Depression Counselling in Strong, ON.

Depression is a mood disorder that can cause a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest that can interfere with daily functioning. Reaching out for help is a step towards wellness. Symptoms of depression can vary from person to person, but it is a very treatable condition. Therapy for depression helps you overcome the feelings of hopelessness and despair and to gain control of your life.

Depression has the ability to severely impact our daily lives, often making small everyday tasks difficult. Those who are affected by depression may be left with lack of motivation, low self-esteem and disinterest in the things they used to enjoy the most. What they could once do effortlessly may become one of the greatest challenges. Navigating depression can feel really lonely and scary, but I am here to walk that journey with you and to help you reconnect with your passions and joys. Contact me today to book a free consultation.

People struggling with depression are often battling negative thought patterns, low mood and sometimes behaviors that may include withdrawal, lack of energy and low motivation. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) targets negative thought patterns. The premise of CBT is that our thoughts, feelings, and actions are influenced by each other. If we can reframe these negative thoughts, we can change how a person feels and hence change some of the behaviors associated with depression. All three therapies: CBT, ACT and DBT have been shown to help with mood disorders such as depression.

Therapy for depression, especially trauma-informed approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), offers tailored support. CBT helps individuals identify and challenge negative thought patterns, fostering healthier perspectives and coping strategies. EMDR facilitates the processing of traumatic experiences, reducing their impact on mental well-being. These therapies create a safe environment for exploring emotions, understanding triggers, and developing resilience, empowering individuals to manage depression while addressing underlying trauma.

When it comes to depression, I believe that small change leads to bigger change. In my work with clients who experience feelings of depression, I take a more concrete, solution-focused approach and aid clients in taking small steps towards a greater goal, all while soliciting strengths and resources and moving at the client’s pace. In doing so, my hope is to help clients see how capable they are and transfer this knowledge into other domains of their lives. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to ensure we are a good fit.

Hope, purpose, self-respect, and connecting with those close to you are vital for a full and healthy life. Depression can often come like a wave and steal them from you. When these factors are missing from our lives it can result in feeling helpless, irritable, lonely, confused, and negatively impact your energy, sleep, appetite, and ability to concentrate. Working with strategies to help you process negative thoughts and difficult emotions, therapy can help you develop a sense of control and safety in your life, as well as work on a more positive sense-of-self and of those around you. Change is possible and joy is available, we can do it together.

Depression is truly debilitating, and at it's most basic means 'to push down'. I counsel clients to reach a deeper understanding of why they feel the way they do, in turn validating their own sense of self and then bring them through a process of recovery and healing where they are able to engage in emotional and physical practices to reach a higher level of emotional stability and contentment.

Our goal in therapy for depression is to support clients in their return to participating in those activities that once brought them joy. While we don't diagnose depression, we can work with those who bring a diagnosis from another practitioner or who experience the symptoms of depression. Using behavioural activation, getting to the root of the depressive symptoms, and cultivating compassion for oneself are methods we use to support our clients.

Experiencing depressive symptoms, low mood, low affect, low-ness is hard. Using psychodynamics and person-centered, strengths based therapies, I strive to aid clients in understanding the patterns of these symptoms so we can, collaboratively work together to process these feelings and devise ways that work for you to regulate and improve mood over time.