doctor may also prescribe an antidepressant right away, if together you decide that your depression is severe enough to require that kind of immediate attention.
[1] Taken from John M. Grohol, Psy.D. http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx22t.htm#psych