Depression
Depression isn't just about feeling sad or wanting to isolate yourself from other people. It's a serious condition that impacts how you think, feel, and relate to others. Untreated depression can lead to numerous physical and emotional issues.
While the onset of depression can happen at any time in life, symptoms often first emerge during adolescence. It's estimated that 10% of 15-24 year-olds experience depression symptoms, and one in seven experience suicidal thoughts. These figures may be inaccurate, as many people avoid disclosing their mental health struggles because they fear being judged. Fortunately, even severe depression is treatable, and you can learn how to manage your symptoms and live a fulfilling life.
To begin therapy to treat depression, book with:
Amy Parsons
Dayirai Kapfunde (virtual only)
Kenneth Guye (virtual only)
Kim Cardinal
Samantha LeBlanc
Sarah Callin
Common Symptoms of Depression
Depression looks different for everyone, and symptoms can either occur gradually or very quickly. Like all mental health conditions, depression exists on a spectrum. Some people have milder cases, and others have more severe conditions.
Keep in mind that depression doesn't have a stereotypical look. Sometimes depression is obvious, but many people are skilled at masking how they feel to the outside world.
Apathy: Apathy refers to a general sense of numbness. There's a persistent lack of pleasure or motivation. When you feel apathetic, you don't care about anything. School, friends, and personal hygiene may all seem unimportant - as a result, you no longer enjoy the activities that once brought you pleasure.
Sleep issues: Depression can coincide with insomnia or sleeping too much. You may also experience sleep disturbances like nightmares. Along with these sleep issues, there's often an increased sense of fatigue throughout the day.
Self-harm: Self-harm includes any intentional action to hurt yourself. You may self-harm to soothe depressive symptoms or to punish yourself. The more self-harm, the more depressed you tend to feel.
Guilt or feelings of worthlessness: People with depression often blame themselves when things go wrong, and they may ruminate over their perceived flaws. You may also struggle with profound feelings of inferiority or inadequacy.
Addictive behaviours: Many people abuse substances to self-medicate depression symptoms. Drugs and alcohol offer immediate relief, but they don't treat depression in the long term. In addition, compulsive behaviours often worsen depression.
Physical problems: People with depression may experience increased chronic pain symptoms like headaches, gastrointestinal distress, back pain, and excess body tension. You may notice new aches without knowing where they come from.
How to Treat Depression
Depression is a complex issue, and treatment isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to care. Depression treatment may include a combination of therapy, medication, support groups, and healthy lifestyle changes. At Boreal Therapy Collective, treatment for depression often includes focusing on the following goals:
Crisis intervention: If you or your loved one is experiencing suicide symptoms, it's important to assess the situation and ensure we can stabilize the most severe symptoms. Although some people believe that asking about suicide encourages suicide attempts, research shows the opposite is true. Having tough conversations is often the first step toward helping people feel better.
Positive unconditional support: It's important that you have a safe place where you can process your feelings without worrying about being judged. This is what makes therapy so healing. Your therapist is in your corner and rooting for your success.
Gaining insight into your triggers: Certain people or situations may aggravate depressive symptoms, so it's important to become aware of these triggers. Once you recognize them, you can take steps to manage them appropriately.
Strengthening social supports: Depression doesn't exist in isolation, and treatment may include enlisting family members, teachers, and other external resources for support.
Building self-esteem and confidence: Developing a positive self-image can ease depression symptoms and promote feelings of excitement and joy.
Practicing stress management: Learning how to cope with stressful situations can help you feel less depressed when life gets tough. Stress management may include skills like cognitive restructuring, mindfulness, and practicing healthy self-care.
Practicing more self-compassion: People with depression are often very hard on themselves. Learning to combat some of that negative self-talk with kindness can help you feel more confident as you work on your mental health.
Therapy for Depression in Fort McMurray
How to Start Therapy for Depression
Beginning therapy with Boreal Therapy Collective is easy and requires no referral. You can book your initial assessment here.
Understanding Length of Therapy and Treatment
Your first appointment will be 90-minutes long. For all future appointments, you can choose to book for 1 hour or 90-minutes. During your first appointment, your therapist will ask you questions to better understand you and your areas of struggle. This is known as an assessment. Depending on how much you share, the assessment phase can last anywhere from one to three appointments. The assessment is critical. It helps you and your therapist understand your goals, and it helps your therapist develop a treatment plan to support you in achieving these goals.
After the assessment is complete, treatment begins! In the treatment phase, you will be introduced to a variety of skills to practice and implement to better manage your symptoms. Most people will have a therapy session every two weeks, and we recommend this for optimal treatment. Effective therapy typically takes somewhere between six to twelve appointments (for some more, others less). Many choose to continue therapy once formal treatment is complete. This is referred to as maintenance. People who do this typically have an appointment once every six to eight weeks. This is not a requirement and is a matter of personal choice.
Therapy for Depression at Boreal Therapy Collective
Where We Are Located
We’re located at 8530 Manning Avenue, Unit 104. You’ll find us in the Service Canada building (on the side of the building that faces the Clearwater River). To check out our space, click here.
Parking is located at the front and back of the building. The front parking lot is closer to us but tends to fill up quickly. There is also an empty dirt lot adjacent to our office that many use for parking. If you park at the back (where Service Canada is located), you can walk around the building to reach our office. To learn more about parking, click here.
Importantly, you do not need to be in town for treatment. We offer in-person and virtual therapy and our therapists are happy to provide whatever option works best for you!
Rates & Benefit Coverage
Initial assessments are billed at a rate of $300.00 for a 90-minute appointment. Follow-up sessions are billed at a rate of $200.00/hour or $300.00/90-minutes (you can choose your preferred appointment length when booking). We offer direct billing to 25+ benefit providers. With your consent, we will always direct bill first. If we are unable to direct bill, you can pay via email money transfer or credit card. You will be given a receipt once payment has been collected. For more information, click here.
