Depression And Mood Mental Health Resources
Below are some self-help resources to learn more about yourself. This is a curated list developed over years of practice that continues to evolve. We are excited to share some of these resources with you.
Disclaimer: Please use these resources thoughtfully and with caution and discretion. These resources are general suggestions and not all may be helpful or applicable to you. Self-help resources and support groups are not a substitute for professional assessment and treatment. *We are not personally invested in, nor stand to profit from, any of the recommendations provided.
Self-Check Depression And Mood Quiz
We’ve developed a self-check quiz to help you decide if Depression Counselling might be a good fit for you. (Just remember, it’s not a replacement for a professional diagnosis!)
Helpful e-books, worksheets and guides
Download For Free!
Are you struggling with addiction triggers? You're not alone. Our comprehensive guide offers 12 powerful strategies for overcoming triggers to help you navigate the challenges of recovery and reclaim control of your life.
Are you feeling overwhelmed, scattered, or unfocused? Discover the secret to regaining control of your mind and boosting your productivity with our free downloadable guide: "Distraction Techniques: Your Path to Clarity and Calm."
Are you confused by the alphabet soup of therapist credentials? You're not alone. Our free guide, "Therapist Credentials 101," is here to help.
Are you ready to embark on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth? Our free ebook, "How to Journal: A Comprehensive Guide," is your ticket to unlocking the transformative power of journaling.
Discover the power of self-reflection with our carefully curated collection of journal prompts, designed to help you.
Are you struggling to prioritize yourself? Feeling overwhelmed and unsure how to take care of your own needs? It's time to transform your relationship with self-care. Introducing "A Guide To Self Care" by Paige Abbott, Registered Psychologist.
Discover the power of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) with our free ebook, "Building Emotional Intelligence."
Recommended Reading Materials
General
Togetherall is a virtual community in Alberta to get support from peers
Meetup.com has been a resource many of our clients have found helpful for building community
‘Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy’ by David D. Burns and the associated handbook
‘The Happiness Trap: How to stop struggling and start living’ by Russ Harris
‘The Noonday Demon: An atlas of depression’ by Andrew Solomon
‘Evolve Your Brain: The science of changing your mind’ by Joe Dispenza
‘Overcoming Anxiety and Depression on the Autism Spectrum’ by Lee Wilkinson
Find these and other recommended resources on the Idea List on our Amazon Shop
Apps
Insight Timer, Headspace, Calm, Healthy Minds, Five Minute Journal, Day One, 365 Gratitude, Gratitude, MoodTracker, Daylio, Mood Tools, I Am, Finch, CBT Companion, DBT Coach, Resilify, Unwinding Anxiety, MindShift CBT app, Mantra, Sleep Bot
From the Blog
Summer is often portrayed as a carefree season but for many people, it can also bring a rise in emotional and behavioural vulnerabilities. As Calgary addiction counselling and mental health therapists, we regularly see how this time of year can intensify concerns related to body image, substance use, and the fear of missing out (FOMO), amongst other things including an increase in ADHD symptoms which we discussed in our last blog post.
With shifting routines, more social events, and increased exposure to appearance-focused messaging, summer can create pressure to “keep up” in ways that don’t always align with your well-being and current health priorities. In this blog, our Calgary Addiction Counselling Therapists explore how these challenges show up, share real-life inspired examples, and offer grounded strategies to help you navigate the season with yourself and healthy boundaries in mind.
Summer often brings a welcomed shift—longer days, more social opportunities, and a break from rigid routines. For some individuals living with ADHD, however, these seasonal changes can also disrupt structure, amplify symptoms, and make daily functioning more challenging. As ADHD counselling Calgary therapists, we often see how summer can subtly (or significantly) impact focus, emotional regulation, and overall well-being.
In this blog, our ADHD counselling Calgary therapists share insights on how summer affects ADHD symptoms, how to recognize changes in your functioning, and practical ways to support others and care for yourself during summer.
Boundaries are one of the most important—and often most misunderstood—parts of emotional and relational well-being. In therapy, conversations about boundaries come up every day, across all types of relationships. Our relationship and couples counselling Calgary AB therapists see these conversations the most, but they come up when exploring mental health connected to depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, OCD, parenting, emotional regulation, chronic pain, and other parts of life. Whether it’s learning to say “no,” expressing a need, or navigating differences with others, boundaries play a central role in helping people feel respected, safe, and authentic.
