Depression Counselling in Mission, BC.

Do you experience low mood, irritability, feelings of hopelessness, changes in appetite and sleep? Depression can make it hard to enjoy the things we once looked forward to and can send us into a cycle that may feel difficult to break. In working with depression, the body-mind connection is beneficial to understand. I approach depression with compassion by facilitating learning about yourself and building meaningful ways that work best for you in approaching your concerns.

If you're up against depression, we'd collaborate and become a team of sorts. Through thoughtful questioning and listening, we'd begin to identify alternative narratives that challenge your depressive story. By attending to your strengths, resilience and prior successes, you can begin to foster a sense of hope and feel empowered to envision a future where you can live beyond the limitations of depression.

Depression can be addressed with highly effective and powerful cognitive behavioural strategies. Many researchers have shown that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy along with exercise and a sleep hygiene program can be a highly effective treatment program for depression. I can show you these strategies and assist you in overcoming depression in a kind and compassionate way.

My approach is to work with you to understand all of the many layers of your life which may have caused your depression. Then we can collaboratively develop a plan for getting better, one step at a time. I use therapies such as CBT, ACT, and EMDR as needed to speed your recovery in collaboration with you. Most important is our therapeutic relationship and connection for change you can count on.

We are first interested in the context and history of the depression or sadness and what may it potentially be in response to. We understand that it is normal to feel extreme sadness in the face of trauma, violence, grief and loss, etc. We also know that clinical depression is something that deserves intentional support and intervention. We work to understand and provide the best support for each individual or family.

Are you struggling to get out of bed, losing interest in once-loved activities or feeling helpless and hopeless? The lethargic and foggy shutdown of depression can make everything in life feel just a few inches out of reach. The good news is that depression is readily treatable. I would be glad to help you explore what is keeping your body stuck in numb disconnection. Next, we form a plan to help you back to your best self. Together we tackle here-and-now symptoms with strategies of mindfulness and CBT, while also untying old knots from the past with emotion-focused and inner-child work. The heaviness of depression is your body asking for care. Are you ready to answer its call?

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.

For many, the experience of major depressive disorder can entail the experience of several detrimental symptoms such as feelings of worthlessness; lack of energy; loss of interest and pleasure; low mood; fatigue and sleep disturbances. Through the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) we can work collectively to remedy said symptoms, as well as many others. In addition, we can work to replace maladaptive beliefs, behaviours, cognitions and feelings with their more adaptive counterparts. Through psychoeducation, I can offer tools to improve emotional regulation and help increase your self-worth.