Areas of Focus
Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure. People with anxiety disorders usually have recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns. They may avoid certain situations out of worry. They may also have physical symptoms such as sweating, trembling, dizziness, or a rapid heartbeat.
Common Anxiety Signs and Symptoms Include:
Feeling nervous, restless or tense
Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
Having an increased heart rate
Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
Sweating
Trembling
Feeling weak or tired
Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
Depression
Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease your ability to function at work and at home.
Depression Symptoms Can Vary From Mild to Severe and Can Include:
Feeling sad or having a depressed mood
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting
Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
Loss of energy or increased fatigue
Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., inability to sit still, pacing, handwringing) or slowed movements or speech (these actions must be severe enough to be observable by others)
Feeling worthless or guilty
Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions
Thoughts of death or suicide
Trauma
Traumatic experiences often leave us feeling less safe in the world. Anxiety, panic attacks, and depression are common side effects of trauma, as are experiences such as nightmares, intrusive memories, disassociation, and flashbacks. Trauma can lead to feeling cautious about relationships, feeling less able to trust other people, or feeling misunderstood. Sometimes people who have experienced trauma are given diagnoses of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Depression, Anxiety, or Bipolar Disorder. Sometimes no diagnosis is ever given, but the feeling remains that something is wrong.
Therapy can help to minimize feelings of shame, guilt, and self-blame, helping you feel stronger and more confident.
Relationship Issues
Relationships are so important and when we experience friction, difficulty in communication, or relationship dissatisfaction and disconnection, we can be greatly impacted. Couples Therapy, can help to improve emotional connection, healthy and meaningful communication, and relationship satisfaction.
Stress Management
The world is constantly changing; our workplaces, homes, and relationships can all create stress and feelings of overwhelm. Finding balance can be hard. With the increase of technology through email, remote access and cell phones people need to be “on” for longer, and employers often expect people to work beyond the normal “9 to 5” to combat downsizing, outsourcing, and layoffs. This can result in an increase in workplace stress, burnout, and a decrease in feeling you have a balanced life. Without the down time needed to recuperate between work and home, people are having a hard time turning off and managing stress. From this can come anxiety, physical symptoms, sleeplessness, panic, and depression.
Psychotherapy can help with work-life balance and stress management. It can help to have somewhere safe to discuss your stressors, identify your triggers, and develop good healthy boundaries to create balance. Practical self-care techniques that can be used in everyday life can be taught in your session to help you thrive and survive.
ADHD
Whether or not you have a formal diagnosis of ADHD, many people can relate to struggling with ADHD symptoms.
These Can Include:
disorganization
feeling “scattered”
inability to manage focus (inability to focus, difficulty in shifting focus)
hyperactivity (an “ants in your pants” type feeling, difficulty in sitting still)
procrastination
difficulty in managing time
These symptoms can contribute to feelings of anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns. Unfortunately, ADHD is under diagnosed and commonly missed, especially in females.
It can be challenging to manage these symptoms, but there are strategies that can help. These strategies range from working on executive functioning skills (including organizational strategies, learning to prioritize, managing procrastination) to processing the impact ADHD has had on relationships and daily life. There is hope that you can feel better and have your life run more smoothly!
Self-Acceptance
In our culture, we tend to spend a lot of time and energy trying to avoid discomfort and pain. This in turn gives our negative emotions much more power than they deserve. To reduce the uncomfortable feelings, we do everything we possibly can to avoid them. This avoidance manifests in many ways, one of the most common being anxiety.
However, once we remove qualifiers from emotions, no longer viewing them as “good” or “bad,” we open ourselves up to acceptance and tolerance. The fear is no longer attached to the emotions, and we can learn to accept our feelings and realize that we can work with them, so they can exist without taking over our lives. In doing so, we learn how to better accept ourselves for who we genuinely are.
Grief and Bereavement
The journey through grief is a very personal one. Each person’s journey may be different. Some people take a lot of time. Others take less. But, it is never easy.
It starts with listening to your own feelings and thoughts. Notice them and their effects on you; It’s not about what others feel is important.
Even though the journey through grief for one person may be very different from another, there are still many common emotions such as:
Confusion, feeling overwhelmed, shock and denial
Sadness, anger, guilt, fear and anxiety
Indecision, apathy and exhaustion
These emotions are all normal reactions. Allow yourself the space to feel what you’re feeling. Express those feelings and the things you experience on your journey. Seeking support at SelfDefined Therapy is a great first step. Don’t be embarrassed, or ashamed to ask for help. It is not a weakness to do so, it is actually a great strength.
Life Transitions
Life transitions occur, which prompt adjustments and adaptations. As we go through the life cycle, change is ongoing – birth, going to school, getting a new job, dating, marriage, separation/divorce, starting a family, moving to a new home, death of a loved one, loss of a job, health status changes, and so forth. Some life transitions are expected and some are more unexpected. Quite often, people experience concurrent changes and it can sometimes be a struggle to navigate through multiple transitions at once. This is most understandable as there is a lot to process especially on an emotional level. Change of any kind, positive or negative, can be stressful at times such as adjusting to being a parent or adapting to changes within the workplace. People who are having a difficult time coping during these times may find it helpful to talk to a therapist.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness seems to be the newest buzzword but, like meditation and yoga, it isn’t going away because it works! So what exactly is mindfulness? Why should we learn about it? More importantly, why should we care?
Stress and anxiety are increasing both for adults and, sadly, for children. Mindfulness allows us to open our minds to a different way of understanding the world around us; to experience our life from a different perspective, one which allows us to live day to day more peacefully. Mindfulness simply means being aware of the present moment; being aware of our environment, our thoughts, our emotions, our physical sensations.
