Mental health problems can cover a broad range of disorders, but the common characteristic is that they all affect your personality, thought processes, or social interactions. When patterns of behaviour or psychological symptoms and distress interfere with your emotional or physical health, your relationships, your work productivity, or your ability to adjust to life, it is time to seek help.
Mental health disorders have no single cause; instead, they can be caused by a mixture of biological, psychological, and environmental factors. People who have a family history of mental health disorders may be more prone to developing one at some point. Changes in brain chemistry from substance abuse or changes in diet can also cause mental disorders. Psychological factors and environmental factors such as upbringing, trauma, and social exposure can form the foundations for harmful thought patterns associated with mental disorders.
Mental health problems can cause a wide variety of emotional symptoms, some of which include:
- Changes in mood
- Erratic thinking
- Chronic anxiety
- Exaggerated or diminished sense of self-worth
- Impulsive actions
- Explosive or unstable relationships
- Patterns of maladaptive or self-destructive behaviour
- Manipulative patterns
- Isolation or extreme social avoidance
If you or someone you know experiences erratic thought patterns, unexplained changes in mood, lack of interest in socializing, lack of empathy, inability to tell the difference between reality and fantasy, or a seeming lack of control, a mental health disorder may be the cause.
Mental health disorders exist in broad categories:
- Anxiety disorders
- Mood disorders
- Psychotic disorders
- Personality disorders
- Impulse control disorders
LCC Provides Counselling for Mental Health Disorders
Your psychotherapist will work with you to identify the underlying cause(s) that are creating problems. Once identified, the psychotherapist will make use of various tools and treatments to address your issues, such as:
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (challenging negative thought patterns)
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (teaching skills to help cope with strong emotions and negative thoughts)
- Collaborative Problem Solving
- Emotion Coaching
- Filial Therapy (child-centered play therapy)
- Dyadic Therapy Focusing (increasing emotional self-awareness and promote self-acceptance)
- Emotionally Focused Therapy (managing and accepting emotions, using emotions constructively)
- Integrated Marriage Therapy (combination of experiential couples therapy, cognitive therapy, and family of origin therapy; increases personal responsibility, addresses interactional dances, and helps to build collaboration)
- EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing; highly effective for trauma recovery)
- Sand Tray Therapy (reconstructing events, patterns, or scenes in miniature)
LifeCare Centres provides exceptional, quality counselling and psychological services to individuals, couples, and families. Our purpose is to empower our clients to manage life with integrity, authenticity, and wholeness by providing them with life-applicable tools for growth, healing, and fulfillment.
Contact Us
We invite you to contact us for a confidential and complimentary 15 minute consultation. We will assess your needs, understand your concerns, and match you with the right therapist. Call 905-231-2273 or submit the form on the right of this page.
ANXIETY & STRESS
Everyone experiences anxiety and stress sometimes. Stress comes from demands placed on us, whether physical, intellectual, or emotional. Anxiety often arises as a response to stress, making us feel uneasy, worried, or fearful. As a short-term coping mechanism, stress can give us the push we need to overcome the challenges and obstacles we face (an exam, moving to a new house, running a marathon, etc.)
ADDICTION
If you or a loved one is experiencing an addiction of any kind, it can become a very serious problem that destroys lives. Professional treatment can help addicts overcome their urges and take back control of their lives.
DEPRESSION
Most people have felt sad or depressed at times. Feeling depressed can be a normal reaction to loss, life’s struggles, or an injured self-esteem. However, when feelings of intense sadness – including feeling helpless, hopeless, worthless, and totally losing pleasure in activities – last for many days or weeks and keep you from functioning normally, your depression may be something more than sadness. It may very well be clinical depression – a treatable medical condition.
ANGER
Anger is a natural, though sometimes unwanted or irrational, emotion that everybody experiences from time to time. Anger itself isn’t necessarily a problem and can be healthy when it not only alerts us to issues that we may need to change in our lives, but also motivates us to make these changes.
GRIEF
Grief is the powerful, multifaceted, and often uncontrollable response that human beings experience following a personally painful or traumatic event. It is a natural reaction to loss.
GAMBLING
Someone might need help with a gambling addiction due to financial problems, mental health issues, relationship strain, loss of control, and physical health concerns. Gambling can lead to significant debt, coexisting mental health disorders like depression and anxiety, and conflicts in personal relationships. Seeking help provides support, strategies to manage the addiction, and a path to recovery.
SEX ADDICTION
Seeking therapy for sex addiction is crucial because it helps individuals manage compulsive sexual behaviors that can lead to financial, legal, and relationship problems. Therapy provides strategies to cope with obsessive sexual thoughts and urges, and addresses underlying issues such as childhood trauma, anxiety, or depression.
DRUG ADDICTION
Seeking therapy for a drug problem is crucial because it addresses both the physical and psychological aspects of addiction. Therapy helps individuals manage cravings, avoid relapse, and cope with stress and triggers without resorting to drugs. It also provides support for underlying mental health issues like depression or anxiety, which often accompany addiction.
FOOD ADDICTION
Seeking therapy for food addiction is essential because it helps individuals manage cravings for unhealthy foods, which can threaten both physical and mental health. Therapy provides strategies to cope with triggers, reduce binge-eating behaviors, and address underlying psychological issues.