Depression
Parents regularly report to us how wounding it is for them to watch their son or daughter suffer emotionally. Even more painful are those situations where their child expresses a desire for self-harm. Features of clinical depression varies across children and teens, but can include symptomology such as an unusually sad demeanour for an extended period of time, a loss of interest in pleasurable activities, feelings of hopelessness, heightened irritability, comments signaling low self-worth, appetite fluctuations, and changes in sleeping patterns. We utilize Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy to confront and challenge maladaptive thinking patterns. Treatment emphasizes demonstrating how to view the world more positively, regularly scheduling fun, rewarding, and pleasurable activities, and more accurately evaluating others' behaviours and intentions. We want to empower our clients; help them understand that how they feel is exclusively dependent upon how they think (e.g., about the world and their circumstances) and how they behave (e.g., plan activities to look forward to). The client essentially has to retrain their mind to see the bright side of things, to recognize and modify their self-talk, and rehearse/talk through past and present social scenarios to encourage actual success.