A Kennewick counseling clinic has added a service that’s proven effective in people with major depressive disorder and related anxiety who haven’t had luck with other treatments.

It’s called transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, and it involves applying magnetic fields using a helmet-like device to stimulate nerve cells in the brain. The outpatient treatment is FDA approved.

Sunstone Psychological Services at 401 N. Morain St. started offering TMS last summer.

So far, it’s drawn good reviews.

“It’s nice to see people smile again. It’s nice to see their quality of life improved and to see them be able to enjoy their lives once again,” said Kristine McMurray, a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

She’s in charge of the TMS program at Sunstone.

The clinic uses a BrainsWay Deep TMS device, which is billed as the most advanced available.

It looks like a cross between a football helmet and a medical device. 

Patients wear the helmet while seated in a recliner in a treatment room. Sessions last about 20 minutes and typically are done five days a week for six weeks.

The helmet delivers pulses, which aren’t painful. Sedation and anesthesia aren’t required.

“We’re targeting the left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, because that’s where they believe – when they do functional MRIs – that they see decreased blood activity, blood flow in that area. They’re thinking that by providing stimulation in terms of the pulsations, we’re able to bring that area back online. If you were to think of it as like a computer, it’s kind of turning the brain back on, re-setting it. It also helps with connectivity between other areas of the brain,” McMurray said.

TMS is designed to help people with major depressive disorder symptoms who haven’t responded to antidepressant medication or who can’t tolerate medication. BrainsWay reports that patients using deep TMS who received 30 or more treatments had an 82% response rate and a 65% remission rate. 

Anecdotally, Sunstone officials have seen success in patients who’ve tried it there so far.

“One of the favorite stories is a (patient) who’d been seeing a primary care provider for two years. I called the provider about a different patient, and she says to me, ‘I’ve been seeing (the TMS patient) for years, and after he started treatment is the first time I’ve seen him smile,'” said Dr. Maui Garza, Sunstone president. Garza is a licensed mental health counselor with a doctorate in psychology.

It’s believed that at least one other clinic in the Tri-Cities offers TMS treatment, although McMurray said she’s not aware of any other BrainsWay Deep TMS devices in the area. 

TMS can be done in combination with antidepressant medication, if desired. 

People who are interested in TMS should call Sunstone or reach out via the website.

McMurray and Garza both said they’re excited to offer TMS, expanding local access to the potentially life-changing service.

“For me, it’s the reason I got into this work — I want to help people who feel like they’ve lost hope in getting better from their depression,” Garza said. “When you’re depressed and you go through medications and you’ve gone through therapy and nothing’s helping, you feel hopeless. It’s an extra treatment modality that we can offer.”