Depression Counselling in Westlock, AB.

Depending is often the result of negative thoughts and beliefs about yourself and your life. One gets trapped in a downward spiral that drains the life force out of you. Past experiences and actions may continue to haunt you. The beliefs about oneself can be difficult to fight. My approach is not to cheer lead you to fight them and be strong but to go deeper and challenge the very truth of what you are believing about yourself. Accepting ones weakness and vulnerability without being controlled by them can be hard but it is ultimately the way up to a more integrated and fulfilling life.

Depression affects an estimated 1 in 15 adults every year, and 15% of people will experience depression at some point in their lives. It isn’t just an episode of sadness; you can’t simply snap out of it. If you’ve never experienced it, it’s hard to understand what living with this complex medical illness is like. Living with depression often means believing that things will never change; you are stuck in overwhelming darkness that will never go away.

I provide help for individuals experiencing depression and how it may be affecting multiple aspects of everyday life such as work, family, friendships, other relationships and day-to-day responsibilities. In counselling I help clients better understand multiple aspects of depression, develop the tools needed to cope more effectively, and restore feelings of hope.

Depression can have multiple and complex causes, but most often it can be attributed to how we think. When we examine our thoughts, we can find we are struggling with automatic negative thoughts that leave us feeling depressed. Learning how to identify these thoughts and actively speak differently to ourselves armed with statements that are more true, we can see the depression levels begin to decrease.

Depression is not feeling bad – it is not feeling. When we become depressed we try to insulate ourselves from our emotions. Treatment for depression requires a willingness to feel what we are avoiding. This requires a process of exploring the buried feelings in a safe, supportive environment. As we become friends with our emotions we can gradually come back to life.

Depression is not a journey you need to make alone. Our therapists can help you to: •Find your inner motivation and strength to live your life •Engage in activities that are proven to help alleviate symptoms of depression, such as exercise, good nutrition and meditation •Uncover and explore the life problems that contribute to your depression •Overcome isolation and reconnect with significant people in your life •Identify and challenge negative thinking patterns that lead to feeling helpless and hopeless •Control your thoughts and feelings so they no longer overwhelm you •Help you draw on your own emotional, mental and spiritual resources in the process of healing from depression.

Are you struggling with the constant influence of depression in your life? Please know that there is hope for you, for your life, and for relief from the burden of depression. You may be in need of the support that you will find by coming to see me in therapy. Depression can tear a whole in the normal activities of life, and keeps you feeling lost, alone, and without hope. You are not alone, and together we will work through your experience of depression and help you to move towards the things that you love and care for. I am confident that together we will find a way through pain to joy and peace.

Has Depression Left You Feeling Stuck In Your Life? Is it difficult to live your life due to a depressed mood, a lack of energy, and a general apathy toward everything? Have you wondered why you simply can’t “snap out of it”? When you try to stay positive, do feelings of hopelessness keep cropping up? Whether you have felt this way for a long time or a short while, functioning with depression is exhausting, and you may be wondering if therapy could provide relief to help make life more manageable.

Research has clearly demonstrated that mindfulness-based approaches to depression are so powerful that they can reduce the chances of having a relapse by 50%! That's a big deal. A depressed mind is busy creating all kinds of negative thoughts. Mindfulness-based therapy will teach you a new way to relate to your thoughts. You don't have to believe everything you think! Especially the bad stuff, becuse it's often not true.

At The Counselling Space, we recognize the debilitating effects that depression has on clients, not only as individuals, but also on their relationships. As a parent, partner, friend, or employee, it is very hard to function in life when depression has drained the life force and energy we rely on to enjoy day to day activities and relationships. Together, we work with clients to identify the smallest, most manageable steps clients can take to make changes in their lives. We understand that when depression comes to visit, change can feel overwhelming and even impossible at times - because of this, we follow your lead, nudging you forward in a gentle way to support your unique healing journey.

In working with depression, I first distinguish between sadness and major depression. Next, I aim to help clients integrate their emotions, thoughts, behaviors, physical sensations, and meanings associated with their experience of sadness or depression. Over time, our work together is focused on developing psychological flexibility and acceptance of all emotions (i.e., there is no "good" or "bad" emotions).

In our sessions, we will explore the factors that contribute to feelings of depression and low mood and practice skill-building. We can learn to identify and shift the thinking patterns, accept and process our emotions, and detach ourselves from any expectations that may be keeping us stuck. We can also learn new ways to relate to ourselves and support ourselves through depression.

Our thinking and our behaviors can have a significant impact on our mood. Learning to understand the core beliefs that we carry and how they cause us to engage in distorted thinking can make a difference to our mood and joy in life. Changing our actions, can impact how we feel. Motivation and energy are low - making change difficult! Work with me to determine the best ways to get you back to a point of experiencing joy.

Feeling lonely, isolated? I am here to guide you through difficulties. The North Star has been a guiding light for people to find their way in the world. I will be the guiding light for you. This is done through a goal directed collaborative approach. Personal change is constant. We will bring awareness and facilitate movement toward goals you have identified. We will email back and forth, it's just like talking to a friend only you will receive professional help on your own schedule. Effective, easy, convenient and completely confidential E- Counselling draws on narrative and solution - focused therapies that will assist you to construct an outline for better ways of feeling and living.

Depression is on the rise in not only Canada but around the world. There a variety of reasons why this is - I have come to believe its the rise of a society that is busy and not taking care of themselves emotionally and physically. We are focused on the future and not enough on the present. Counselling allows a person to slow down and be in the present. People can then receive care and support as they walk through their feelings, thoughts and stories of their life.