Depression Counselling in Bowen Island, BC.

I will listen to the stories of your experience with depression. Together we will find ways of coping with depression, while working on acceptance of living skillfully with depression. I will teach you how to be more compassionate with yourself, using techniques from Mindful Self-Compassion. I will help you build capacity to cope with depression and capitalize on your strengths.

Do you find yourself waking up in the morning unmotivated, low energy and just blah? Is it hard to remember feeling happy and excited? Depression may creep up on you or it may be feel like you are at the bottom of dark hole that you can't find your way out of. Together we will work to discover the source of your sadness and re-build your life. There is hope and things can feel better.

Depression can feel isolating and draining, but therapy provides a supportive space to rediscover hope and rebuild your sense of purpose. My approach focuses on understanding your unique experiences, identifying underlying patterns, and fostering self-compassion. Together, we’ll develop practical strategies to manage symptoms, challenge unhelpful thought patterns, and create meaningful changes in your daily life. Clients benefit from personalized care that promotes resilience, emotional balance, and a renewed connection to joy and fulfillment.

If you come to me suffering with depression, I can support you step-by-step as you move into a healthier and happier place by: • Learning about you and your life, which can include any or all of the following: personal/gender identity, family, culture, relationship, social life, work, medical issues • Freeing up healthy grief and anger to help restore your energy and joy in life • Selecting the modalities we both feel will be most helpful for you and practicing them in session together • Modalities I work with include: attachment healing, self-regulation, body sensing inquiry, setting healthy boundaries, disarming the inner critic, self-esteem, hypnosis, family constellations

If depression could speak, it would say "why bother?" Depression leaves us feeling unmotivated, hopeless, and negative about ourselves and our potential. In counselling, I provide a compassion-focused approach to treating depression that will help you to increase your sense self-worth and build motivation to mobilize yourself. I believe that when treating depression, it is essential to explore emotions such as anger, guilt and shame that often perpetuate a defeated and empty state. Doing so can feel uncomfortable, but is ultimately liberating. Many of my depressed - even suicidal - clients report that therapy has helped improve their mood and take meaningful action in their lives.

I work with clients to manage symptoms of depression, which can be accompanied with a sense of helplessness and hopelessness that can create a negative valence around an individual’s daily functioning. A persistent feeling of sadness and doom can be accompanied with a loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable. While the causes of depression can be related to brain chemistry, genetics, stressful life events, and medical conditions, CBT can be effective in identifying the interactions between one’s thoughts, behaviours, emotions, and their environment. Healthy coping mechanisms such as eating healthy, exercise, adequate sleep, and managing stress levels can help combat depression

Social anxiety and shyness can easily lead to feelings of depression. If you feel depressed because you feel alone, isolated and have trouble making friends, you might be glad to know that there is a way to learn and practice the social skills you missed learning as a child. You can learn and practice new skills, meet new people, learn how to start conversations and create your own social circle. Life can change and it takes just one step to start the process rolling in the right drection.

Sometimes feeling sad, stuck, and hopeless is something that can be shifted with support and some fairly straightforward strategies. At other times, depressed feelings can be signs of complex processes that take time to unravel and sometimes lead to profound transformations. Still at other times, stuck emotions and energies can be moved through experiential processes. Ultimately, feelings of depression and their resolution are unique to your life. Even though ways out can be challenging to see when we’ve been feeling stuck for some time, there are many ways through. I'll help you find the one that works for you.

Feeling depressed is a horrible way to live your life. I work with clients to help them overcome their depression for good. We spend time on creating awareness and insight while developing healthy coping strategies, repairing/strengthening relationships, addressing ineffective habits, and altering thinking, feeling, and behavioural patterns. Whether it be situational depression or an ongoing pattern of depression, we can find ways to improve your mood and thus your quality of life.

Real Solutions to Real Challenges. Common Sense Techniques Get relief from depresion. Depression is a symptom that may stem from an identifyable event, an unfulfilled intention, poor self-worth, perfectionistic traits,or as a result of a trauma such as sexual abuse, bullying, poor attachment . Over time an individuals brain chemistry can physically change. When a depresion trigger occurs it then becomes easier for that individual to go to an even darger place. Hoplessness sets in and the person becomes very discouraged. Martin helps his clients to understand these patterns, reframe beliefs, and discharge the issues that are at the core of the depresssion.

Depression can be incredibly debilitating - I understand as I have experienced depression myself. I support clients with building tools, increase understanding and education and help improve daily functioning. We will work together to determine your goals and take a proactive approach to follow through on a plan for effective solutions. The sessions will lead to improved mood, increased daily functioning and moving from surviving to thriving in your life!

Depression and the feeling of being overwhelmed, scared and even paralyzed are real. The good news is that depression is treatable. Identifying the reasons behind depression, understanding the inner tensions that create depression are the necessary steps to move into a hope-filled life. Being able to look forward to the day ahead, living out your hopes and dreams is achievable.

When struggling with depressed moods, everything feels heavy and you lack a sense of meaning and purpose. Even the most simple tasks can feel impossible. If you find yourself turning to alcohol, substances, or other addictive behaviours to cope with depressed moods, there is a way out. I help clients with addictions overcome the depressed moods causing them to turn to substances or addictive behaviours to cope. Everyone is different, so I work with you to develop a plan that fits your unique situation. If you are unsure where to start, send me a message. If I'm not the right fit, I can connect you to resources that will allow you to start getting help today, without having to wait.