Counselling in the Comox Valley
Depression Counselling in Comox, Courtenay & Campbell River
Maybe the colour has drained out of things you used to love. Maybe mornings feel like the steepest part of the day, and you’re tired in a way that sleep doesn’t touch. However it shows up for you, please know this: it isn’t your fault, and you don’t have to find your way through it alone.
When life feels heavier than it used to
Depression looks different for everyone. It isn’t always sadness—sometimes it’s flatness, irritability, or a fog that makes everything harder than it should be. It can creep in slowly, or arrive after a loss or a life change. You might recognize yourself in moments like these:
- Things you used to enjoy now feel like chores—or like nothing at all.
- You’re tired all the time, but sleep doesn’t seem to help.
- Small tasks—dishes, emails, a shower—can feel like climbing a mountain.
- You cancel plans, then feel worse for cancelling.
- You’ve become very good at saying “I’m fine” so nobody worries.
- There’s a numbness where feelings used to be, and that unsettles you.
- A quiet voice keeps insisting you should be coping better than this.
How counselling can help
I take what you’re carrying seriously—and I won’t rush you toward silver linings. I believe healing happens when we no longer have to carry life’s burdens alone, and depression is so often what it feels like to have carried too much, by yourself, for too long. So we start there: with company, not a checklist.
My work is grounded in attachment theory and Emotionally Focused Therapy, which means we’ll gently make room for the feelings underneath the heaviness—the grief, the disappointment, the loneliness that low mood so often grows around. Alongside that, I draw on CBT and other practical approaches to look at the thoughts and patterns keeping you stuck, and to help you take small, honest steps back toward the people and things that matter to you. Not giant leaps—small steps, at a pace that feels right for you.
One thing I hear often from clients in Comox, Courtenay and Campbell River is that they waited a long time to reach out, because their depression “wasn’t bad enough” or they thought they should handle it on their own. I’d like to gently challenge that. You don’t need to be at rock bottom to deserve support. If something feels off—if life feels different than it used to—that’s reason enough.
What we might work on together
There’s no fixed program here—our work follows what you need. Together, we might spend time on:
- Making room for what you’re actually feeling—without judgment, and without a deadline
- Understanding the patterns and old stories that keep the heaviness in place
- Gently reconnecting with small moments of meaning, one at a time
- Softening the harsh inner voice that says you should be doing better
- Rebuilding connection with the people who matter to you, at your own pace
- Tending to the things that often travel with low mood—anxiety, grief, big life changes
Questions you might be holding
I’m not sure it’s “bad enough” for counselling. Is it?
If something feels off, that’s enough. Many people wait far longer than they need to because they believe they should be able to handle it on their own. You don’t need to be at rock bottom to deserve support.
What if I can’t explain what’s wrong?
You don’t have to arrive with the right words. Sometimes you just know that life feels different than it used to, and you’re ready for something to change. We’ll make sense of it together, gently and without any rush.
What if I need help right now?
Counselling isn’t crisis care, and if you’re in crisis you deserve support today, not at your next appointment. Please call or text 9-8-8, Canada’s suicide crisis helpline—it’s free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When the immediate storm has passed, counselling can be a steady place to keep going.
What happens in the free consultation?
It’s a short, no-pressure conversation where you can share as much or as little as you like about what’s been going on. You can ask me anything about how I work, and together we’ll get a sense of whether it feels like a good fit. There’s no obligation to continue.
Do I have to come in person?
No. I offer sessions in person at Comox Valley Counselling in Courtenay, and virtually or by phone across BC. On the days when leaving the house feels like too much, a phone or video session still counts—sometimes those are the sessions that matter most.
Heavy seasons feel different when you’re not walking through them alone.
If even reading this page took effort today, that matters—and booking a free consultation can be the smallest possible next step. No pressure, no expectations. Just a conversation.
Book your free consultationIn person in Courtenay · virtual & phone across BC · individuals aged 10+