If you’ve been living with depression in Fort Collins and feel like you’ve already tried everything — you’re not alone, and you’re not out of options.
For many people here on the Front Range, the path to getting help starts the same way: a primary care appointment, a prescription, and a lot of hoping it works. Sometimes it does. But for a significant number of people, antidepressants provide only partial relief, stop working over time, or come with side effects that make daily life harder, not easier.
When that’s where you find yourself, TMS therapy is worth knowing about.
What Is TMS Therapy?
TMS stands for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. It’s a non-invasive, FDA-cleared treatment for major depressive disorder that works by delivering focused magnetic pulses to the regions of the brain involved in mood regulation — specifically the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an area that tends to be underactive in people experiencing depression.
There’s no medication involved. No anesthesia. No systemic side effects. You sit in a comfortable chair, a treatment coil is positioned near your head, and the pulses do their work over the course of about 20 minutes. Afterward, you drive yourself home, go back to work, or carry on with your day.
For people who have spent years dealing with medication side effects — weight changes, fatigue, emotional blunting, sexual side effects — this is often the first treatment that doesn’t ask them to trade one problem for another.
Why People in Fort Collins Are Looking for Alternatives
Fort Collins has a lot going for it. Access to the outdoors. A strong sense of community. CSU. But none of that makes depression less real — and the gap between what’s available and what people actually need when antidepressants haven’t worked is something our team hears about every week.
Many patients who come to Junction Brain Health’s Fort Collins clinic have already been through the medication cycle. They’ve tried one antidepressant, then another. Some have been on three or four. A few have done the work in therapy and still don’t feel like themselves. They’re not looking for a new pill. They’re looking for something that actually changes what’s happening in their brain.
TMS does that.
One patient from the Fort Collins area put it simply:
“I’d been on antidepressants for almost eight years. I wasn’t suicidal, I wasn’t in crisis — I was just flat. I couldn’t remember what it felt like to actually look forward to something. TMS was the first time something shifted that feeling at the root.”
Who Is a Good Candidate for TMS in Fort Collins?
TMS is primarily indicated for people with major depressive disorder who haven’t had adequate results from antidepressant medication. You may be a good candidate if:
- You’ve tried one or more antidepressants without achieving full remission
- You’ve experienced difficult side effects from medication that affected your quality of life
- Your depression has returned after periods of improvement
- You’re dealing with depression alongside anxiety, and neither has fully responded to treatment
- A provider has described your symptoms as treatment-resistant
You don’t have to be in a crisis to qualify. Many of the people who benefit most from TMS are high-functioning — managing their lives on the outside while carrying something heavy on the inside that standard treatment hasn’t been able to lift.
RELATED ARTICLE: When Antidepressants Don’t Work: Why TMS Therapy Works When Antidepressants Don’t
What to Expect at Junction Brain Health in Fort Collins
Our Fort Collins clinic is located at 3030 S. College Ave, Suite 210 — easy to access whether you’re coming from Midtown, south Fort Collins, or anywhere along the College Avenue corridor.
A typical TMS course involves sessions five days a week over six to seven weeks. Each session takes about 20 to 40 minutes. Most patients begin noticing changes within the first two to three weeks, though the full response often continues to build after the treatment course is complete.
Before any treatment begins, you’ll have a comprehensive evaluation with our clinical team. We’re not trying to fit you into a protocol — we’re trying to understand your full picture: your history with depression, what you’ve tried, what’s helped, and what hasn’t. That evaluation shapes everything that follows.
Insurance coverage for TMS has expanded significantly in recent years. Many major insurance plans, including Medicare, now cover TMS for qualifying patients. Our team will work through the insurance and authorization process with you before treatment begins.
Common Questions From Fort Collins Patients
Q. Is TMS covered by insurance in Colorado? A. Yes, many major insurance plans cover TMS for qualifying patients with major depressive disorder, including Medicare and many commercial plans. Our Fort Collins team will verify your benefits and walk you through the authorization process before you commit to anything.
Q. How long does a TMS treatment course take? A. A standard course is typically six to seven weeks of treatment, with sessions five days per week. Each session takes 20 to 40 minutes, and there’s no recovery time — you can drive yourself and return to your regular activities immediately.
Q. Do I need a referral to come to Junction Brain Health in Fort Collins? A. A referral is not required to schedule a consultation. You can contact our Fort Collins clinic directly at (970) 315-4936 to schedule your evaluation.
Q. Can I continue seeing my current therapist or psychiatrist while doing TMS? A. Absolutely. TMS works well alongside ongoing therapy and can be coordinated with your existing providers. We frequently collaborate with patients’ current care teams throughout the treatment process.
Fort Collins Deserves Better Than “Good Enough”
There’s a version of getting help that looks like functioning but doesn’t feel like living. If that’s where you are — if you’ve done the right things, taken the medication, put in the work, and still feel like something essential is missing — TMS may be the piece that’s been missing from your treatment.
Junction Brain Health’s Fort Collins clinic exists because the people here deserve access to treatments that actually work, not just treatments that are easy to prescribe.
If you’re ready to understand what your options really are, we’re ready to have that conversation.
Contact us online to schedule your evaluation.