Depression Counselling in Cranbrook, BC.

Have you lost interest in activities that use to bring you joy? Do you feel down, sad, or depressed? Do you sleep more often than you use to or have trouble feeling motivated? Depression can be very difficult to cope with and can feel like the dark cloud will never lift. There is hope! Bettina uses empirically validated therapies to help the cloud of depression lift, so you can see the joy in your life again. EMDR and CBT are scientifically proven therapies for depression. Sometimes trauma or emotional childhood experiences can cause depression. EMDR helps heal the wounds of trauma which has a significant impact on symptoms of depression.

Depression can be experienced in a magnitude of ways and is often experienced differently by each individual. Symptoms may range from feeling increasingly irritable, experiencing a sense of emptiness and hopelessness, and an individual often will feel completely overwhelmed, losing interest in activities they once enjoyed. Depression may also be experienced physically. Physical symptoms may include, but are not limited to a lack of energy, problems sleeping, pronounced weight changes, and eventually, even serious illness. In cases of mild to moderate depression, there is an increasing amount of research supporting counselling as effective as medication in improving a person’s mood. Many clients have been referred to counselling by their family doctor when...(view profile to read more)

Depression can be experienced in a multitude of ways and often differently by each person. Depression can leave an individual feeling overwhelmed, a loss interested in activities that they used to enjoy, feel a lack of energy, have difficulty sleeping, experienced pronounced weight changes, and even serious illness. You do not have to suffer or feel alone. We will work with you to uncover the elements to your depression and help you to regain enjoyment and satisfaction in your life.

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.

To provide psychoeducation with depressive symptoms and how this will not only affect their mood, but also their own body's response. The mind and body connection will be pivotal. To explore the root cause of their depression and provide coping strategies that will be enable the client to live a good quality of life. Talk therapy with the incorporation of CBT, DBT, and SFBT.

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 is not merely a passing bout of sadness; it's a debilitating condition that affects a person's emotions, thoughts, and physical well-being. Symptoms can range from feelings of emptiness, lack of motivation, and loss of interest in once-enjoyed activities, to changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, and even physical pain. In severe cases, depression can lead to thoughts of self-harm or suicide. It's important to recognize that depression is not a sign of weakness, but rather a complex interplay of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors. We are here to help you through it, listen without judgement, and create a plan for reducing the impact of depression on your life.

Depression isn't a character flaw. The lack of motivation and pleasure, sadness and physical fatigue that accompany depression are real and you can't just "snap out of it". Depression affects the body, thoughts, emotions and behaviours and can make you feel stuck, alone and, at times hopeless. It requires patience and non-judgmental understanding that you can find in counselling. If you experience depression, and want to feel better we can explore the factors that underlie your depression and create small goals that allow you to experience success again, help you regain motivation and experience pleasure over time. Change requires commitment and I am ready if you are.

Depression can be the result of many different factors. Having a trained professional counsellor, such as myself, can help you sort out the various symptoms and causes. Even as the dep[ression is better understood by the client the therapy has often started to work for him or her. Often, a counsellor is working for the client as part of a team approach to treating depression. The team can include other health care practitioners such as doctors. Still, counselling is considered a primary form of treatment.

It is important to recognize that depression "looks different" across people, and I work with clients to identify and address the unique factors that contribute to their depression. For some people the focus may be on cognitive distortions and various thinking styles, while for others a pattern of withdrawal from sustaining interactions with other people may be prominent. A common focus of my approach include helping clients increase their involvement in both meaningful and pleasurable activities, such as physical exercise, hobbies, and social opportunities. Also, over the past several years I have increasingly recognized the importance of mindfulness and incorporate this consistently.