Many people come as individuals to work on individual issues. Below are listed just a few of the more common areas. Every person who comes to therapy has their own unique situation that requires it’s own careful exploration.
For any or all of these, give us a call at 204 275 1045 or contact us so that we can help.
Anger
Anger is a complex emotion. We are often given strong messages about anger as we grow up. For some, anger is a fearful emotion to experience because of the terror experienced with other people’s anger. Other times we are confused and guilty about anger because of messages received: “Nice people don’t get angry”. Still others are shocked at the intensity of the anger they feel and the inappropriate ways they find themselves expressing their anger. Therapy can help you engage in a healthy relationship with your anger. While several of our therapists help people effectively deal with their anger, Maryann Friesen and Dielle Driedger provide one on one counselling in a course format: TDC. Transforming Destructive into Constructive: Understanding and Relating to Your Anger.
Self-esteem
Today’s cultural influences, with suggestive messages about an “ideal body” or a lifestyle that “has it all” can put enormous pressure on an individual, and lead towards a feeling of “I’m not good enough”. Other influences are pressures and expectations unfairly placed on a person by others or even oneself. It is painful to struggle with feelings of low self-worth. Having low self-esteem shapes how a person faces every part of the day. Counselling is a process whereby you can examine the ways in which you measure your worth, and work together to help you discover the value of “you”!
Guilt/Shame
It may oversimplify a complex feeling, but often guilt can be categorized into appropriate guilt—“I need to change something to make it right” or inappropriate guilt—“I feel so awful—but it doesn’t make any sense when I really look at the situation”. Guilt says, "I made a mistake"...Shame says, "I am a mistake". Counselling can help you figure out the difference between the two, and help you develop an understanding of the role of guilt/shame in your life. Once a person has developed an understanding of the role of guilt, strategies to constructively address it often arise. The Daring Way ™ is a highly experiential methodology based on the research of Dr. Brené Brown. Carolyn Bergen is a Certified Daring Way ™ Facilitator (CDWF-C) Candidate and offers this program in weekend intensive formats as well as weekly groups. Check The Daring Way ™ page for details.
Anxiety
Anxiety can imprison a person in all sorts of painful ways, restraining them from a life that they desire but seems out of grasp. It can cause all sorts of physical symptoms. Anxiety can become crippling as it presents itself in panic attacks, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or particular fear of specific situations/objects, or is a vague but real discomfort as a person lives life. Along with medical treatment, where appropriate under a physician’s supervision, therapy can assist a person in exploring and understanding some of the context for their anxiety, and then developing strategies to constructively live by reducing the anxiety, or developing more effective ways of living with the anxiety. Counselling can be a helpful resource to work with and understand your anxiety.
Depression
The pit of depression is a dark and lonely place. It is more than feeling sad or a “feeling blue”, but is accompanied by physical symptoms affecting appetite and sleep, changes in energy and enthusiasm, difficulty in relationships, a change in sex drive and the ability to enjoy things in life previously pleasurable. Counselling is demonstrated to be the most recommended form of treatment for mild to moderate depression--growing evidence suggests even more effective than medication. Support and the meaningful connection of another person is something that we offer at Conexus Counselling. To continue your thinking about depression, read about depression on our blog.