Depression

Depression Counselling in Edmonton, Sherwood Park & Calgary

Depression is more than feeling down or sad. The condition affects both your mind and physical abilities, making even basic daily tasks feel impossible, draining motivation, and leaving you feeling disconnected from all that matters most to you.

Someone who is depressed cannot just simply “move on” or “try to feel better”. At Insight Psychological, our therapists understand that reaching out when you are depressed takes real courage. We provide compassionate, evidence-based depression counselling for adults, teens, and children in-person across Edmonton, Sherwood Park, and Calgary, as well as online across Alberta.

You do not have to keep managing this alone. Same-week appointments are often available.

How Depression Can Show Up

Depression affects people differently. If several of these symptoms sound familiar and have lasted more than two weeks, speaking with a therapist can help.

Emotional Symptoms

• Indecisiveness and inability to concentrate
• Feeling guilty
• Feeling worthless
• Frequent thoughts of committing suicide or of death
• Lack of interest in everyday activities
• Lack of joy in things or activities that used to bring pleasure
• Feeling irritated

Physical Symptoms

• Insomnia or excessive sleeping
• Headaches
• Back pain, chest pain, muscle aches, and joint pain
• Digestive problems
• Exhaustion and fatigue
• Change in appetite or weight
• Self-destructive behaviour (alcohol or drug use/abuse)

When Is It Time to Get Help?

Getting help for depression can be especially challenging because one of the symptoms is an inability to take action. If you find yourself feeling down or numb, having thoughts of hopelessness and despair, avoiding loved ones and friends on a regular basis, it can be time to seek help. You do not need to be in crisis to deserve support, and early support often leads to faster recovery.

If you, or someone you know is considering suicide, and is in a dangerous or life-threatening situation, please call 911 or proceed to your nearest emergency room.

For immediate help outside of our office hours, throughout Alberta, please call 211 or one of the following distress lines:

• Edmonton: The Crisis Centre call 780 482 HELP (4357)
• Greater Edmonton region: Rural Distress Line at 1-800-232-7288.
• Calgary: 403 266 HELP (4357)

Depression Treatment Methods

Together with your therapist, you will get to the root of your issues and that will determine the best treatment for your individual situation. Common treatment methods that have worked to treat depression include:

• Acceptance and commitment therapy encourages clients to accept the difficulties and misfortunes of life. Clients learn coping techniques to not dwell on negative emotions by staying in the present.
• Person Centered Therapy – A supportive, non-directive approach that trusts that the client is the expert on themselves and their lived experiences. Your therapist creates a safe, judgement-free space for you to explore what you are going through at your own pace.
• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based approach to treatment that focuses on how people’s thoughts, emotions, and beliefs influence their behaviour and how they perceive themselves.
• Mindfulness therapy is an approach to treatment that focuses on how people’s thoughts, emotions, and beliefs influence their behaviour and how they perceive themselves, others, and the world. The ability to be in the moment, to acknowledge and regulate your emotions helps you to break free from negative thought patterns.
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is an approach that works to help the brain process information, memories, sounds, and feelings in a way that makes them be seen in a new and less distressing way.
• Behavioural Therapy  – Focuses on gradually increasing meaningful activity and positive experiences to directly improve mood.
• Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) a non-invasive, medication-free treatment that uses focused magnetic pulses to stimulate underactive areas of the brain. rTMS is particularly effective for treatment-resistant depression that has not fully responded to therapy or medication.
• Positive Psychology – a field that focuses on enhancing well-being rather than solely attempting to address and improve symptoms.
• Somatic Experience Therapy is a body-focused approach that helps release tension and stress stored physically in the body. This approach is useful when depression feels more physical than emotional, including fatigue, heaviness or chronic pain.

What to Expect from Depression Counselling at Insight

Working with one of our therapists, you can expect to:

• Understand what is driving your depression and develop a personalized treatment plan
• Build practical tools to manage low mood, low energy, and negative thinking
• Gradually re-engage with the parts of life that matter most to you
• Feel less alone in what you are going through

Insight has many therapists to walk alongside you on this journey. You can book online or call us to set up an appointment for counselling  – in-person, online (video), or telephone.