Winter Doesn't Have to Feel So Heavy
Starting November 24:
A 6-Week Experiential Seasonal Depression Therapy Group
A 6-Week Seasonal Depression Therapy Group
In-Person | Angola, Indiana | 6:00-7:30pm Tuesdays, Nov. 24-Dec. 2026
Shorter days. Less sunlight. Colder weather. Less energy.
Get out of your head. Get off the screens. Get back into your body. Yes, even in winter.
Let's face it. Winter in Indiana can be a lot.
The sun clocks out early and it can start to feel like binging your favorite show or doom-scrolling is the only acceptible option for living. Your phone starts looking like your primary social companion. And suddenly you're wondering if it's socially acceptable to hibernate until April.
For some people, winter is more than inconvenient. It brings real changes in mood, energy, motivation, sleep, and the desire to connect.
But what if we stopped just trying to survive winter and started finding ways to feel alive in it?
This six-week, in-person therapy group is an invitation to do something different.
We'll explore seasonal depression through practical education, creative experiences, rhythm, movement, nervous system regulation, and genuine human connection.
A little less thinking about life. A little more experiencing it.
You don't have to be artistic, musical, energetic, or particularly enthusiastic about winter.
You just have to be willing to show up - 6 sessions to get you through until Christmas. (And maybe a post-Christmas group too.)
Applications are reviewed individually. Submission does not guarantee enrollment. This form is not monitored for emergencies. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For immediate mental health crisis support in the United States, call or text 988.
Less Talking About Feeling Better. More Experiencing Something Different.
This isn't six weeks of sitting in a circle talking about how much winter stinks. (Although we may do a little of that, too.)
Each week combines meaningful group conversation with hands-on, experiential activities designed to fully engage your mind, body, and spirit.
Depending on the week's focus, activities may include:
Rhythm and drumming: Explore bilateral stimulation, rhythmic engagement, and the regulating experience of making music together. No musical ability required.
Expressive art: Use color, texture, imagery, and creative expression to explore experiences that don't always fit neatly into words.
Mindful movement and sensory experiences: Experiment with gentle ways to reconnect with your body and become more aware of what helps you feel grounded.
Playful, interactive exercises: Rediscover curiosity, spontaneity, and the possibility that doing something enjoyable can actually be good for your mental health.
Real-life winter experiments: Discover manageable ways to bring movement, creativity, pleasure, and meaningful connection into everyday life.
Actual human connection: Spend time with real people, in a real room, doing real things. No mute buttons required.
Each activity that we’ll do together has a purpose and will help you learn how to navigate winter with an engaged nervous system, instead of a shut-down one. Depression has a way of making our worlds smaller, and sometimes the way out isn't through more thinking or talking. It's through movement, creativity, connection, and trying something different.
Who Is This Group For?
This group may be a good fit if you:
Notice that your mood or energy consistently declines during fall and winter.
Experience seasonal changes in sleep, motivation, appetite, or concentration.
Find yourself withdrawing from others during colder months.
Feel less connected to the activities and relationships that ordinarily sustain you.
Want practical tools for navigating winter-related depression.
Would appreciate the encouragement and connection of a small, supportive group.
A formal Seasonal Affective Disorder diagnosis is not required to apply. All prospective participants complete a brief screening process to determine whether the group is appropriate for their needs.
Six Weeks. Six Ways to Interrupt the Winter Rut.
Week 1 — Meet Your Winter Brain
Why do shorter days leave some of us feeling like our batteries are permanently at 12%? Explore seasonal depression, recognize your personal winter patterns, and get curious about what helps you feel more like yourself.
Week 2 — Get Out of Your Head
Your nervous system does more than think. Explore rhythm, drumming, bilateral stimulation, and body-based practices that can support regulation and present-moment awareness.
Week 3 — Motivation Is Overrated (Let's Start Anyway)
Waiting until you feel motivated can mean waiting until spring. Experiment with creative action, play, and small experiences that can help generate momentum rather than waiting for it to appear.
Week 4 — Actual Humans, Actual Connection
Isolation can make winter feel even longer. Explore connection through collaborative activities, shared experiences, and a little courageous social experimentation.
Week 5 — Rewrite the Winter Script
What happens when winter stops being four months of waiting for your real life to resume? Use expressive art, reflection, and creative exercises to challenge old patterns and imagine new possibilities.
Week 6 — Take Your Spark Home
Create a personalized winter survival-and-thriving plan using the rhythms, activities, relationships, and practices that work for you. Because the goal isn't to feel better for six Tuesdays. It's to take something meaningful into the rest of your winter.
What to Expect
This is a small, in-person psychotherapy group facilitated by Jessica Witmer, LMHC, LPCC.
The group is designed to be welcoming, respectful, and structured, with opportunities for discussion, reflection, and practical skill-building.
You will never be expected to share every detail of your personal life. Participation is encouraged at a pace that supports meaningful engagement and respects the group process.
Because group members may encounter people they know in our small community, privacy, boundaries, and respectful participation will be important parts of the group agreement.
Group Details
Location: Mindbody Counseling & Wellness Center, downtown Angola, Indiana
Format: Six weekly, in-person group sessions
Session length: 90 minutes
Group size: Approximately 6-12 adults
Dates and times: Tuesday evenings from 6:00-7:30, starting November 24 and ending December 29
Cost: $240 for the complete six-week program ($40 per session)
Payment: Private/cash pay. Package must be purchase prior to November 17. No refunds will be given for missed sessions.
This is a closed, six-week group. Participants are encouraged to attend all six sessions to support continuity, connection, and the overall group experience.
How to Join
Step 1 — Complete the Group Application
Begin by completing a confidential prescreening questionnaire. This helps determine whether the group may be a good fit for your needs.
Step 2 — Brief Screening Consultation
Selected applicants will be invited to a brief individual consultation to discuss group expectations, answer questions, and determine appropriateness.
Step 3 — Reserve Your Place
Accepted participants will receive enrollment information, group consent documents, and payment instructions.
Spaces are limited to preserve the small-group experience.
Group applications close on November 17th.
You Don't Have to Spend Another Winter Just Getting Through It.
Winter may bring challenges, but it can also become an opportunity to develop new patterns, strengthen connections, and discover ways to care for yourself through the darker months.
Apply for the Seasonal Depression Group
Applications are reviewed individually. Submission does not guarantee enrollment. This form is not monitored for emergencies. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For immediate mental health crisis support in the United States, call or text 988.