Cultivating mindfulness practices allows us to increase awareness and focus; with practice and dedication, we eventually transfer our learned skills to our everyday lives. By increasing awareness on each moment as it passes, we learn to become more responsive and less reactive; we notice, manage and control our automatic thoughts and reactions. This allows us to be more present, to enjoy the little things in life. Research shows that mindfulness has many positive effects, including reduction in stress and anxiety, greater job satisfaction, better emotional regulation, and improved concentration; all leading to healthier, more joyful relationships, and an overall sense of well-being.
Emotion Regulation
Our emotions are a compass that can guide our choices and interactions and let us know both when things are going well and when there is a problem. Sometimes emotions can be buried deep, triggered too easily, or become overwhelming. Psychotherapy sessions with SelfDefined Therapy, can help you better understand your emotions, identify triggers, and develop coping strategies.
Feeling Overwhelmed
Emotional overwhelm is a state of being beset by intense emotion that is difficult to manage. It can affect your ability to think and act rationally. It could also prevent you from performing your daily tasks.
Emotional overwhelm may be caused by stress, traumatic life experiences, relationship issues, and much more. If you feel emotionally overwhelmed for an extended period of time, you may benefit by having a few SelfDefined Therapy sessions.
Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance is an important aspect of a healthy work environment. Maintaining work-life balance helps reduce stress and helps prevent burnout in the workplace. Chronic stress is one of the most common health issues in the workplace. It can lead to physical consequences such as hypertension, digestive troubles, chronic aches and pains and heart problems. Chronic stress can also negatively impact mental health because it’s linked to a higher risk of depression, anxiety and insomnia.
Too much stress over a long period of time leads to workplace burnout. Employees who work tons of overtime hours are at a high risk of burnout. Burnout can cause fatigue, mood swings, irritability and a decrease in work performance. Psychotherapy sessions with SelfDefined Therapy, can help you to better cope with work-life balance.
Isolation
Isolation is the experience of being separated from others. It may result from being physically separated from others, such as when a person lives in a remote area. Isolation can also result from being emotionally removed from a community (the separation could be real or perceived).
An isolated person may experience loneliness or low self-esteem. Over time, a person may develop social anxiety, depression, or other mental health concerns. The right therapist can help individuals build social skills and connect with others. Therapy can also help people recover from the effects of isolation.
A Person May Be Experiencing Isolation If They:
Avoid social interaction due to shame or depression
Spend extended periods of time alone
Experience social anxiety or fears of abandonment at the idea of social interaction
Have only limited or superficial social contact
Lack important social or professional relationships
Develop severe distress and loneliness
School Difficulties
Academic concerns, which might include issues such as learning difficulties or disabilities, underachievement, lack of attention from teachers, and bullying, affect a number of students throughout their academic careers, from elementary school to college. Academic concerns may influence a student’s performance in the classroom negatively, but they are also likely to have a significant effect on other areas of life, often placing undue stress on a child and interfering with home, work, and play dimensions. A student who experiences some type of academic concern may benefit from Psychotherapy sessions with SelfDefined Therapy.
Acquired Brain Injury
An acquired brain injury is an injury to the brain that is not hereditary, congenital or degenerative, and one that has occurred after birth.
In other words, it's something that happens, either from an unforeseen event or a medical cause.
The effects of an acquired brain injury can be severe and life-altering. The brain controls every part of human life: physical, intellectual, behavioural, social and emotional. When the brain is damaged, some part of a person's life is adversely affected.
A common form of acquired brain injury is traumatic brain injury, a sudden incident that damages the brain. These injuries are preventable in some cases with safety measures or lifestyle adjustments. Other acquired brain injuries occur from medical causes or disease processes. Either way, acquired brain injuries happen outside of our control. No one is to blame.
Common Causes of Acquired Brain Injury Include:
External forces applied to the head and or neck (traumatic brain injury)
Anoxic/hypoxic injury (cardiac arrest, carbon monoxide poisoning, airway obstruction, hemorrhage, and drowning)
Intracranial surgery
Infectious diseases
Seizure disorders
Toxic exposure (substance abuse, ingestion of lead and inhalation of volatile agents)
Aneurysms
Medical causes like stroke (vascular obstruction)
Disabilities
Defining disability is a complex, and evolving matter. The term “disability” covers a broad range and degree of conditions. A disability may have been present at birth, caused by an accident, or developed over time such as:
Any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical co-ordination, blindness or visual impediment, deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or speech impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog or other animal or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device
A condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability
A learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language
A mental disorder
An injury or disability for which benefits were/are claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997
Substance Use
Many people will use substances (e.g. caffeine, prescription medication, alcohol, etc.) over the course of their lifetime without any problems. Substance use becomes a problem when it starts to have harmful effects on a person’s life (e.g. difficulties at school or at home, negative impacts on mental and/or physical health.
All substances can affect the body and the brain, both in the moment and in the long term. Some substances have higher risks and more dangerous impacts than others. It’s important to know all the facts about a substance, including the risks before you use it.
Below are Some Examples of Substances People May Use:
Tobacco and Nicotine (in things like cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapes, hookah)
Alcohol
Cannabis (also known as marijuana, weed or pot)
Stimulants (e.g. cocaine, meth)
Opiates (e.g. heroin, oxys, fentanyl)
Sedatives (e.g. prescription drugs such as Ativan, Valium, Xanax)
Hallucinogens (e.g. LSD, magic mushrooms)
Inhalants (e.g. glue, gasoline)