Depression Counselling in Salmon Arm, BC.

Did you know that depression and sadness are two different things? While sadness is a normal emotional response to certain situations, depression is a mental health disorder that affects a person's mood, thoughts, and daily functioning. It is important to recognize the symptoms of depression, such as persistent sadness, loss of interest in activities, changes in appetite and sleep patterns, and difficulty concentrating. If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, don't hesitate to seek help from a mental health professional. Remember, you are not alone.

When one is depressed the range of thoughts and feelings encompass a wide spectrum. Sadness and despair might be pervasive. One can feel as if they have fallen into a deep dark pit where everything is covered in negativity and hopelessness. In this state, one can feel inadequate, discouraged, unable or unwilling to make decisions. In addition, guilt, shame, profound low self-esteem and loss of interest in relationships, sex, career and even life itself are commonly found. A variety of evidence-based tools, specific to the needs of the individual, applied skillfully at the right time, can dramatically lift one out of that deep, dark pit and help avoid relapse.

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)

As someone who has a history of depression personally and intergenerationally, I am well aware of the great challenges and opportunities for growth that this experience can bring. For those struggling with depression, healing can feel elusive, as if nothing will ever work. It often requires a wider lens, an eye for patterns and a deeply supportive and holistic orientation to shift this dynamic. My approach comes from my years of experience moving through and finally out of my own depression and integrating the ancestral patterns that laid the foundation for it in my life. I now come to you with a wide-reaching tool kit to support you in your journey.

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.

Depression can be an overwhelming sense of sadness and hopelessness. It can also come with or without a clinical diagnosis. Through therapy we will begin to explore the sadness and what it means in the context of your life. We will explore the unique rules of sadness and depression and exceptions to sadness and depression. We will utilize interventions from Response-Based Practice, Narrative Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy.

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.