Depression Counselling in Oakville, ON.

Let's face it, life is not easy. Whether you feel trapped in life or your own poor self esteem and negative outlook, you can overcome depression and transform into a joyful and balanced individual who can solve life's problems. Utilizing the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness, I use a step by step approach to help you reconstruct old thinking patterns, deal with feelings and experience life with confidence.

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.

I will help you to design your own Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), use charts to track and control your moods, find helpful care providers, build a system of mutual support, increase self-confidence and self-esteem, use relaxation, diet, exercise, and light to stabilize your moods, and avoid conditions that can worsen your symptoms. There are new ways of thinking. There is a way out of depression!

Clients with depression often describe feeling as if they are strangers in their own body. Thoughts, emotions, and actions can all feel as if they are happening behind a veil, and things such as joy, peace, and fulfillment can sometimes be absent. At Whiteboard, we count it a privilege to help people fighting depression get their lives back. Our process involves identifying the core elements of our clients' thinking and emotional processes in order to help elevate them out of the darkness which surrounds them. These processes are rooted in Narrative Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and have proven successful in offering clients the brighter future they deserve.

Depression is not pleasant. People who suffer from depression probably do not want to stay in a depressive state, but they lack the tools to move out of the negativity. Coming to a therapist when you are feeling depressed is the first step to overcoming these emotions. It means that you are ready to change your pattern of thoughts and behaviours and are willing to seek help to assist you in doing so. Together we can make a plan to help you identify when you are moving towards a depressive state and keep you from going down the unwanted path. We can help you identify the things in life that influence you positively and work towards focusing on the things that give you strength.

Depression is often the result of loss. It comprises a myriad feelings of despair and isolation and loneliness and lethargy which sever us from loved ones who we feel don't understand. So we don't talk ..or don't want to talk. Only if that depression would just go away. It can be a chemical imbalance from a family history or from reactive loss, it still isolates us. My approach is to help you feel you can trust to talk and explore the source of the "disconnect". I will listen without judging and guide you to express the "hidden" feelings that congregate into "depression". Gradually you will begin to understand and learn effective ways to handle and manage the various feelings of depression.

Depression is debilitating for the individual and those closest to them. Effective therapy will help you gather the skills you need to deal with your current depression. It will also give you the confidence and the ability to recognize and stop the depressive thinking, feelings and behaviours that may indicate the beginnings of a future episodes should they occur.

Clients struggling with depression have shared with me that my approach and the strategies that they used in their journey were exceptionally helpful to reaching their goals. I utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique and EMDR as the core strategies when working with depression. It is important to develop your own voice, to tell your story. Studies have shown that the key to successful therapy is the therapeutic relationship which means the development of mutual trust and respect between the client and therapist.

Depression is the most common mental-health disturbance worldwide and falls within a wide continuum of severity. There is an equally broad range of causes, including grief and loss and absense of a supportive community. Some believe it is biological. Whatever the cause, some individuals feel depression more acutely and more frequently than others. Current research recognizes the benefits of psychotherapy on positive treatment outcomes. My approach is to recognize the life experiences that have contributed to depression and to help address directly the feelings underneath. To find relief and hope is sometimes a matter of learning to dig deeper into feelings with help from a psychotherapist.

Depression is among the most common and devastating health conditions a person can face. Fortunately, there are treatments that are scientifically supported to provide relief to individuals suffering from depression. In particular, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is among the most researched and proven for mild to moderate depression. At Meristem, we strive to incorporate CBT interventions into individually tailored treatment plans that are wholistic and comprehensive because research and clinical experience has shown us that this eclectic approach gives us the best results at recovery for clients of all ages.

In working with individuals who struggle with depression, I primarily use a cognitive behavioural therapeutic (CBT) approach. The principal aim of this approach is to increase awareness that thoughts and behaviours drive emotion. In addition, the goal is to increase consciousness of distorted perceptions. That is, often individuals who struggle with depression do not think accurately, and if their thoughts are not accurate, than they cannot be trusted. The purpose of CBT is to bring awareness to cognitive distortions and then teach individuals how to rebalance their thoughts to be more accurate.

Depression is a debilitating state of mind where individuals become stuck in negative self-talk, leading to a state of helplessness and hopelessness. I utilize compassion-focused and acceptance and commitment therapeutic approaches to help clients break this cognitive state and move towards more effective thought patterns. From here, clients begin to notice a shift in their behaviours and relationships.

Depression not only affects your mood state, but also your -- *behavior, *the way you look at yourself, *relationship with people around you and *physical and organic function. Gestalt therapy emphasizes your capacity to develop your potential. In therapy with me change will take place through the relational experience, and increased awareness, this process, is what gives meaning to discovery to you. In Gestalt therapy, what is considered is your totality, a combination of your sensorial, affective, intellectual, social, and spiritual dimensions (Brownell, 2010). Studies show that the patients treated with Gestalt demonstrated fewer depressive symptoms following the intervention.

Depression has become an epidemic in our world...hard things happen, biochemistry responds and depression can set in---it can brew over many years with many causal factors [chronic childhood difficulties and learning], or happen quickly [reactive depression]. It changes everything and does not magically go away---it takes time; reframing with active cognitive work; diligent self-care; a consult with your GP; possibly medication and counselling. Depression often can be held firm with a constant focus and depressive rumination on the past. Therapy can help loosen our grip on the things wee cannot change.

For anyone who has ever felt the hopeless, despairing numbness of clinical depression, it can be difficult to really believe that things could turn around, that you could ever hop out of bed with enthousiasm - much less ever feel like yourself again - but it is possible. Working together, we'll put one foot in front of the other and guide you, step by step, in simple but powerful actions you can take to help you get back to enjoying life again. Don't settle for feeling depressed, hopeless, tired, and bad about yourself for one more day. You CAN regain your energy, your motivation, and your enjoyment of living again...starting today.

While we all have days where we feel sad and 'depressed', if it goes on day after day so that negative thoughts make us feel exhausted, powerless, empty, discouraged and hopeless, then we need help. Leaving depression untreated can lead to several physical and mental complications and even suicide. Fortunately, trained counsellors can assist us in retraining our mind and teach us new skills to challenge depressive thinking so that we can lead a confidently depression free life.

I utilize Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Emotion Focused Therapy (CBT) to treat depression. I work with clients to explore, explain and modify unhelpful patterns of thought, emotion and behaviour that are the basis of psychological problems. These approaches are well validated treatment modalities. I tailor each treatment plan to suit the needs of each individual client, using a warm and empathic approach.

Depression can paralyze, devastate and debilitate. You might find yourself helpless, exhausted, empty, worthless and in despair about being a hopeless prisoner of darkness, and the relentless little negative voice inside seems to have the upper hand, blaming, discouraging, frightening or putting you down. Allow me to offer you my support, to help you understand your situation and its possible causes and to gently explore manageable ways to better cope, feel new hope and to improve your quality of life. 905-842-3626

Having symptoms of depression can be devistating. I can help you examine what life circumstances may have led to or may be contributing to how you are feeling. We can also uncover stressors and pressures that you may be experiencing, as well as lifestyle choices that may be contributing to your symptoms. I can help you in your journey to lifting the cloud of depression.