Mental Health Counselling in Vaughan
Mental health is described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.
The Pain and Wellness Centre is a place where you can receive counselling from our team of mental health practitioners to address stressors that impact your ability to achieve a state of positive well-being.
What is Mental Health Counseling?
Mental health counselling or psychotherapy is primarily a collaborative talk-based therapy between the client and a psychotherapist. The psychotherapist provides a non-judgemental and supportive environment where psychological and emotional issues that are keeping the client from feeling at his/her best are identified and worked on together.
What Type of Counseling Does The Pain and Wellness Centre provide?
At The Pain and Wellness Centre’s mental health clinic, our psychotherapists are trained to provide psychotherapy to people with a variety of mental health issues, and life struggles, including but not limited to: depression, anxiety, obsessive and/or compulsive thoughts/behaviours, post-traumatic stress, adjustment difficulties following a car or work accident, driving fear or other phobias, relationship difficulties, job troubles or job loss, chronic illness or chronic pain, problems with alcohol or drugs use, bereavement, difficulty managing various stressors in their life, and feeling lost about who they are or their life goals.
Here are some examples of mental health counselling provided at the Pain and Wellness Centre:
Counselling for Depression or Anxiety
You and your psychotherapist will work together to identify negative thought patterns, distressing emotions and maladaptive coping strategies or behaviours that keep you from feeling better about yourself and your life. Working collaboratively, you can find new ways of looking at issues that can give you a greater sense of control, get a better understanding of yourself, and to develop more adaptive strategies to cope with negative thoughts/feelings and situations in your life. If psychotherapy is to work, you need to make the commitment to work diligently during and in between sessions to make positive changes.
Stress Management Counseling
Untreated stress can lead to physical illness or discomfort, drug abuse, loss of satisfaction, anxious and/or depressed mood or other detrimental effects on one’s well-being. Our team of mental health providers will help you learn to identify triggers and manage your stress so that you can feel in control of your life.
Relationships Counselling
Relationship counselling can be offered to individuals wishing to improve on their own personal growth and/or communication skills for better interactions with others, or it can be offered to couples wishing to improve on their relationship.
Personal Growth Counselling
You might find yourself at a stage in your life where you are feeling stuck or uncertain about your goals, struggling with your identity/sense of self, or needing to shed your old self for a new person. Our mental health providers can help you understand your current struggles and help you explore new ways to express and see yourself.
Grief Counselling
Our psychotherapists can offer support, guidance, and coping strategies to help you manage your grief and loss. Grief therapy allows the bereaved person to interact with their thoughts and feelings and learn to find ways to cope with grief as you try to move forward with your life.
Pain Management Counseling
Our psychotherapists understand the interplay of mind and body with our chronic pain patients. We understand that emotions, thoughts and vigilance play a role in “amplifying” the pain experience. Our psychotherapists focus on teaching clients more effective ways to cope and manage their pain, by helping them change negative thoughts and feelings, reducing stress, improving sleep, and setting goals to engage in more positive daily activities. Making positive changes to one’s life and feeling more self-control, serves to lower the “amplification” of pain. This is accomplished through various psychological strategies that are tailored to the needs of each client.
Who Would Benefit From Mental Health Counselling
The therapy process can help you move towards positive growth and behavioural change. Clients tend to seek out psychotherapy when they struggle with:
- Feeling overwhelmed and/or in despair for long periods of time.
- Problems that don’t seem to get better despite their efforts and help from family and friends.
- Difficulty in concentrating on work or carrying out other everyday activities.
- Worrying excessively, expecting the worst or feeling constantly on edge.
- Drinking too much or using drugs to escape from their problems
- Feeling unhappy or trapped by their feelings or situation which they don’t know how to change.
- Problems that are interfering with sleep, relationships, work/study, and health.
FAQs
Does insurance cover mental health therapy?
Some policies provide partial coverage of mental health-related treatments, while some don’t. Whoever administers your health insurance can point out what mental health services coverage is available to you, and our team can help you figure out what mental health coverage you have.
How will I know if the treatment is working?
One of the more obvious signs that counselling is effective is that you begin to have better clarity of thought and a better understanding of your emotional challenges and how to manage them. You will feel more in control of your life, experience more meaningful connections with others, and feel that you are more able to honour your personal values and meet your life’s goals.
When should I seek professional help?
If your mental health is beginning to affect you negatively by interfering in your work, relationships, physical health or sense of self, then that’s usually the first sign that professional help might be a good idea. Since each person’s mental health and lifestyle are different, there are no hard and fast rules about when you should consider mental health counselling. Our team can help you determine what steps you should start taking to manage your mental health. to see what programs or services might help you best.