You might recognize some of this
- Waking up tired no matter how long you slept.
- Things you used to enjoy landing flat.
- Putting off small tasks until they turn into big ones.
- Being short with people and hating yourself for it.
- Feeling like you are watching your own life from a step behind.
- And the thought running underneath all of it: I should be able to snap out of this.
You should not have to. That thought is a symptom, not a fact about you.
Depression does not always look sad. In men it often looks like irritability or drinking more. In older adults it can look like aches, sleep trouble or memory complaints. In teenagers it often looks like anger and withdrawal rather than tears.
How Ann Marie works with this
The work usually starts with movement rather than insight, because waiting to feel motivated before doing anything is the trap depression sets. You will rebuild a small amount of activity that matters to you, look honestly at the thinking patterns keeping the floor low, and sort out what is depression and what is a situation that needs changing.
Progress is usually uneven. That is normal and it is planned for.
Who this is for
Children from age three, teenagers, adults and older adults, individually or with family.
About medication
Ann Marie is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She does not prescribe medication. Some people do better with medication alongside counseling, and if that looks likely we will help you talk to your doctor and, with your written permission, work alongside them.
Coming from Tawas City, West Branch or Oscoda
People drive in to Hale for depression counseling from right across the Sunrise Side. The road times are worth knowing before you commit to a weekly appointment, so here they are.
- Tawas City, about 32 minutes by road.
- West Branch, about 40 minutes by road.
- Oscoda, in Iosco County, about 45 minutes by road.
Say which town you are coming from when you call. It changes which times are sensible to offer you, and on the longer drives a longer appointment spaced further apart sometimes works better than a weekly hour. Road times from the rest of the area are on the service area page.
Practical
Sessions are 30 or 60 minutes. The first appointment is longer and is mostly about getting to know you; what to expect and what to bring is set out in full. Most major insurance is accepted, see which plans and what to ask yours before you come.
Related: anxiety, which very often sits alongside this; adjustment and stress when something specific changed; and counseling alongside serious illness, because the two arrive together more often than anybody warns you they will.
Reviewed by Ann Marie Shay, MA, LPC, September 2026.