Depression Counselling in Oakville, ON.

If you have lost interest in your usual activities, are feeling sad and/or more tired than usual, have noticed a change in sleep or appetite, have difficulty concentrating or are feeling that life isn't worth living, you may be experiencing depression. Research has shown that a combination of medical treatment and therapy is the most successful in treating depression. I have helped many clients reduce depression symptoms and have led depression support groups. I use a holistic approach that helps you change the feelings, thoughts and behaviours that contribute to depression

Any person is exposed to feel sadness and disappointment at any given time, however the length and the effects of that feeling on us will determine if we are dealing with depression, this is a medical condition that will interfere with a person’s ability to carry normal daily activities. Family and friends trying to help sometimes make it worse; the person feels alone and misunderstood, and it will take him/her a long time to seek help. Nowadays combined treatments achieve remarkable recovery. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has proven efficacy, with the use of these techniques you will gradually get back your joyfulness.

Feeling depressed, discouraged, hopeless or helpless can be a painful "stuck" place to be in. We can help you process and overcome the adversity that contributed to this state of collapse, work through the thwarted survival responses that can underlie depression, well as develop skills to address the negative thoughts, assumptions, self-criticism and limiting core beliefs that might be maintaining your low mood and discouragement. We work with the emotional, mental and physical aspects of depression, using mindfulness, cognitive and body-based approaches that are trauma-focused. Together, we can support you to climb out from the depths, and restore hope and a sense of embodied aliveness.

Depression and anxiety often go hand in hand. If you find that you or your child/teen is unmotivated, tired, feeling 'stuck' or lacking motivation to get things done, or even get out of bed some days, I can help. During treatment, I work with my clients to focus on creating positive changes, while also building on skills to support what is already working.

Perhaps you are experiencing mild to moderate depression, or you aren't sure, but you know you don't feel yourself lately. Perhaps you have never quite felt as happy as you would like in life, and you may or may not be sure why. Maybe there are specific life circumstances impacting your mood. You know you want to find your way to a happier place, are motivated to better establish what is going on and how to overcome it, and know seeking support to do so will help!

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

I will help you 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!

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.

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.

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.

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 often comes as a result of not feeling entitled to claim our life and set boundaries to create safety in our life. Instead of feelings like we can grow and become more of who we are, we get caught in the reverse, where we feel more and more that we should shrink and lose our aliveness. I will work with you in a process of recognizing your feelings and getting them to work for you rather than against you. Depression is about dis-empowerment, but we become empowered when we can make sense of our inner world and use our feelings to strengthen ourselves and make the changes we need to make in our life. No need to go it alone, let me guide you through this challenging terrain!

Each New Leaf Psychology Centre associate has experience offering therapy for depression. Therapy can help you feel less depressed, engage more fully in life, and feel more optimistically about your future. Ms. Saliba specializes in providing therapy for youth who are depressed and engage in risky behaviors such as self-harm. Dr. Gilani specializes in depression related to pain, physical disabilities, and injury.