Depression Counselling in Sundridge, ON.

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.

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 I work with people who are weighed down with symptoms of depression, I find that it is important to remember two things: go slowly, and go together. Employing a trauma informed, family systems and somatic lens to what you are experiencing can help provide insight into how to move through and manage it. Journeying with clients through their depression is a great honour, and is something I take very seriously. I find that for many people, holding onto hope that things could be different, is something that can seem too much. Part of my commitment to working through depression is that, until you are ready, I will hold onto hope for both us.

Depression is an insidious companion, and can creep its way in without us realizing for some time. Shifting a depressed mindset can be extremely difficult but neuroimaging studies have shown that by practicing mindfulness we can begin to alter those well-trodden neural pathways and shift our neurochemistry by promoting the production of neurotransmitters linked to feelings of happiness. Psychotherapy can help you identify mindfulness activities and other tools that can help to promote the production of these neurotransmitters and deliver results rooted in neuroscience. I can offer an alternative perspective and act as the catalyst you need to begin making the shift out of depression.

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.

Can we transform emotional pain into personal growth and find hope? I can help you become aware of how certain negative automatic thoughts, beliefs and expectations contribute to feelings of anxiety and sadness. Often these automatic negative thought patterns are developed as a result of a past painful and difficult experience. They determine how we deal with loss, change, conflict and social interactions. Supporting you in identifying and understanding these thought patterns, can help resolve problems in maintaining relationships and establish a stronger sense of self-worth. Schedule a free consultation with me to see if we are a good fit for therapy.

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.

Getting to the root of one's depression, why it occurs, and how it presents itself is imperative in understanding how one can remedy it. By working with clients to explore and comprehensively understand their depression, we will be able to better manage, mitigate, or eliminate the cognitions, behaviours, and feelings tied to our depression. How we became depressed is only the first step in ones work on depression; figuring out how to create change, support, and maintain change is the bulk of it.