Depression Counselling in Stouffville, ON.

Depression is all encompassing. It affects all aspects of our life including our physical health, our emotional state, our thinking patterns, our behaviours and reactions, and our relationships. We often lose interest in participating in life and this can lead to feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and worthlessness. Although we can feel like a lost cause at times, there is always hope! Working together in therapeutic relationship, we can can help you reconnect with your joy in a supportive and compassionate way. If you want to start feeling better, book a free consultation or book a session today! www.kaleidoscopecounsellingco.com

Are you looking for better ways to cope? Do you feel sad, unmotivated, hopeless, or like everything is slowing down? We can assist you to live a better quality of life by helping you to explore the issue related to your struggle, by helping you to understand that issue, and by helping you to increase your sense of hope about yourself, about the world, and about the future. We understand that seeking therapy can be daunting, we appreciate your courage in seeking therapy, and we are committed to collaborating with you in a safe, non-judgmental, and caring environment.

Our team will determine a unique treatment plan that is unique to your life. There are many symptoms of depression, which can vary from mild to severe. Several factors can contribute to depression such as, biochemistry, genetics, personality, and environmental factors. Depression can be treated using different approaches. Everyone is affected by depression differently, thus, treatment plans are unique to the individual Our team of professionals will work with you in order to find treatment options that work best for you and your life.

I will help you to uncover what is getting in the way of living your optimal life and to build new skills to manage it. Through the use of acceptance and mindfulness strategies, I help clients to be fully present in the moment and to accept otherwise negative emotions. Commitment and behavior change strategies help clients to change or persist in behaviors more in line with their own values. Used together these strategies increase client’s psychological flexibility.

My approach to depression is usually to start with the basics. Is the client getting enough sleep, sunlight, proper nutrition, exercise/movement, social contact? I also like to use CBT, particularly behavioural activation, to see if we can start to implement small behaviours that help lift the client a bit. This is then accompanied by deeper discussions about what the client's experience is. Have they lost a sense of control or meaning in their lives? How can we increase motivation and agency?

The difference between depression and pain is often misunderstood. We get stuck in a process that should come to a natural completion. We get stuck because our environment does not encourage us to respect our feelings, to honour our process and to discover our own way to live. I believe no one would suffer depression if they could express themselves fully and be heard. Therapy can teach you how to receive this respect, then you naturally begin to give yourself the compassion and understanding you need to allow your process to reach completion. To remember or rediscover emotions, from laughter to anger to tears; To allow flow to replace the fear that fed the depression and hopelessness.

I provide a supportive space for clients experiencing low mood, fatigue, or self-criticism. Together, we address unhelpful thought patterns, nurture self-compassion, and develop strategies to regain motivation and energy. Clients leave therapy feeling more hopeful, connected to their values, and equipped to restore balance, confidence, and joy in their daily lives.

When working with clients struggling with depression, I offer a compassionate and personalized approach that blends evidence-based therapies with genuine human connection. Depression can feel like a fog that dims your energy, motivation, and hope—but you don’t have to navigate it alone. Together, we’ll explore the underlying patterns that contribute to your low mood and disconnection, while building practical tools to help you find relief and regain a sense of purpose. I draw from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and mindfulness strategies to help you manage difficult emotions and various challenges.

Depression can feel like you’re moving through life in slow motion. Everything feels heavy, disconnected, or just… off. You’re going through the motions, but nothing really feels good. Therapy offers a space to talk about it openly, make sense of what’s going on, and begin to reconnect with yourself. We’re here to help you feel more like you again, at your own pace.

Do you wake up or go to bed feeling the blues? Do you feel dread and wonder how you will get through the day? Are you experiencing negative thoughts? I can help. Not only do I use talk therapy with my clients I help clients by using a technique called CBT Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. CBT can help you notice triggers and events that effect both thoughts and mood restoring balance.

The combination of schema therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective approach to dealing with depression. The CBT aspect of the therapy provides insight into HOW depression affects our lives. The schema portion of the therapy addresses the question of WHY depression exists in our lives. The therapy is comprehensive and intense and I encourage you to give it a try.

Depression is a change in mood that can lead to loss of concentration, increased reactivity, feelings of sadness, and a loss of interest in everyday activities. Depression usually develops over time, so we are unaware it is present. It will surface when we are under stress, grieving a loss, or facing life changes we did not choose, like a marital break-up, a pregnancy loss, or being laid off from work. A major depression or clinical depression can also occur due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. In these situations, we need medical assistance to move forward from a depressive event. However, most people find talk therapy improves their mood. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation today

I utilize a cognitive behavioural therapy approach for treating depression. I work with the client to help them identify the toughts that they are having that lead to feelings of depression. We also work to discover the unhelpful habits that they have that lead to low mood. This is accomplished by discussion within the therapy session, however clients are also provided with homework in which they are asked to work on strategies in their environment to identify faulty thinking patterns.

