Depression Counselling in Stouffville, ON.

Depression is a complex experience that often colours all of our life and perception through its lens. Learning to live with and manage depression is a multi-faceted process that may benefit from some techniques and processes that we can explore together. Perhaps through exploring cognitive distortions, negative self-talk, or learning to recognize external triggers, we can chart a course toward smoother waters.

Depression not only affects your mood state, but also your -- *behavior, *the way you look at yourself, *relationship with people around you and *physical and organic function. Gestalt therapy emphasizes your capacity to develop your potential. In therapy with me change will take place through the relational experience, and increased awareness, this process, is what gives meaning to discovery to you. In Gestalt therapy, what is considered is your totality, a combination of your sensorial, affective, intellectual, social, and spiritual dimensions (Brownell, 2010). Studies show that the patients treated with Gestalt demonstrated fewer depressive symptoms following the intervention.

I will help you to uncover what is getting in the way of living your optimal life and to build new skills to manage it. Through the use of acceptance and mindfulness strategies, I help clients to be fully present in the moment and to accept otherwise negative emotions. Commitment and behavior change strategies help clients to change or persist in behaviors more in line with their own values. Used together these strategies increase client’s psychological flexibility.

Many years ago depression was called melancholia and was not considered so negatively as it is in our current "performance" focused culture. We are expected to be "up" continuously in today's busy life-styles, with work, children, relationships, and even in our playtime. The result of this sort of expectation can be debilitating and certainly can lead to long bouts of feeling out of control, unfulfilled, unmotivated and ultimately immobilized. Depression can certainly be dealt with through very effective therapeutic techniques. I work with clients to better understand the root cause of their sadness and help them to look at the possible meaning behind their depression and how to best cope.

If you find yourself caught in a cycle of feeling stuck, sad, hopeless, and emotionally drained, with a loss of interest and growing self-frustration, know that you are not alone. Depression can be exhausting, but the good news is that it is treated. Drawing upon evidence-based approaches, including Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), I will work with you to not only help you learn new coping skills, but also take you into and through difficult emotions - to increase your self-awareness and reduce feelings of helplessness.

Grey Matters International, Inc. and the work of Kevin J. Fleming, Ph.D. handles depression and other emotional disorders in a very unique way. Most of therapy or counseling processes utilize validation, unconditional positive regard, and reframing as common techniques to get someone to heal from their depression. Though this can be helpful, it rarely fixes the core problem behind it and for tough cases we then refer them usually to a psychiatrist for medication which can have tons of side effects. Instead, why not try a natural and arguably more effective way to not just change your mind, but change the brain--where the depression is rooted. Contact us at kevin@kevinflemingphd.com.