Depression Counselling in Bon Accord, AB.

Everyone has bad days, but when these bad days start out numbering the good days or impacting our day to day functioning, it is time to seek help. At Nexus Psychology, we offer counselling for adolescents and adults who are experiencing symptoms of low mood or depression. We believe in short-term, evidence-based therapy practices. We work with our clients to teach them the skills they need to be more independent with their mood management.

Everyone's depression is different - uncovering the root causes of a client's depression is critical and determines which form of therapy is best. I integrate multiple therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, EMDR, Internal Family Systems, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to hep clients improve. I also have experience working with Bipolar disorder.

Depression is not a journey you need to make alone. Our therapists can help you to: •Find your inner motivation and strength to live your life •Engage in activities that are proven to help alleviate symptoms of depression, such as exercise, good nutrition and meditation •Uncover and explore the life problems that contribute to your depression •Overcome isolation and reconnect with significant people in your life •Identify and challenge negative thinking patterns that lead to feeling helpless and hopeless •Control your thoughts and feelings so they no longer overwhelm you •Help you draw on your own emotional, mental and spiritual resources in the process of healing from depression.

Depression doesn’t always look like sadness—it often shows up as numbness, burnout, loss of motivation, or disconnection from yourself and others. I help clients explore the root patterns behind their emotional shutdown, understand the roles that stress, identity, and unmet needs play, and create structured steps toward change. Therapy with me is not about endless venting—it’s about restoring movement, building clarity, and helping you reconnect with yourself and your direction in life. You don’t have to stay stuck.

It is so hard to understand depression. However, once you do understand it, it becomes a highly treatable state. I hope that we will together pinpoint the life problems that contribute to your depression and find which aspects of those problems can be solved or improved. Identify negative or distorted thought patterns you might have, and develop your skills that will help you fight the depression.

Sometimes depression feels so dark it is hard to get out of bed. Other times it is more like a "heavy cloud" that burdens you with constant negative thoughts and feelings. Sometimes people are haunted by a barrage of critical thoughts like "what's wrong with you", " you always screw up", " if only you were like other people". Counselling helps you change the way you think and feel about yourself so you can approach life with a more hopeful and positive outlook.

Sometimes life can seem dark and hopeless, leading you to question where you are heading, while feeling lost or helpless. Together we can create a safe and trusting space to explore your feelings and thoughts, without judgement. We can work towards gaining deeper insight into your thought and behaviour patterns, leading to better understanding, perspective, and hope for the future.

In working with clients who are experiencing depression I tend to avoid recommending medication (except when necessary). For clients who are currently on medication, many come looking to work towards healthy functioning without medication. One of the most difficult parts about healing from depression is how difficult it can be to feel motivated to take action to care for yourself. I understand that, and I won't push you to do anything you aren't ready for. Making an appointment and attending the session is one of the most difficult steps. When you make it in, we will be able to develop an understanding of the underlying issues that lead to your depression and a plan to overcome it.

I provide help for individuals experiencing depression and how it may be affecting multiple aspects of everyday life such as work, family, friendships, other relationships and day-to-day responsibilities. In counselling I help clients better understand multiple aspects of depression, develop the tools needed to cope more effectively, and restore feelings of hope.

Many people think depression is about not doing enough or being uncommitted to their goals, however, people who struggle with depression are facing the problem of being over-committed to their goals and failing. When I work with clients dealing with depression the goal is to manage goals and expectations and work on creating small changes that build momentum to larger changes.

Depression can have multiple and complex causes, but most often it can be attributed to how we think. When we examine our thoughts, we can find we are struggling with automatic negative thoughts that leave us feeling depressed. Learning how to identify these thoughts and actively speak differently to ourselves armed with statements that are more true, we can see the depression levels begin to decrease.

Many people believe that in order to be "strong," they need to bury their feelings and keep them hidden from others. Over time, this can backfire, as feelings can build and take over, leaving a person feeling down and depressed, or overwhelmed. I work with clients not only to work through feelings of anger, resentment, hurt, and sadness that have built up, but to develop new habits of self-care, assertiveness, boundaries, healthy expression of feelings, communication, and stress management so that this does not occur again in the future. By doing this, they can become a more well-rounded person, who feels free to express feelings as they arise, and no longer carries them with them.

Depression is not feeling bad – it is not feeling. When we become depressed we try to insulate ourselves from our emotions. Treatment for depression requires a willingness to feel what we are avoiding. This requires a process of exploring the buried feelings in a safe, supportive environment. As we become friends with our emotions we can gradually come back to life.