Depression Counselling in West Kelowna, BC.

In recent decades depression has become pervasive. Not just a few blue days but all out depression. In treatment we have focused on a chemical cure. While this in itself may not be wrong, many, I among them, have come to believe it is insufficient. And so I come to helping with this challenge from a cognitive behaviour perspective and a search for purpose and place in community. Helen Keller said “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it. The source of this overcoming is found in a renewed sense of self, purpose and place in the community. Come chat and we will find the "overcoming it" secret for you!

As someone who has a history of depression personally and intergenerationally, I am well aware of the great challenges and opportunities for growth that this experience can bring. For those struggling with depression, healing can feel elusive, as if nothing will ever work. It often requires a wider lens, an eye for patterns and a deeply supportive and holistic orientation to shift this dynamic. My approach comes from my years of experience moving through and finally out of my own depression and integrating the ancestral patterns that laid the foundation for it in my life. I now come to you with a wide-reaching tool kit to support you in your journey.

Depression can be experienced in a magnitude of ways and is often experienced differently by each individual. Symptoms may range from feeling increasingly irritable, experiencing a sense of emptiness and hopelessness, and an individual often will feel completely overwhelmed, losing interest in activities they once enjoyed. Depression may also be experienced physically. Physical symptoms may include, but are not limited to a lack of energy, problems sleeping, pronounced weight changes, and eventually, even serious illness. In cases of mild to moderate depression, there is an increasing amount of research supporting counselling as effective as medication in improving a person’s mood. Many clients have been referred to counselling by their family doctor when...(view profile to read more)

My approach is to work with you to understand all of the many layers of your life which may have caused your depression. Then we can collaboratively develop a plan for getting better, one step at a time. I use therapies such as CBT, ACT, and EMDR as needed to speed your recovery in collaboration with you. Most important is our therapeutic relationship and connection for change you can count on.

Depression is often associated with negative beliefs about oneself and the world, and EMDR can help to desensitize and reprocess these negative beliefs, leading to a more adaptive and positive worldview. Through the use of bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements or tapping, EMDR can help to process the distressing memories and beliefs, reducing the intensity of the emotional response and increasing emotional resilience. By addressing the underlying negative beliefs, EMDR can help to alleviate symptoms of depression and improve overall mood and well-being.

Depression can be a debilitating mental health issue, but the good news is there are excellent therapies out there designed to help treat it! Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been shown to be one of the most effective treatments in helping with depression. CBT is a shorter term and skills-based therapy intended to help individuals learn strategies to better manage their mood and improve the quality of their life. I'd be happy to discuss more about CBT for depression with you!