Issues We Treat

Depression Therapy

Depression is not a character flaw, a sign of weakness, or simply a bad attitude. It is a response — one that the mind and body make when something has become too much to carry alone. Depression therapy at Newmarket Therapy Centre helps you understand what that response is about — and begin, slowly, to find your way back.

Understanding Depression

Depression therapy session at Newmarket Therapy Centre
Depression therapy at Newmarket Therapy Centre — in person and online across Ontario.

Depression has many faces. For some it arrives as a crushing weight — an inability to get out of bed, to feel anything, to imagine that things could be different. For others it is quieter: a flatness that has become so familiar it feels like personality. A withdrawal from people and experiences that once mattered. A going through the motions without really being present in your own life.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, approximately 1 in 10 Canadians will experience a major depressive episode at some point in their lives — and depression is among the leading causes of disability in Canada. Despite its prevalence, many people suffer in silence, believing either that the depression is simply who they are, or that nothing can really change.

At Newmarket Therapy Centre, we take a different approach to depression. Rather than treating it purely as a chemical imbalance to be managed, we ask: what is your depression responding to? What feelings have been pushed aside? What needs have gone unmet? What parts of yourself have you learned to hide? That understanding is where real, lasting change begins.

1 in 10
Canadians will experience a major depressive episode in their lifetime (CMHA)
80%+
of people with depression who receive appropriate treatment experience significant improvement
15+
Master's-level Registered Psychotherapists and Social Workers at Newmarket Therapy Centre — in-person and online across Ontario

Signs You May Be Living with Depression

Depression presents differently in different people. Some of the most common signs include:

Persistent low mood, emptiness, or hopelessness that does not lift
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed
Low energy, fatigue, or a sense of heaviness that makes daily tasks feel enormous
Changes in sleep — sleeping too much, too little, or waking unrefreshed
Changes in appetite or weight without intentional effort
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
Feelings of worthlessness, shame, or excessive self-criticism
Withdrawal from people, relationships, and social life
Moving or speaking more slowly; feeling physically sluggish
Thoughts of death, hopelessness about the future, or suicidal ideation

If you are experiencing several of these consistently, and they are affecting your daily life, work, or relationships, depression therapy can help. You do not need to have reached crisis point to seek support — and the sooner you do, the more effectively the work tends to go.

Types of Depression We Treat

Major Depressive Disorder

Persistent depressed mood or loss of interest lasting two weeks or more, significantly affecting daily functioning.

Persistent Depressive Disorder

A lower-grade but chronic depression (formerly called dysthymia) that can last for years, often becoming mistaken for personality.

Postpartum Depression

Depression arising after the birth of a child — more intense and sustained than the 'baby blues', affecting both new mothers and fathers.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Depression with a seasonal pattern — most commonly in winter — linked to reduced light exposure and disrupted circadian rhythms.

Trauma-Related Depression

Depression rooted in unprocessed traumatic experiences, relational wounds, or early adversity that the nervous system has never had the chance to resolve.

High-Functioning Depression

Depression that coexists with apparently normal or even high levels of functioning — often invisible to others, and sometimes to the person experiencing it.

Depression is almost never simply sadness. Beneath it, more often than not, is something that has never been fully felt — grief, anger, longing, or a truth that has not yet had the space to be spoken.

Newmarket Therapy Centre

Evidence-Based Depression Therapy Approaches

Our therapists draw on a range of evidence-based approaches, tailored to what your particular depression calls for. Depression rarely has a single cause — and therapy works best when it matches both the surface presentation and what is driving it underneath.

Relational

Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)

Depression often involves emotional avoidance — pushing away sadness, grief, or longing until feeling numb becomes the default. EFT helps you reconnect with the emotions that have been suppressed, process what has never been fully felt, and build genuine emotional resilience. When the feelings beneath the depression are finally met, something begins to shift.

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Cognitive

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT addresses the thought patterns and behavioural cycles that maintain and deepen depression — the inner critic, the catastrophic thinking, the withdrawal that feels like self-protection but cuts you off from what might actually help. Practical, structured, and evidence-based, CBT gives you concrete tools alongside deeper understanding.

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Trauma-Based

EMDR Therapy

When depression has roots in traumatic experience — childhood neglect or abuse, sudden loss, relational injury — EMDR helps the brain process what was never fully integrated. As the charge on traumatic memories reduces, the depression that was built on top of them often lifts with it.

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Parts-Based

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Depression often involves parts of the self that are in deep pain and other parts working hard to keep that pain at a distance — through numbness, self-criticism, or withdrawal. IFS helps you build a compassionate relationship with all of these parts, so the whole system can begin to reorganise toward something different.

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Body-Based

Somatic Therapy

Depression lives in the body — in the heaviness, the shallow breath, the disconnection from physical aliveness. Somatic approaches work directly with the bodily experience of depression, helping the nervous system begin to discharge what has been held and reconnect with the vitality that depression suppresses.

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Brain-Based

Neurofeedback

For depression with a strong physiological component — or where talk therapy has not produced sufficient change — neurofeedback works directly with brainwave patterns to support nervous system regulation. Often used alongside psychotherapy to deepen and accelerate outcomes.

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What to Expect

Depression therapy at Newmarket Therapy Centre is collaborative and paced to what you can manage. Your therapist will not push you faster than you are ready to go.

  • 01

    A free intake call with Susan

    Our Client Care Manager Susan listens to what is bringing you in, answers your questions, and personally matches you with the right depression therapist — clinically and as a person. No commitment.

  • 02

    Understanding your particular experience

    Your therapist takes genuine time to understand how depression is showing up in your life — in your body, your thinking, your relationships. Not a checklist. A real conversation.

  • 03

    Finding what is driving it

    Together you begin to explore what is underneath the presenting difficulty — the experiences, the patterns, the beliefs that have been quietly running the show. This is where real change begins.

  • 04

    Building something different

    Gradually, at your pace, therapy helps you move toward the relationships, feelings, and life you have been reaching for — with new tools, new awareness, and new ground to stand on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is depression therapy effective?
Yes — depression is one of the most treatable mental health conditions. Research consistently shows that psychotherapy, particularly when matched to the underlying causes of depression, produces significant and lasting improvement in the majority of people.
How long does depression therapy take?
It depends on the nature and depth of the depression. For more situational depression, significant improvement may be possible within 12–20 sessions. For depression with deeper roots in trauma or long-standing patterns, the work tends to take longer and is usually more thorough as a result.
Will I need medication alongside therapy?
Therapy is effective for depression with or without medication. Some people benefit from both, particularly when depression is severe. This is always a personal decision — one we encourage you to discuss with your GP or psychiatrist. We work collaboratively with medical professionals where relevant.
What if I have had depression for a very long time — can therapy still help?
Yes. Depression that has been present for years — even decades — is still responsive to therapy. Many people find that long-standing depression has a particular depth and richness to the work, because it is so closely woven into how they understand themselves.
Can I do depression therapy online?
Yes. Online depression therapy is available to anyone in Ontario and equally effective as in-person work. All therapy approaches are available virtually, with the exception of neurofeedback which requires in-person attendance at Newmarket Therapy Centre.
What if I have thoughts of suicide or self-harm?
Please contact us — you do not need to be in crisis to reach out, but if you are having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, it is important to speak to someone today. Contact the Canada Suicide Prevention Service at 1-833-456-4566 (24/7), or go to your nearest emergency department if you are in immediate danger.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Our intake team will match you with the right depression therapist at Newmarket Therapy Centre. No commitment required — just a conversation.

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