Depression Counselling in Mapleton, ON.

Thoughts, feelings, actions, and core beliefs about oneself, relationships, and the world often have an impact on overall mood and well-being. Depression can be a debilitating struggle and often, with the help of a compassionate and unbiased therapist, you can start to uncover, understand, and challenge longstanding patterns of thinking, acting and behaving that impact on your mood. With this increased awareness, many strategies and tools can be learned to alter these patterns and ultimately find some relief from depression and personal growth.

When one is depressed the range of thoughts and feelings encompass a wide spectrum. Sadness and despair might be pervasive. One can feel as if they have fallen into a deep dark pit where everything is covered in negativity and hopelessness. In this state, one can feel inadequate, discouraged, unable or unwilling to make decisions. In addition, guilt, shame, profound low self-esteem and loss of interest in relationships, sex, career and even life itself are commonly found. A variety of evidence-based tools, specific to the needs of the individual, applied skillfully at the right time, can dramatically lift one out of that deep, dark pit and help avoid relapse.

Depression can be isolating and lonely, but it doesn't have to be. I work with clients to understand their depression from a biopsychosocial perspective, understand potential depressive triggers and stressors, and develop coping tools that are unique to your life and situation. Together, we can manage your depression and improve your life satisfaction!

Depression takes many forms. One can be: blue, listless, hopeless, sad, dispirited, nervous, fatigued; be defeating oneself, in a funk, etc. It can include: feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, loss of interest in daily activities; appetite, weight or sleep changes; anger, irritability, loss of energy, self-loathing, recklessness and so on. But it’s also unique to each of us. Help for any of this is best with you being in charge. My job as your therapist is to listen and follow as fully as I can what way you want to change. My approach will be focused on how best to address the specific symptoms and situation you face in particular. Ultimately, balanced self-assertion is the real key.

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.

Depression can be debilitating for an individual to live with as it takes over their life and is not something they asked to have and are confused with why they can't get out of the rut. As a therapist, I know it is important to start where the client is at as well as recognize when implementing strategies of change is important. My approach is to offer Cognitive Behaviour Therapy where you will learn coping skills and in a safe environment be exposed to situations that will increase your self awareness to the point you are able to manage the emotions.

Depression is often our body/minds’ way of saying “slow down and look at things that may be negatively affecting your life.” An unfortunate side effect of this coping strategy is that it can prevent us from having the motivation or clarity to work on things that might be helpful. The work we do together will examine past and present barriers to living a more fulfilling life. This could include processing past traumas, rethinking unhelpful behaviour patterns or coping strategies. As depression subsides you may notice an increase in motivation, a desire to connect more with others, and positive mood.

Depression can be something that suddenly surprises us or it may have been a lifelong companion. Either way, counselling helps the symptoms of depression to become more manageable. Together we can work on strategies that will gradually assist you to gently re-shape your life. Patience is a key ingredient to getting better. Making changes is definitely possible.

Sometimes we just don’t feel quite right. We can feel stress and change mounting out of our control. Maybe this is a feeling you have had before, or maybe it is a new feeling. Either way, we can help you to navigate this by working on understanding why it is happening, learning skills to cope, and resolving its root causes. Contact us and we can help you on a path to feeling more connect to life and to yourself again.

Sometimes, we think of depression in social terms as the sadness and aloneness we feel that doesn't significantly interfere with our daily abilities to function. At other times, depression may dramatically limit the energy or interest we have to do anything. This may require the help of your physician to rule out the biological causes of medical problems that present as depression. In both examples, therapy is necessary to increase the possibility of a good outcome. When I've met folks suffering from all forms of depression, I've relied on my education, training and experience to provide counselling and therapy. Depression is difficult, but you don't need to be alone to manage it.

If you are depressed, you may believe you are flawed or that your situation is helpless. Whatever faulty beliefs you may have about yourself or the world, I can help you see that those beliefs are a lie! I will challenge the faulty messages you tell yourself, and help you with strategies to prevent you spiraling into depression. I will teach you tools to help you stay out of depression permanently.

So many people suffer from depression in today's society. The recent COVID-19 Pandemic has made an already debilitating situation more challenging. If you find yourself feeling pessimistic about yourself, the future and the world, please know that there are proven strategies that can help. Working together, we can find strategies to manage your thoughts and feelings and build a more positive and optimistic life. Types of approaches that might be used include Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy and Narrative Therapy.

Depression is very common and leads to people being off work and loosing family and friends. It can often be a struggle for people to reach out for help and make that first call or come in to my office. Depression is a huge weight on your shoulders that interferes with all aspects of your life. It often feels like 2 steps forward ten steps back. We explore together what led up to your depression and your symptoms. I coach you to practice simple self care that helps you free yourself from depression. I am well connected in the mental health community and can offer referrals as required.