If boundaries feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable, you’re not alone. Like any skill, they take time, practice, and compassion to develop.
Starting something new—especially something public—often comes with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. For us, creating a podcast had been on our minds for quite some time. We’ve always appreciated how accessible and meaningful podcasts can be, and we wanted to create something that reflects the heart of the work we do every day.
As a team committed to offering the best psychological services Calgary has to offer, we’re always looking for ways to extend support beyond the therapy room. A podcast felt like a natural next step. So how did we get there? Let’s explore the journey to date.
When most people think about seasonal changes and mental health, they associate winter with lower mood, fatigue, and seasonal depression. However, not everyone feels better when the weather warms and daylight increases.
For some individuals, the arrival of spring and summer brings heightened anxiety, agitation, sleep disruption, or emotional discomfort. This experience is often referred to as Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder (Reverse SAD) or summer-pattern Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Although it receives less attention than winter depression, Reverse SAD can be equally challenging. Understanding why it occurs and learning practical coping strategies can help individuals manage seasonal anxiety more effectively.
Emotions are a natural and essential part of being human—but when they feel overwhelming, unpredictable, or intense, they can interfere with daily life, relationships, and mental health. Many people seeking depression counselling in Calgary tell us they were never taught how to manage emotions, only that they should “calm down” or “get over it.” Even our therapists themselves have childhood memories of being told not to be upset, to suck up tears, or to go to our rooms until we felt better. These messages, whether direct or indirect, teach us that emotions are scary and to be avoided, repressed and suppressed at all costs.
Unfortunately, our depression counselling Calgary therapists see everyday how this does not serve or benefit people. Avoidance of emotions can lead to a variety of outcomes, including escape with substance use or other unhelpful behaviours, anger outbursts, self-injury/self-harm, suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, difficulty processing disturbing events, conflict in relationships, dissatisfying relationships, and more.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) offers practical, evidence-based skills that help people understand, regulate, and respond to emotions more effectively. Below, we explore what emotional regulation is, why it can be challenging, and how DBT skills can support lasting change.
Self-injury can be frightening to witness and confusing to understand. For concerned loved ones, questions often come up quickly: Why is this happening? What should I say? How do I help without making things worse? We are here to help provide some guidance and clarity.
As therapists providing depression counselling in Calgary, we work with youth, adults and families navigating these concerns every day. This guide is meant to increase understanding, reduce stigma, and outline compassionate, evidence-based paths toward healing.
Eating disorders are not about food alone. They are about the complex relationship between mind, body, emotions, and self-worth. There can be a genetic as well as environmental and trauma component, which makes them have complicated roots.
The holiday season is often painted as a magical time—full of love, connection, and joy. While that can be true, it’s also a time when many people feel emotionally stretched, overcommitted, and overwhelmed.
One powerful tool for preserving your peace during the holidays? Boundaries.
Whether you're dealing with complicated family dynamics, packed schedules, or your own emotional needs, setting boundaries is a key part of making the season sustainable—and even enjoyable.
In this blog, our codependency counselling Calgary therapists will break down:
What boundaries are
Why they can be hard to maintain during the holidays
Practical tips to help you set and honor them
The holiday season is often viewed as a time for celebration, family gatherings, and joyous festivities. For many, these moments come with social drinking, whether at family dinners, office parties, or holiday get-togethers. For those who are sober—whether by choice, in recovery, or for any other reason—the holidays can present unique challenges. The pressure to participate in alcohol-fueled traditions, the emotional strain of family dynamics, and the desire to feel included can make the season feel overwhelming.
Our Calgary addiction counselling therapists know that navigating the holidays sober isn’t only possible, it can also be incredibly fulfilling. In this blog post, our alcohol counselling Calgary therapists will explore why someone might choose to stay sober during the holidays, the challenges they may face, and offer practical tips for staying grounded and enjoying the season.
Most of us will experience stressful or painful events in our lives but, sometimes, those events overwhelm our ability to cope, leaving lasting effects on our mind, body, and emotions. This is trauma. Trauma isn’t just what happened to you—it’s also how your body and nervous system responded in order to survive.
