The clients we often work with struggle with interpersonal loneliness, intrapersonal disconnect, as well as existential loneliness. Our clients may struggle to form relationships that feel genuine and reciprocal, and may have experienced social rejection or ridicule in their past; they may struggle with social anxiety and insecurity when it comes to putting themselves out there in efforts to meet and connect with others. Interpersonally, our clients may struggle to feel connected to themselves, unsure of who they are, what they like, and what it means to be authentic. On a larger scale, the clients we see may also struggle with the vastness of the universe and how lonely we are both as a human race, as well as individually: for example, we are alone in our experience and within our own mental world.

Whether it be from social rejection, high expectations, past trauma, perfectionism, or comparison, many of our clients feeling depressed and struggling with mental health are also often experiencing low self-esteem. Compounded with negative thoughts, feelings of unworthiness, and self-hatred, our clients often struggle to attend to self-care and may engage in harmful behaviors. Our clients may struggle with setting boundaries, asserting themselves, and expressing their needs. Their views may go unshared as they desire social connection and increased confidence and security.

Struggling to connect, lacking interpersonal validation, and not knowing who you are often leads to purposelessness and increased depression. Our clients come to us not knowing their interests, skills, and may lack motivation due to low mood and energy. The clients we work with may also be going through a major life change that may be effecting their sense of purpose, such as a career change, relationship status change, or as the result of a health diagnosis or recent loss. We may begin to question what our meaning is and how to even go about accessing "it.

Tasked with all the demands that come with being human, we may feel immense pressure and paralysis as we navigate how to "handle it all." Considering large questions, such as choosing a career, deciding who to spend your life with, and what mark you want to leave on the world can feel so far away and overwhelming that we experience significant existential dread at even the mere thought of having to make major life decisions. Our clients are often in a state of dread, and do not want to bear the responsibility of making such choices, especially when so unsure of which path to take, and with the fear and anxiety of "choosing wrong."

Existential depression can often arise when considering ethical and moral dilemmas, such as what it means to be "good" versus "evil" or "right" versus "wrong." We may question the human capacity to harm, as well as navigate difficult decision-making, such as whether to tell a friend that their partner is cheating on them or, a physician choosing to operate on younger patients first despite the older person entering the ER first. These scenarios and contemplations can leave us feeling heavy, hopeless, and grief-stricken.

Many of us rely on our belief system to help us make sense of the world. Religion and spiritual practices connect us with other community members and within a larger spiritual realm. We find the practices comforting and the views guiding. When we begin to question our pre-established belief systems, whether that be after an unexpected or traumatic loss, or as we naturally question certain doctrines, this experience can leave us feeling ungrounded, disconnected from faith and family, and lost.

For clients who are struggling with a sense of meaninglessness, we often find that many of these clients also have nihilistic views about the world, at large: such clients believe that there is essentially no meaning since we will eventually meet our untimely fate (i.e. demise). Our clients often have common symptoms such as hopelessness and despair sparked by the belief that there is no inherent meaning to anything in life.

Many of our clients struggle to live in a world where natural disasters, war, crime, school shootings, abuse, and hardships are present all around us. With the large access to news, social media, and live updates it can become overwhelmingly flooding to witness and consume so much trauma. Again, this often leaves our clients feeling hopeless and in a state of poor mental health.

Combining many of the above experiences, we often work with clients who feel so misplaced in the world, struggle to connect, have a difficult time creating joy, and feel stuck when having to face human limitations and accept the harsh realities of being human. Our clients come to us struggling to find their footing and how to live in a world that is painful and that includes suffering.