Depression affects every area of your life. Using a combination of approaches, Patzia facilitates your reconnecting with your sense of purpose, meaning and joy in an empathic and safe space. A the poet Kabir says, "Wherever you are, that is the entry point." Our work together begins with what you are experiencing NOW. What is happening in your life now, and what do you need. There is hope.

Getting to the root of one's depression, why it occurs, and how it presents itself is imperative in understanding how one can remedy it. By working with clients to explore and comprehensively understand their depression, we will be able to better manage, mitigate, or eliminate the cognitions, behaviours, and feelings tied to our depression. How we became depressed is only the first step in ones work on depression; figuring out how to create change, support, and maintain change is the bulk of it.

Studies have shown that psychotherapy for depression can be as effective as taking antidepressants. Depression can range from mild feelings of sadness and emptiness to all-encompassing, fully debilitating darkness. If you are experiencing feelings of depression, emptiness, hopelessness, and sadness and are finding it difficult to function in your day to day life, psychotherapy can be helpful in helping you to understand what is going on with you and help you to rise up from the depths to lead a more satisfying and meaningful life. It can also assist you in re-engaging in the process of living and in relationships with the people who are important to you.

Managing depression is easier when you use positive coping strategies. Talking about and addressing your thoughts and emotions realistically helps to break the downward spiral of depressed mood. Together, we will work to change the patterns of behaviors and thoughts that keep you depressed, and move towards a more active and fulfilling life. The heavy cloak of depression can be lifted and you can live again.

People are often faced with moments of sadness which can sometimes lead to chronic sadness. My work with clients could involve deep reprocessing of certain memories related to depression which allow clients new insights into how to face their depression. Further to this, by guiding clients on their recovery from depression, we are able to pinpoint aspects that must be addressed to help the recovery process which may include mindfulness, thoughts, and/or behaviors.

Sadness is a common emotion. However, when sadness lingers in our lives, is long term, and affects our day to day life, then it is something to be addressed. I help clients to take steps towards reducing depression through related actions. Alongside this, I work with clients to understand how the depression is controlling them and what strategies we might consider to reduce this control. For example, clients often find it helpful to engage with others, challenge their thinking, consider their past positive experiences, and consider changes to their environment to begin to feel more and more positive emotions and less depressed.

When working with depression, I provide a compassionate, non-judgmental space where you can share your experiences openly. Together, we’ll explore the thoughts, emotions, and life circumstances contributing to your distress, while identifying your strengths and resources. My approach blends evidence-based strategies with empathy and support to help you regain a sense of hope, purpose, and connection. The goal is not only to reduce symptoms, but also to help you create a life that feels meaningful and fulfilling.

Depression is not something to be ashamed of, nor is it a character flaw or a sign of a weak personality. No one with depression can just "snap out of it". You wouldn't ask someone to "snap out of diabetes or some other illness and you cannot expect it of a person with depression. Everyone gets sad sometimes - a brief blue mood, feelings of disappointment or loss. The great news is that up to 80% of people who receive proper treatment improve as a result. There are two principle modes of treatment for depression - Psychotherapy and medication. You’re not alone; millions of families and friends have felt exactly like you. Your one step closer to change.

Clients experiencing depression often face challenges like low motivation, making the decision to seek support an important first step. When working with depression, it’s crucial to explore some of the root causes and develop strategies to help manage and gradually reduce symptoms, enabling clients to move forward in their lives. I use activation-based behavioral strategies and motivational interviewing, among other tools, to help set short-term, achievable, and time-sensitive goals. This approach helps build resilience and empowers clients as they work through their depression.

Solutions and supportive appraoches to effectively help people suffering from depressed mood include, cognitive-behavioural and narrative therapy, often combined with interpersonal /relationship assessment utilizing a family and social systems approach. These therapies are well grounded in clinical research and literature. Through a guided exploration of thoughts, feelings and behaviours related to sadness and depression, people can identify the factors contributing to imbalances in mood, thereby discovering solutions and strategies for positive cognitive shifting, behavioural changes and spiritual growth. While the work is challenging, it can also be light-hearted and even fun at times !

Depression is often a response to having experienced profound psychological pain. It is a way for us to retreat or numb ourselves from the overwhelming emotions of such stressful circumstances. It acts as a protective shield in a way. In therapy, we will work towards addressing the underlying sources that are contributing to feelings of deep sadness. This can be a difficult task and as such it can be helpful to include strategies alongside our reflective work which may include CBT, DBT, Mindfulness, and Behavioural Activation. Book a free 15-minute consultation with me to see if I’m the right fit for you.

We use an eclectic approach to psychotherapy depending on your needs and individual presentation with depression or low mood symptoms. Typically a cognitive behavioural or emotion-focused approach can be very useful for such symptoms. We want to help you explore unhelpful thought patterns that we can reframe and move from all or nothing thinking into a space that is grounded in reality.