“Once you admit you feel depressed, you will always need a counsellor.”

For many people, the idea of depression means a long-term, life sentence. It may seem like once you have it, it never leaves and you’re stuck in a perpetual state of negative thoughts and feelings, paying out lots of money to a counsellor for something which will never truly go away.

Regardless of whether depression is caused by chemical/hormonal imbalances or as a result of life experiences, there is always something that can be done. It’s just a case of finding the thing that works for you, whether that’s medication, or therapy, or a mixture of the two.

The aim of therapy is to help you grow as a person and become autonomous in your own life. Therapy supports you until you feel ready to support yourself.

In relation to depression, counselling allows you to explore why you are feeling depressed and what has contributed to this feeling. By being reflective, you’re then able to identify potential changes you may need to make in your life, as well as figuring out ways to cope. For instance, it may seem like your depression has started recently, but it may be related to something much deeper from the past. Working with a counsellor to identify the root cause can be painful but is ultimately a healing process. Behaviour patterns you've adopted throughout your life can change as you become more aware. By working to understand yourself and your situation, it becomes easier to live your life in a way where you feel in control.  

There is no “one size fits all” amount of therapy. Everybody works at their own pace, in their own way. Some people may take longer than others to get to a place where they feel able to take charge of their own life. Some people may even return to therapy after a period of time. Therapy is a tool aimed at supporting you when you need it the most, but it doesn’t mean that you’ll remain in that constant support cycle forever. but the key outcome is YOU.