Depression Counselling in Whitby, ON.

People are often faced with moments of sadness which can sometimes lead to chronic sadness. My work with clients could involve deep reprocessing of certain memories related to depression which allow clients new insights into how to face their depression. Further to this, by guiding clients on their recovery from depression, we are able to pinpoint aspects that must be addressed to help the recovery process which may include mindfulness, thoughts, and/or behaviors.

Booo depression!!! 👎👎 But also, yay depression!??? 🤔 Depression is one of the most insidious of mental health challenges because it can rob you of the very things needed to counteract it. It can also be an important gauge that something in your life needs a tune-up! Like, today! Our first steps forward will be to make it crystal clear that, You Are Not Your Depression. Together we will identify the tactics and tricks its being using in order to maintain its presence in your life. We'll also discover just what it's doing there in the first place and why it's been sticking around. Together we'll begin to shine a light on something that would much rather prefer you remained in the dark!

Our emotions work to provide us with information about a situation, environment, or relationship. When we experience depression, it is typically because we have experienced many disappointments in our life, or believe that we have let important others down. Our coping strategies become overwhelmed and we experience feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Together, we can explore the circumstances surrounding your depression symptoms to develop an understanding of them. This will assist us in identifying new ways of reducing and managing these emotions, to improve your daily functioning and overall quality of life.

I’ve been helping people lead more intentional lives for over 20 years. Depression can cause you to feel lonely, helpless, and confused. I’m trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, developmental models,and anxiety and depression management. I will support you in creating a set of tools to help you manage your depression. Most importantly, you're a distinctive person, with distinctive needs. My goal is to work with you as a unique individual, and focus on YOUR goals.

In my approach to counseling those facing depression, I use Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to help clients understand and reshape their emotional responses. By exploring the patterns that fuel depression, we work together to build a foundation of emotional resilience and connection. This process empowers clients to develop a greater sense of self-acceptance and deeper connections with others, helping them find relief, renewed hope, and the skills to navigate future challenges with confidence.

Solutions and supportive appraoches to effectively help people suffering from depressed mood include, cognitive-behavioural and narrative therapy, often combined with interpersonal /relationship assessment utilizing a family and social systems approach. These therapies are well grounded in clinical research and literature. Through a guided exploration of thoughts, feelings and behaviours related to sadness and depression, people can identify the factors contributing to imbalances in mood, thereby discovering solutions and strategies for positive cognitive shifting, behavioural changes and spiritual growth. While the work is challenging, it can also be light-hearted and even fun at times !

Depression is a series of symptoms that can persist and impact all areas of a persons life, and make living feel like moving through mud. Often, depression tells us to stay quiet and alone, but healing happens when we reach out for help. Therapy for depression can offer insight, connection, compassion and plans for symptom management. Connection is an important element in recovering from depression, and therapy can help give a voice and a space for you to find support.

Depression is often associated with symptoms such as fatigue, loss of motivation, loss of pleasure, withdrawal, and feelings of sadness. Often, when individuals feel depressed, they stop engaging in activities they enjoy which can perpetuate depressive symptoms. There are a variety of evidence-based approaches to explore depression. Together, we will decide which approach is best for you. Please contact me to schedule a free 15-minute consultation to determine if we are a good fit.

At New Roots Therapy, we aim to understand depression in a way that is not pathologizing or failing. Depression can have both internal and external roots; many times, depression is an active response to something that is out of balance in one's life. Regardless of its cause, we ultimately believe that a person is not their depression, but a person can be influenced by depression. By the same token, we believe that people have the ability to be active in influencing the impact of depression on their lives and we hope to explore this with the people we meet.

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.

I work with clients to improve low mood and other symptoms of depression including, motivation, focus/concentration, social isolation, fatigue, guilt/shame, irritability and loss of interest in usually enjoyable activities. I work with the client to address their inner critic which often works to maintain symptoms of depression and use behavioural activation to break the cycle of depression. I encourage self-compassion and take a gentle approach that empowers the client and helps to renew a lost sense of hope.