Depression Counselling

Depression can range from a clinical depression that significantly disrupts your daily life, to milder changes in mood. It could be that you’re still keeping it together, working at your job, managing for example to be a parent and a partner, but there’s a streak of depression that pervades. A slight loss of interest, or sadness underneath the surface. Or it could be that you are feeling absolutely hopeless and are not your normal self at all.

Typical symptoms for depression include:

  • change in sleep patterns (either greater or lesser hours than normal)
  • lack of motivation and energy
  • loss of interest in things you’d usually like
  • significant weight loss or gain, and/or loss or gain of appetite
  • depressed mood
  • poor concentration and indecisiveness
  • social withdrawal
  • suicidal thoughts or thoughts of death
  • feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, or inappropriate guilt

Why depression?

While there can be biological reasons for depression, depression can also occur for situational or psychological reasons.  Our society prizes success, productivity, keeping it together: there’s little space for falling apart, which needs to happen sometimes (e.g. after a significant loss or transition).  We’re quick to diagnose and medicate without asking what the soul might need or what other factors might be at play.

I make space to explore and understand your experience. We might discover part of you is grieving, or longs for something, or is getting held up in old patterns. Whichever way, by mindfully paying attention, we find our way through, together.

Resolving your depression:

Ultimately I can help you to break the cycle of withdrawal and to begin reinvesting in activities, relationships, and the things you do well. As part of our work I may assist you to:

  • identify any negative, pessimistic, and distorted thought patterns that may trigger depressed feelings
  • recognize, accept, and cope with feelings of depression
  • use mindfulness to feel into how some pieces of this are familiar and heal old wounds
  • develop healthy cognitive patterns, interpersonal relationships, and beliefs about yourself and the world that lead to the alleviation of depressive symptoms and help prevent relapse
  • take small steps towards a lighter place

Check out these related articles:

Testimonial

“When I first came to Stephanie I was struggling with major depressive disorder and a social anxiety disorder. Nowadays, I am happy to say that with medication and Stephanie’s help, I am no longer depressed and have made enormous breakthroughs with my social anxiety.”

Let’s Get Started!

Join my newsletter or set up an initial appointment.

Set up an appointment