While many people are able to heal with time, support, and self-care, others may notice ongoing symptoms that interfere with daily life. If that’s the case, professional counselling can make a world of difference. In this blog, our trauma counselling Calgary therapists explore symptoms of trauma, when to seek out counselling, and what trauma counselling is like, among other things.
We often hear people say, “I’m such a perfectionist”—sometimes with pride, sometimes with exhaustion. On the surface, perfectionism might sound like a drive for excellence, but in reality it’s often a heavy burden and can add a lot of stress and anxiety to people’s lives. Instead of motivating growth, it can trap us in cycles of self-criticism, procrastination, and burnout- issues our anxiety counselling Calgary therapists see often.
Let’s break down what perfectionism really is, where it often comes from, and some practical ways to loosen its grip, based on suggestions from our experienced anxiety counselling Calgary therapists.
Dopamine is often referred to as the brain's “feel-good” chemical—but it’s much more than that. It's a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in motivation, focus, pleasure, and even movement. Whether you’re chasing a goal, enjoying a delicious meal, or simply checking a task off your to-do list, dopamine is involved.
A theme that’s been coming up in the counselling offices recently with our clients has been around work and, specifically, the quest to find joy in one’s work. Now, I’m not saying that this is not an important consideration when considering the role of work in our lives, but I have observed that our expectations and what we are hoping for may be venturing into unrealistic territory.
Chronic pain is a condition that affects millions of people worldwide, often invisibly while people suffer in silence. While it’s often associated with physical discomfort, the effects of chronic pain and illness extend far beyond the body. For many, chronic pain is not just a physical ailment, but a complex condition that can deeply influence their mental health, relationships, work, sense of meaning and purpose, productivity, and overall well-being. Understanding chronic pain, how it impacts mental health, and developing healthy coping strategies is crucial for anyone living with this condition. Our team who provide some of the best psychological services in Calgary, AB offer their experiences and tips to help you live your best life. These suggestions come from a personal and professional place (as therapists are not immune to being human too!).
Attachment Styles have been all the buzz in the realm of self-help and psychology over the past few years. It’s always interesting when older theories become new and popular again.
In this blog, we will explore more about attachment, specifically focusing on how to build secure attachment. A lot of people exploring attachment tend to get stuck in the problem, rather than looking towards the future of healthy relationships. Attachment, while rooted in our early childhood experiences, can change as we experience different types of relationships.
We’ve all done it. A rough day, a stressful week, and suddenly the glow of your screen or a trip to the mall feels like the answer. A little "treat yourself" moment can be harmless—maybe even helpful. But what happens when the occasional pick-me-up turns into compulsive buying?
In this blog, our experienced addiction counselling Calgary therapists explore the difference between retail therapy and spending addiction and how to recognize when your shopping habits might be taking a toll on your mental, emotional, and/or financial health. In this digital age, access to online shopping has increased and led to increased access to this type of addictive behaviour.
June is Men’s Mental Health Month. According to the Canadian Men's Health Foundation, approximately one million men suffer from major depression in Canada each year. Adding to that, men tend to not use available mental health services, with statistics indicating that only around 30% of people who use mental health services are men. This creates a big gap between need and treatment.
CBT. One of the gold-standard therapies that is used for a variety of mental health and addiction issues but what is it? When is it best used? How is it used? What will a person’s experience be like doing CBT therapy? These are all great questions and ones that our anxiety counselling Calgary therapists, who all incorporate CBT into their practice on a daily basis, are happy to address.
The transition from childhood to teenage years is no easy thing and comes with associated interpersonal, physical, and emotional upheaval. Many youth feel they have the support to navigate this successfully, but up to 25% feel that their mental health experience has changed since 2019 and has been impacted not by normal teenage development, but also by COVID.
Most mental health issues begin to present and can be diagnosed in those ages 14-25. This means that teen years and early adulthood are key times to prioritize self-care and mental health. In this article, our depression counselling Calgary therapists who specialize in working with youth (those age 15-24) provide some guidance and suggestions for supporting yourself and/or your youth if you are a parent.
