Depression Counselling in North Kildonan, Winnipeg, MB.

Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life isn't worth living. More than just a bout of the blues, depression isn't a weakness and you can't simply "snap out" of it. Counselling provides support, problem solving skills, and enhanced coping.

Our therapy approach and style are simple and down-to-earth. You show up and we talk together in a secure, non-judgemental virtual environment. Our goal is that you are heard, understood and overall feel validated about your situation. Depression doesn't have to be something you suffer from for the rest of your life, let us help you so have the tools to manage confidently on your own.

Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for short periods. Depression is also known as clinical or major depression. This is a mood disorder that will affect one in eight Canadians at some point in their lives. It changes the way people feel, leaving them with mental and physical symptoms for long periods of time. It can look quite different from person to person. As a counselor therapist I will be non-judgemental, empathetic and caring as I work with you to relieve your symptoms, increase your capacity and address relational issues that have been impacted by your depression.

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.

All of us experience some form of despair throughout our lifetime. Sometimes it can really make coping difficult. The high majority of depressions are situational, where the origin of the depression is related to an issue. I can help discover underlying issues that may be contributing. For all depresssion, our thinking gets affected. I can help bring perspective and help clients change their feelings by changing their thinking. I can help clients who can barely get out of bed, to slowly regaining a sense of normalcy in their life.

Everyone feels down at times, but depression can permeate all areas of life for long periods of time. Deep sadness, loss of hope, feelings of worthlessness, lack of motivation, feeling overwhelmed can coincide with physical symptoms of loss of energy, sleep problems, loss of appetite, weight gain/loss, and illness. In therapy, you will begin to understand the issues contributing to depression and learn ways to increase positive feelings through physical, emotional, and spiritual methods.

The pain and isolation of depression can take all the life out of living. Through years of experience with clients needing relief from issues related to their depression, I have seen them once again become excited about life and all it holds for them. I can delve under the depression to locate its source so that you can once again experience the joy of your family and friends, your work and your leisure. Don't put it off another minute; there is relief from the debilitating effects of depression.

It can be easy to lose sight of hope and agency at times in our lives. Depression is often seen as the manifestation of this experience of helplessness and hopelessness. I work with clients to slow down and learn to better tolerate being present to their experience-not just the pain and grief, but also the possibility and purpose. Depression tends to hold our attention in the wrongs of the past or in the fears of the future-and yet it is only the present moment where we can really 'start from'. When we truly inhabit the here and now, we are better able to recognize and employ our capacity for making valued life changes.

Research tells us a large population of patients with depression are resistant to medication, and continue to suffer for years. We help you explore and understand the beliefs and behaviors we were taught about ourselves. These minimized distress when we were young, but they may be contributing to our feelings of hopelessness and overwhelm as adults. Honoring what we need as adults, may require us to look at old patterns that have become unhealthy in our new ever-changing adult environments. Understanding this and approaching ourselves with compassion is the first step in breaking the old "chains" of depression and moving towards a healthier and more fulfilling life with new adaptive skills.

It is a normal part of our human existence to experience times of losing our way, feeling some lost sense of drive, or purpose, or emptiness. When weeks pass, and we find ourselves without will; or immersing ourselves in empty vices; buried by overwhelming feelings, it becomes time to seek help outside of ourselves. I have found remedies differ from person to person, but therapy can help you lift up out of your pit.

From time to time, life circumstances may impact our positive well-being. We may feel less motivated, tired, angry, and/or sad. We may experience difficulty enjoying activities with family and friends. Seeking counselling may even be difficult, and even scary. In a safe, supportive, non-judgmental environment, I will work together with you to explore the feelings, establish goals, and utilize strategies that teach self-awareness, positive thinking, and body awareness to help you on your journey of healing and personal discovery.

Depression can feel like you’re living in a deep dark pit. Let’s get out the ladders. Whether your depression is situational, one-time, or chronic, I can support you in finding solutions to the suffering. I help people through depression in a few ways, working towards the cultivation of helpful behavioral changes, as well as exploring origins of the depressive state. I will work with family systems approaches, mindfulness and dialectical behavioral therapy, and possibly EMDR to help you shift your state out of the pit, into the light of day.

In doing depression counseling, I help my client to externalize depression from themselves. By switching their perspectives on viewing depression relationally, they could make their own choice to end their relationship with depression. I may encourage my client to imagine how it feels to terminate such a relationship in the therapy process. At the same time, I assist my clients in planning what they need to equip themselves to be strong enough to stand on their own feet rather than being depressed.