Depression Counselling
When getting through the day takes everything you have
When It’s More Than Just Feeling Down
There’s a difference between a hard week and depression. When you’re depressed, the flatness doesn’t lift the way it usually does. Things that used to matter stop feeling interesting. Getting through the basics, like work, meals and seeing people, takes more out of you than it should. And often, there’s a quiet voice underneath all of it telling you this is just how things are.
That voice feels like the truth, and that’s part of what depression does. It’s convincing, and it tends to undermine the very motivation needed to address it, which is what makes it so difficult to navigate on your own. Counselling offers a space to work through depression with support: to understand what’s driving it, interrupt the patterns keeping it in place, and find your way back to a life that feels worth engaging with.
Vista Counselling provides depression counselling in person at our Langley, BC office and online across BC, for persistent low mood, loss of motivation, and depression connected to grief, trauma, or difficult life transitions.
Showing up is enough to start.
What Is Depression?
Depression is more than sadness. It’s a persistent change in mood, energy, and functioning that affects how you think, feel, and move through the world. It can arrive gradually or suddenly, triggered by a life event or seemingly out of nowhere.
Clinically, depression is characterized by feeling low or losing interest in things you used to care about for two weeks or more, along with other changes like fatigue, difficulty concentrating, disrupted sleep or appetite, feelings of worthlessness, and sometimes thoughts of death or suicide.
But numbers and criteria don’t capture what it actually feels like to be depressed. Often people describe it as heaviness, numbness, or a kind of grey fog that makes everything require more effort and feel less meaningful.
Signs You Might Be Struggling With Depression
- Persistent low mood, emptiness, or hopelessness
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities that used to matter
- Fatigue and low energy, even after sleep
- Difficulty concentrating, making decisions, or remembering things
- Changes in sleep: too much, not enough, or unrefreshing
- Changes in appetite or weight
- Withdrawal from people and activities
- Feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or shame
- Irritability or restlessness (often overlooked as a symptom)
- Thoughts of death, suicide, or wishing things would stop
Not everyone experiences all of these. Depression can look very different from person to person, and in some people it shows up more as numbness or irritability than sadness.
Many people we see with depression have kept functioning for a long time: going to work, looking after others, getting through the day. From the outside, things can look fine. Part of what brings them in is realising how much effort that has been taking.
How We Work With Depression
At Vista Counselling, we take time to understand your depression: what it looks like day to day, what may be keeping it in place, and what you’ve tried before. From there, we draw on the approaches that best fit what you’re experiencing, adapting the work as we go.
We also look at where the depression came from. It often has roots in loss, unresolved grief, relational pain, or experiences that were never fully processed, and sometimes it builds out of carrying too much for too long. Other times there’s no clear cause, and that’s useful to know as well when we’re deciding what to focus on.
If medication is something you’re considering or already using, we can work alongside your doctor or psychiatrist. Therapy and medication together are often more effective than either alone.
Who You’ll Work With
Dr. Kevin Klassen, PsyD
With a doctorate in psychology and more than 20,000 clinical hours, Kevin has been practicing in Langley since 2009, working with individuals through EMDR, IFS and AEDP. Trauma is a particular focus, including work with first responders.
Roshni Vedamanikam, MA, MSW
A Registered Clinical Counsellor since 2003, Roshni brings an integrative approach and many years of experience supporting women and children affected by family violence. She works online across BC with anxiety, depression, stress and burnout, boundaries, parenting and attachment struggles, identity and self-worth, and life transitions.
What to Expect
The first few sessions are mostly about getting to know what depression looks like for you: when it’s heaviest, what may have contributed to it, and what getting better would actually mean in your day-to-day life. If your energy is low, you don’t need to bring much more than yourself. Over time, the work moves between small, practical steps that make the days more manageable and the deeper patterns underneath, and how long that takes varies with how long the depression has been around and what’s beneath it.
Sessions are in person at our Langley office or by secure video from anywhere in BC, whichever takes less out of you that week.
If you’re in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, please reach out right away. You can call or text 9-8-8, the Suicide Crisis Helpline, free and available 24/7 across Canada. In BC you can also call 310-6789 for mental health crisis support (no area code needed). If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. Counselling is a powerful support, but crisis care comes first.
FAQs
How do I know if what I’m feeling is depression or just a rough patch?
Duration and impact are the key questions. A rough patch tends to lift on its own over days or weeks. Depression persists, and it affects your ability to function and enjoy life in a sustained way. If you’ve been feeling low for several weeks and it’s affecting your daily life, it’s worth talking to someone. You don’t need to be certain before reaching out.
Do I need to be in crisis to come for depression counselling?
Not at all. Most people who come for depression counselling are not in crisis. They’re dealing with persistent low mood, loss of motivation, withdrawal, or a flatness they can’t seem to shake. You don’t need to hit a crisis point to deserve support.
Should I try medication or therapy first?
Both are effective treatments for depression, and for moderate to severe depression, research suggests they work best in combination. We don’t prescribe medication, but we can work alongside your doctor or psychiatrist if that’s part of your care plan.
What if I don’t have the energy to engage in therapy?
This is one of depression’s cruelest ironies: it takes energy to seek the help that would give you energy back. We’re mindful of this. Sessions are paced according to where you actually are, not where you think you “should” be. Showing up is enough to start.
Is online counselling available for depression?
Yes. We offer secure video sessions for clients across BC. Online counselling is a flexible option if leaving the house is difficult, which is often part of what depression does.
What does a session cost?
Sessions are 50 minutes. The fee is $200 per session with Dr. Kevin Klassen and $165 per session with Roshni Vedamanikam. Many extended health plans cover counselling with a Registered Clinical Counsellor, so it’s worth confirming your coverage before your first session. Full details, including our cancellation policy, are on our FAQ page.