Seasonal Affective Disorder Therapy
Do you feel severely cooped-up?
Does your mood now seem to match the weather: dark and bleak?
Has the wintertime blues affected your sleep, eating, or other habits?
Canada in the winter is cold and dark, and often doesn’t seem much larger than one’s room. That’s always been the case, and particularly so since 2020. For some people, the cooped-up feeling brings the onset of seasonal affective disorder (“SAD”). One may fall into a depression, feel great fatigue, withdrawal, or a sense of hopelessness.
Though SAD may seem to be a purely physical condition – coming and going with the weather – there is much that counselling can do to help you navigate and reduce your symptoms, and perhaps even eliminate them.
What are the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
The symptoms of SAD are quite similar to the symptoms of other forms of depression: You may lose interest in activities you enjoyed before. You may sleep too much or too little. Your eating habits may change.
Mood swings, anxiety, loneliness, apathy, and a sense of overwhelming fatigue may follow you from day to day. You may also find that your temper is shorter than usual.
How can therapy help with SAD?
Cognitive behavioral therapy and other therapeutic modalities can be quite effective for SAD symptoms. We guide our clients through the process of developing new thought patterns that can help clients cope with SAD most of the time.
Some of our therapies can be as simple as helping you challenge your negative thoughts about this time of the year, developing a personal plan to help you cope with your changing moods, and helping you find activities that you look forward to during the long winter months – even while cooped up inside.
What about light therapy? Can seasonal lamps help with SAD?
Not “light” as in a little amount of therapy, but in terms of physical light – from a lamp. Light therapy alone only helps about 50% of patients. That’s not to say we wouldn’t recommend trying it: it may supplement our counselling. Many of our clients find success by combining light therapy with counselling.
Get Help Today
Winters are long here in Ontario, and they feel longer. You don’t have to suffer for a quarter to half of the year.
If you are ready to feel better and to get more out of this time of year, you can contact us to schedule your first session. We are ready to help.
Free no-obligation 20-minute consultation
...with the option to stay for a full session right after if you so choose.
We offer online, in-person and telephone coaching sessions and look forward to working together. You can also book your normal sessions online by clicking the button below.
Meet our therapists with experience in seasonal affective disorder therapy
Find the right therapist for you. Book your free consultation today.
Shane Smyth
MA, RP, PsychotherapistAbout Shane
Not currently accepting new clients. Returning clients please enquire about availability. New clients, please connect with one of our other skilled team members with immediate availability or you can contact us to be added to a waiting list for Shane.
Gillian McCallum
MSW, RSW, PsychotherapistAbout Gillian
Not currently accepting new clients. Returning clients please enquire about availability. New clients, please connect with one of our other skilled team members with immediate availability or you can contact us to be added to a waiting list for Gillian.
Ready to talk to us?
We offer a down to earth, compassionate approach combined with scientific evidence-based therapy. Please feel free to connect with us to see if you think we are a good fit to help you with your life.