SOLA Counselling is an interdisciplinary practice that supports clients with collaborative or independent disciples of support for the physical and mental well-being of our clientele.
Our approach is focused on activating your innate ability to therapeutically heal and grow. We aim to remove pain from your past experiences in order to support you in moving forward with clarity, comfort, and empowerment.
Together, we will embark on this journey of personal discovery and support you to overcome challenges that may be reducing your overall sense of happiness and fulfillment.
Supporting all Individuals, Couples, Families, Teens & Children.
SOLA Counselling is also allied with the LGBT2S and POC communities.
Primary Focus
SOLA Counselling supports clients with a Narrative and Trauma-Informed Approach, addressing the root causes and possible manifested symptoms that affect one's perspective, capacity, and resiliency. These symptoms can be displayed through suffering of anxiety, depression, eating disorders/body dysmorphia, substance use disorders, relationship issues, and grief and loss. Each of these areas are discussed in detail below.
Understanding and treating these painful challenges results in true healing and self-fulfillment. SOLA Counselling supports clients navigating the process of healing with a safe and supportive team of knowledgeable experts.
ANXIETY
Anxiety is a mental health disorder that can be difficult to identify yet, it is the most common disorder for both children and adults. More specifically, anxiety is an experience of constant and uncontrollable fear/worry that results in a nervousness, impacting the daily lives of its sufferers.
The emotional impacts of anxiety can result in challenges with relationships, productivity, and overall satisfaction. The physical impacts of anxiety can include insomnia, body and headaches, fatigue, weight gain or loss, skin reactions, panic attacks and a myriad of other physical challenges. Statistically only 40% of the population seeks treatment for anxiety yet, with proper counselling treatment, anxiety can be reduced and even alleviated entirely (ADAA 2020).
DEPRESSION
Depression is mood disorder that includes intense feelings of sadness and low mood. While it is normal for individuals to feel sadness from time to time, depression symptoms last for longer periods and have debilitating effects. Depression leads to challenges with motivation, productivity, socialization and overall, happiness. People who are struggling with depression can withdraw and loose satisfaction in activities that previously may have brought them joy. In more severe cases, depression can lead to suicide.
Physical symptoms are also common for those who suffer from depression, which can lead to fatigue, pain, and physical changes. It is important for those suffering from depression to work with a counsellor to uncover the root causes of their suffering. Through this process, depression symptoms can be reduced, and individualized skills can be developed to increase self-soothing, resiliency and awareness.
EATING DISORDERS/BODY DISMORPHIA
Eating Disorders can be identified as bulimia, anorexia nervosa and binge eating. However, other related disorders such as body dysmorphia, and the intrusive critical thoughts about one's body are also commonly part of the disordered eating scope. Through supportive and tailored counselling treatments clients can shift from the overwhelming control that disordered eating promotes, and begin to gain a sense of control within their relationships with food.
Disordered eating is an isolating and debilitating behaviour that reflects an unhealthy relationship with food. Disordered eating’s socially stigmatized perception can make it difficult to identify the disordered behaviour, and seek counselling support. Through specialized trauma-informed work, a counsellor can support the healing from disordered eating that releases clients from the intensity and damage of the behaviour. Counselling support can also open opportunities for self-compassion, awareness, and appreciation.
SUBSTANCE-USE DISORDERS
Substance-use disorders are common and result from the misuse or abuse of a substance in order to 'numb' or 'escape' from internalized pain. Criteria for substance-use disorders are displayed through cravings to overuse a substance, wanting to cut down or stop but not able to do so, taking the substance in larger amounts or for longer periods than intended, neglect of other aspects of one's life in order to continue using. Side effects of substance disorders can impact professional and personal relationships or functioning and more severely, can be dangerous to one's life.
Substance us disorders tend to also include elements of physical addiction, especially when repeated use of a substance has changed the way in which your brain experiences pleasure. The addicting drug causes physical changes to neurons in your brain which can result in counselling and medical practitioners working simultaneously to support the process of sobriety from a substance to occur.
RELATIONSHIP ISSUES
As human beings, relationships signify the most important aspects of our lives. These relationships can be described as ones with a spouse, children, family, friends, even colleagues. Sometimes external stressors or misunderstandings cause relationships to face significant challenges. Some common relationship stressors might be infidelity, mid-life crises or menopause, substance-use disorder, financial stress, health issues, new parenthood, sexual problems plus a host of others, including Covid 19.
Communication between parties may have devolved to the point where meaningful dialogue is not possible. Therapy provides an opportunity to safely discuss underlying issues and have an opportunity to understand each others perspectives. Within counselling common ground can be established, and trust within the relationship can be rebuilt. Various individual and joint exercises are prescribed to continue the process of exploration and understanding of each perspective with the goal to create tools to support the relationship to function more healthily in the future.
GRIEF & LOSS
Grief and loss are experiences that we all face at some point in our lives. Though grief and loss traditionally relate to the loss of a loved one, there are other causes for this challenge that can relate to job loss, moving away, shifts in physical ability, medical impairment, divorce, even Covid 19.
Though grief and loss are individualized experiences, it is important to seek counselling support if you are navigating this issue to support you processing the emotional pain and reducing the depressive symptoms that can also develop. Through counselling, grief and loss can be explored, and the counsellor can bear witness to the pain that one feels in security without risk of judgement.
