#315 – 20385 64th Ave, Langley V2Y 1N5 604-533-9163

Therapy for Depression

Do You Feel Too Sad Or Numb To Enjoy Your Life Anymore?

Are you struggling with a lack of energy or loss of interest in the things you love? Do you often feel sad, tearful, angry, or confused? Deep down, does it seem like you’re going through life with no real purpose?

Maybe you just haven’t been feeling like yourself lately. Perhaps you’ve been functioning at your normal level—going to work, socialising with friends, and staying on top of things—but for some reason, you don’t feel quite right. Maybe you feel empty and listless, like you’re just dragging yourself through each day and nothing moves you or sparks your interest. It’s like you’ve made a wall between you and your emotions. As much as you wish there was someone who could help you and a solution you could find, you’re probably not sure where to turn.

Isolation And Depression Often Go Hand In Hand

Depression makes it feel like there’s no point in doing anything. Even your hobbies and passions can seem unappealing. You might say no to social outings and withdraw from friends and family. Yet the more you isolate, the more you’re left with nothing but your negative thoughts. As a result, your depression feels like it gets even worse.

If you want to break this cycle and start feeling like yourself again, we encourage you to pursue depression therapy with us. Here at Darcy Bailey & Associates Counselling, our goal is to help you reconnect with your sense of purpose and rekindle your joy and vibrancy.

Our Culture’s Obsession With Success And Achievement Sets Us Up For Depression

In many ways, depression is the natural result of a society that worships success and achievement. In Western culture today, we’re taught that external validation is the highest good—that if we only had better looks, nicer houses, happier relationships, and more money, we’d be content. Yet when we actually attain these things, we often end up just as miserable as before.

The problem is that unhappiness is an internal problem. And an internal problem cannot be solved by external means. Status or success in the form of money, beauty, and more Instagram followers cannot cure mental health issues. The solution to feeling better can only be found by looking inward, not outward.

After all, depression dysregulates your nervous system. The key to healing from it is to get back to a place of regulation and wellness, which means feeling like yourself again.

This is what depression therapy gives you a chance to do. We want to help you let go of external pressures, release painful emotions, and apply the right tools and skills for overcoming your symptoms.

Therapy Can Give You The Skills And Strategies To Manage Depression On Your Own

One of the hardest parts of depression is how invisible it can feel. If you’re able to function with your depression and still go to work and socialise like normal, other people may not realise you’re depressed. At Darcey Bailey & Associates Counselling, we know how lonely it is to live with depression. That’s why we want you to feel seen, heard, and understood. We want you to be able to enjoy your life again and experience a deeper sense of happiness.

Our sessions provide a safe space to talk about your struggles and share your feelings without any fear of judgment. We will support you unconditionally and hold you accountable as you work toward healing. We’ll give you cutting-edge knowledge about how depression works and equip you with practical skills for managing it when you’re outside of sessions. This way, you can effectively become your own therapist.

What To Expect In Depression Counselling Sessions

Depression presents itself in many different ways—it isn’t just sadness. Maybe you have high-functioning depression and your symptoms aren’t obvious. Or perhaps your depression manifests as anger, extreme fatigue, oversleeping, or changes in appetite. Our goal is to understand the unique way depression impacts you and give you tools and strategies that are tailored to your situation and proven to work.

Additionally, we want to help you get to the root of your depression and understand how it came about. In this way, therapy can be compared to an iceberg—first, we can look at the symptoms (what’s on the surface of the water) and then we can explore the core issues (what’s underneath) and the ways that these issues show up in your life. Together, you and your therapist can work through the thoughts, feelings, and experiences at the root of your depression.

Creating Your Depression Treatment Plan

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to depression therapy, so we draw from a lot of proven and effective methods. Specific therapeutic plans will be designed in collaboration with your therapist. Our counsellors often incorporate mindfulness skills to help clients regulate their nervous system and experience peace in both the mind and the body. After all, depression isn’t just in your head—it affects your body, too. That’s why we address the physical symptoms through new self-regulation skills and behavioural habits. Mindfulness can help you resolve both the physical and emotional symptoms of depression.

We also utilise Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for people struggling with depression. At its core, CBT is all about understanding the connection between your thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and behaviours. By changing the way you think about yourself and your life, you can improve your mood and break out of the habits (e.g., isolation or numbing out) that reinforce depression.

At the moment, you may feel hopeless that anything will change. But the fact that you’re reading this page shows that you want to get better. And oftentimes, wanting to get better is the surest sign of hope. No matter how stuck you feel, we are confident that we can help you reduce your depression symptoms and regain the energy and motivation to enjoy life again.

You May Have Some Questions And Concerns About Depression Therapy…

What if depression therapy doesn’t work?

Negative thinking and pessimism are hallmarks of depression. Worrying that you’ll never get better is part of the unhelpful thinking loop that the condition keeps you in. Thankfully, depression is one of the most treatable mental health issues. We’ve helped hundreds of people resolve their symptoms and improve their lives as a result. We want the same for you.

 

What are we going to do? Just talk about how I feel?

Our approach to depression therapy is very practical and down-to-earth—we won’t sit there and talk into clouds about obscure clinical terms and diagnoses. Counselling with us is about self-exploration and taking a look at your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Yes, that requires that we talk about depression, but the ultimate goal is to help you gain the confidence to manage it on your own. Therapy can help you build momentum so that you feel more energised to work through your symptoms outside of sessions. 

Will I have to take medication?

No, you won’t. Antidepressants can be helpful, but they cannot cure depression. They work by changing your brain’s chemistry, but their effects are temporary and they cannot address the underlying causes of depression. A counsellor can help you dig deeper and understand the core issues driving your depression, setting you up for long-lasting healing. That said, if you decide you want to try medication, we can explore some resources together. 

Let Us Help You Become Your Own Support

At Darcey Bailey & Associates, we want to give you the tools to regulate your depression and act as your own therapist in day-to-day life. To connect with us, you can fill out the contact form or call 604-533-9163.