Virtual Depression Therapy Across Ontario

Compassionate support for when life feels heavy, empty, or overwhelming. Evidence-based online therapy for adults experiencing depression and persistent low mood—offered by a Registered Social Worker across Ontario.

What Depression Actually Feels Like

Depression isn't just sadness—it's a pervasive heaviness that colours everything. It's waking up already exhausted, feeling disconnected from people and activities that used to matter, and moving through your days on autopilot without really feeling present.

You might recognize persistent low mood that doesn't lift even when good things happen, loss of interest in activities that used to bring joy, feeling emotionally numb or empty, exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix, difficulty concentrating or making decisions, withdrawing from social activities, feeling worthless or like a burden, physical heaviness where everything takes more effort, and appetite changes.

Depression doesn't follow logic. You can have a life that "should" make you happy and still feel this way. Depression isn't about what your life looks like from the outside—it's about what it feels like on the inside.

If you're experiencing depression, it's not a character flaw or weakness. Your brain chemistry, life circumstances, past experiences, or a combination of factors have created a pattern keeping you stuck

What Happens in Therapy for Depression

Depression therapy addresses both immediate symptoms and underlying factors keeping you stuck in this pattern.

Understanding Your Depression - We explore when it started, how it feels in your body and mind, patterns around timing or situations, your relationship to depression, life events around its onset, and whether you've experienced it before. Understanding your unique pattern helps tailor the approach.

Creating Stability First - When you're depressed, big processing work can feel overwhelming. We start by developing coping tools and grounding techniques.

Processing What's Underneath - Depression often has roots connected to unprocessed trauma or loss, chronic stress or burnout, attachment wounds from early experiences of neglect or emotional unavailability, suppressed emotions like anger or grief turned inward, or negative core beliefs like "I'm not good enough" or "I'm unlovable."

We use EMDR to process traumatic or painful experiences contributing to depression. We use Internal Family Systems (IFS) to work with parts of you that are depressed, parts that criticize you for being depressed, and parts exhausted from trying to keep it together.

Addressing Thoughts and Patterns - Depression filters everything through a lens of hopelessness and worthlessness. We identify cognitive distortions, challenge beliefs depression presents as facts, develop self-compassion rather than self-criticism, and build evidence against the story depression tells about you.

Finding Meaning and Forward Movement - As depression lifts, we reconnect you with what matters, build a life worth living beyond going through motions, address contributing life circumstances, and recognize early warning signs.

How I Support Clients With Depression

I integrate trauma-informed care, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems with deep understanding that depression has roots in both biology and experience.

Depression Often Has a Story - While depression involves brain chemistry, it rarely develops in a vacuum. Often there's a history of feeling unseen or not good enough, experiences of loss or abandonment, chronic stress, suppressed emotions, or living inauthentically. I'm interested in understanding that story to make sense of why your nervous system responded this way.

EMDR for Depression - Research shows EMDR is effective for depression connected to traumatic experiences, negative core beliefs formed in childhood, unprocessed grief, or shame from past experiences. EMDR helps your brain reprocess these experiences so they stop reinforcing depression.

Internal Family Systems - IFS recognizes depression involves multiple parts: the depressed part carrying pain, the critical part judging you for being depressed, the protective part numbing emotions, and the part pushing you to function when depleted. Rather than eliminating the depressed part, we help it feel heard and understood, often decreasing its intensity.

Addressing Life Circumstances - Sometimes depression is a reasonable response to unreasonable circumstances. If you're in an emotionally depleting relationship, a spirit-crushing job, or a situation where needs aren't met, we address those factors. Therapy isn't just about coping better—sometimes it's about recognizing you deserve different circumstances.

Oppression, racism, intergenerational trauma, and current political stresses are all those pieces that can feel out of our ability to impact and can feel hopeless as well. While our individual sessions can't solve these very real and pressing issues, perhaps we can be with these impacts and find ways to develop the capacity to meet them.

Patience and Self-Compassion - Depression developed over time, and healing takes time. Progress isn't linear. I don't expect you to be "positive" before you're ready. We work at your pace.

My approach focuses on self-compassion, not self-improvement—understanding why you feel this way rather than judging yourself for it.

Getting Started With Depression Therapy

The Free 15-Minute Consultation

We'll have a brief conversation where you can share what you're experiencing, and I can explain my approach. You can ask questions, and we'll both assess whether we're a good fit. This is low-pressure—just a conversation to see if working together makes sense.

If even a phone call feels overwhelming, you can email instead with basic information, and we can schedule a first session without the consultation call.

Your First Full Session (60 minutes)

In our first session, we'll discuss:

What you're experiencing and how long it's been going on
How depression is affecting your daily life (work, relationships, self-care)
What you've tried before (therapy, medication, self-help) and what helped or didn't
Whether you're currently having thoughts of self-harm
Your goals—what would be different if depression weren't running your life?
Immediate needs

You don't need to have everything articulated perfectly or know precisely what you need. We'll figure it out together.

The First Few Sessions

Early sessions focus on:

Building safety and trust in the therapeutic relationship
Stabilizing your current functioning if needed
Teaching you some practical tools (grounding, thought-challenging, self-compassion)
Understanding your depression pattern and what might be contributing

Ongoing Work

Once we've established a foundation, we move into deeper work—processing roots, addressing beliefs, changing patterns, and rebuilding your capacity to engage with life.

What You Need for Virtual Sessions

A private space where you can speak openly
A reliable internet connection
A device with a camera and a microphone (computer, tablet, or phone)

Sessions are conducted through a secure, encrypted video platform that's HIPAA-compliant.

*Please note that my services are not a crisis service. I am unable to provide that level of care at this time. If I believe you would be best served by more intensive care than I can provide, I will help connect you with those services.

If you or someone you know is in immediate crisis, please contact:

988 Suicide Crisis Helpline: call or text 988
Crisis Services Canada: 1-833-456-4566
Your local hospital emergency department

Serving adults across Ontario, including Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, London, Markham, Vaughan, Kitchener, Windsor, Newmarket, Bradford, Richmond Hill, Aurora, Innisfil, Barrie, Orillia, Muskoka (Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Huntsville), North Bay, Sudbury, Kingston, and surrounding communities!

Day and Evening appointments available.

Book Your Free Consultation Here!