ADULT
Our psychological well-being influences every aspect of our lives, including our relationships, work and leisure. Depression, anxiety, and interpersonal difficulties often result from challenging and overwhelming life experiences in which significant needs were unmet. These circumstances affect the way we think and feel about ourselves, others, and the world around us. As a result, we can lose touch with our emotions, needs, and desires and have greater difficulty relating to others.
Adults seeking therapy report a wide variety of symptoms, express concerns about problematic behaviours regarding how they relate to themselves and to others, and indicate the presence of unwanted negative thoughts and feelings. Some adults suffer from a negative sense of self-worth, low self-esteem, and feelings of incompetence. At other times they may carry a negative sense of others as undependable, unreliable, and untrustworthy.
Life may sometimes feel like a symphony of losses. Loss of important people in one's life and feeling alienated from one's self is usually accompanied by feelings of sadness and grief; but for some, these feelings go unrecognized. Making sense of one’s world in the aftermath of relationship breakdown often involves a cascade of emotional reactions as one begins to put together a new life.
Some individuals will seek out therapy to resolve distressing feelings, emotions, and thoughts about past circumstances. They may seek to resolve long-standing difficulties stemming from childhood emotional and physical neglect and/or emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. Deprivation of childhood needs and abuse are associated with many psychological symptoms, including difficulty managing one’s emotions, loss of self-esteem, interpersonal problems, and problematic behaviours.
Others may seek therapy as a result of difficult traumatic life experiences, for example, diagnosis of serious chronic or terminal illness, an accident, sexual assault and other acts of violence, or some other unpredictable and unanticipated life event that shatters one’s sense of self.
As human beings grow older, it is common to become increasingly preoccupied by the meaning and purpose of one’s life, to begin questioning one’s past and present relationships, and to reflect on past and current life decisions.
Some individuals will seek out therapy to resolve distressing feelings, emotions, and thoughts about past circumstances. They may seek to resolve long-standing difficulties stemming from childhood emotional and physical neglect and/or emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. Deprivation of childhood needs and abuse are associated with many psychological symptoms, including difficulty managing one’s emotions, loss of self-esteem, interpersonal problems, and problematic behaviours.
Others may seek therapy as a result of difficult traumatic life experiences, for example, diagnosis of serious chronic or terminal illness, an accident, sexual assault and other acts of violence, or some other unpredictable and unanticipated life event that shatters one’s sense of self.
Depression and anxiety are sometimes caused by the unpredictable disruption(s) one experiences in everyday life, particularly when these experiences are frightening, isolating, and leave one feeling helpless.
Psychotherapy may be helpful if you have or are experiencing any of the following symptoms below:
Psychotherapy may be helpful if you have or are experiencing any of the following symptoms below:
- Difficult and shifting moods
- Problematic thoughts, depressed feelings, distressing emotions and behaviours
- Excessive fears or worries about the past, present, and future that disrupt quality of life
- High anxiety and panic
- Overwhelming and prolonged feelings of hopelessness, sadness, anger, hurt, guilt or shame
- Prolonged feelings of emptiness and boredom
- Fears of abandonment and rejection
- Obsessive thoughts and repetitive, ritualistic behaviours
- Functioning in relationships and at work is impaired
- Strained interpersonal relationships with partner, family, friends and co-workers
- Flashbacks and nightmares
- Loss of time, dissociation, and a sense of unreality
- Self-destructive behaviours (i.e., alcohol, drugs)
- Overly argumentative and aggressive
- Difficulties with body image and identity
- Eating and sleeping related issues
- Unsatisfying or abusive relationships
- Unresolved childhood physical, emotional, and sexual abuse
- Fears of death, wasting one’s life
- A lack of joy and pleasure, blocked creativity
- Unresolved or complicated grief upon death of or separation from a loved one
- Crises of meaning and purpose
- Lacking initiation and motivation in life
- Difficulties adapting to chronic or terminal illness diagnoses
- Cultural adaptation difficulties
CFIR therapists offer a safe, confidential, and non-judgmental therapeutic relationship to facilitate exploration and resolution of distressing feelings, emotional reactions, and problematic thoughts and behaviours. We support you in transforming difficult self and relationship patterns that have been negatively impacting your life to move yourself beyond these roadblocks.