Sleep plays a pivotal role in the regulation of all of our systems, including those that support our mental health. Did you know that people who have insomnia are 10 and 17 times more likely than those without to experience clinically significant levels of depression and anxiety, respectively? This shows the importance that sleep has on emotional regulation, coping, and healthy living.
You want something to be different. You make change. You get something different.
Sounds simple, right? It may sound straightforward, but the process is not always easy.
As we sit in the time of year where ‘resolutions’ are popular (read one of our past articles about New Year’s resolutions being one of our pet peeves here), we wanted to create an article exploring healthy goal-setting, which is possible at any time of the year. Our mental health counselling Calgary therapists happily explore why we need goals, challenges with goal setting, and tips for accomplishing your goals.
Feeling more down, blue and not like yourself during the late fall and winter months? You may be experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This is something that many people seek out depression counselling Calgary services for each year.
A company’s website is the main face of who we are and why we do what we do. A blog offers a unique way to introduce this in a more informal way. Today, we look forward to taking you through who we are, what we do, and why we do what we do.
Every May since 1951 (that’s over 70 years!), Canadians in communities, schools, workplaces, and the House of Commons have rallied around the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Mental Health Week. This year, between May 6-12, 2024, the theme is around the power of compassion and how that can be used to improve mental health outcomes for all. In this article, we explore how compassion can be used in mental health counselling Airdrie and beyond to offer people the best psychological services and outcomes.
A question that is always in people’s minds when engaging with a product or service is, “Am I receiving the best?” This is, in part, due to our natural human instinct for comparison, problem-solving, and forward movement to keep questing and pursuing more and better. It is also, in part, to our consumer culture which keeps us doubting and questioning what is bad, good, and best. Of course this question comes up in the therapy arena as well, though the answer definitely looks different than if you are using the best phone or eating the best donair.
January Blues. Blue Monday. We have been hearing about how challenging January is and have a number of associations and theories as to why this is a harder month for people’s mental health. Maybe it is because of the darkness. Maybe it is because of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Maybe it is because of the lack of holiday in January and something to look forward to. Maybe it is due to the crash after the holidays. All of these theories seem to have some element of truth to them and may be contributors to a shift towards more depressed mood and poorer mental health. This can result in an increased need for depression counselling. Calgary, my hometown, is a city that experiences a unique weather system called Chinooks which results in warmer temperatures but this does not seem to be preventative enough with mental health.
Each year I find myself circling back around to writing about mental health over the holidays and how to navigate the season in the healthiest way possible. This is because each year is a cyclical repeat of certain patterns:
Increased pressure (both internal and external)
Increased resentment
Increased stress and overwhelm
Financial demands that can become unmanageable
It is estimated that around 12% of men are accessing mental health support in North America compared to over 21% of women. This is despite men having reportedly higher rates of suicidal ideation, substance use and Addiction issues. What prevents men from accessing mental health care at higher rates? What can we do to change this? These are the issues that we will explore in this blog post about men’s mental health.
Depression And Mood Experts At SanaPsyc
Currently Accepting New Clients for Trauma, Perfectionism, Self-Esteem and more for youth 15+ and adults
Currently Accepting New Clients for couples & relationship work, as well as kids, youth and adults navigating anxiety, depression, caregiving, BFRBs, and more or you are looking for hypnotherapy
Currently Accepting New Clients for Couples and Youth 12+ and Adults navigating chronic pain, medical trauma, anxiety, esteem, and more
Currently Accepting New Clients for addiction, OCD, anxiety, relationship, self-esteem and more for adults and youth 15+
Currently Accepting New Clients for kids, youth and adults navigating crises, addiction, relationship challenges, health issues, and more
Currently Accepting New Clients for Youth 15+ and Adults navigating grief, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, perfectionism and more.
Amanda Nelson
Amanda is passionate about growth, big-picture ideas, and putting together strategic marketing plans for businesses that want to scale.
Amanda’s philosophy is to love what you do, to never say no to new opportunities without hearing them first, and to treat others as she would like to be treated.
She is forward-thinking and intuitive when it comes to what a business needs to level up its marketing game. Amanda is a single mother to a spunky boy, she is obsessed with plants (210+ houseplants), and loves relaxing at home after a fulfilling day of work.