ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

How Individual Psychotherapy Helps You Feel Better, Function Better, and Connect More Authentically

At North Star Therapy we specialize in working with clients who are struggling with their mood and anxiety.  Anxiety and depression can take a heavy toll—on your energy, your relationships, your self-esteem, and your ability to enjoy life. Some days may feel like you’re just trying to get through, while others are clouded by racing thoughts, fatigue, hopelessness, or a sense of disconnection from yourself and others.

You may find yourself asking:
Why do I feel this way? Why can’t I shake this? Will it always be like this?

Individual psychotherapy offers a space where these questions can be gently explored—and where healing can begin. Therapy doesn’t offer quick fixes, but it does provide something deeply powerful: support, understanding, and a path forward.

woman sitting on a chair experiencing anxiety

The Experience of Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety and depression can show up in many different ways. You might recognize yourself in some of these:

Anxiety may look like:

  • Constant overthinking, worry, or panic

  • Difficulty sleeping or relaxing

  • Perfectionism and fear of failure

  • Feeling easily overwhelmed

  • Physical symptoms like tension or nausea

Depression may look like:

  • Persistent sadness or emotional numbness

  • Loss of interest in things you once enjoyed

  • Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

  • Self-critical thoughts and low self-worth

  • Feeling isolated, unmotivated, or hopeless

These experiences are common, but that doesn’t make them any less painful. And they are not a reflection of weakness or failure. Often, they are signals from your emotional world that something inside needs care, clarity, or connection.

young woman on a video call smiling

How Psychotherapy Helps You Cope, Heal, and Grow

In individual psychotherapy, we work together to address the roots of your anxiety or depression—not just manage symptoms, but understand and transform what’s fuelling them. This work isn’t just about “feeling better,” although that’s part of it—it’s also about helping you feel more like yourself: grounded, confident, connected, and emotionally resilient.

Therapy can help you:

  • Understand the emotional patterns driving your anxiety or depression

  • Identify and shift negative thought cycles or inner criticism

  • Develop healthier ways of coping with stress and difficult emotions

  • Reconnect with your needs, values, and sense of purpose

  • Strengthen relationships and improve communication

  • Build confidence, motivation, resilience and self-compassion

Integrative Support: How Our Therapeutic Approach Helps

At North Star Therapy we use a blend of evidence-based, relational approaches that allow us to tailor therapy to your unique needs and emotional style, such as:

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS)

    Many people with anxiety or depression have inner parts that are in conflict—one part may be trying to keep everything under control, while another part carries emotional pain or shame. IFS helps us get to know and care for these parts, leading to more internal harmony and less emotional reactivity. You’ll begin to relate to yourself with more curiosity, less judgment, and a greater sense of inner balance.

  • Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)

    When emotions feel overwhelming—or completely shut down—it’s hard to make sense of what’s going on. EFT helps you safely access, understand, and move through emotional experiences. You’ll learn how to tolerate discomfort without becoming overwhelmed and how to express your emotions in ways that feel healing and empowering.

  • Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)

    Our relationships shape our mental health—and vice versa. IPT helps explore how your relational patterns may be contributing to distress, and supports healthier, more satisfying connections. This is especially helpful if you tend to withdraw, feel misunderstood, or struggle with conflict or attachment.

  • Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

    Sometimes anxiety or depression has roots in earlier life experiences or unconscious patterns. Through gentle, reflective work, psychodynamic therapy helps bring insight into why certain feelings or behaviours keep showing up. With understanding comes the freedom to choose something new.

Feeling Better, Functioning Better, Living Better

You don’t have to stay stuck in cycles of worry, exhaustion, or self-doubt. With support, it’s possible to experience more emotional ease, regain your sense of agency, and feel more like you again—clearer, more grounded, and connected to what really matters.

Therapy is a place to feel heard and understood, but also a place to grow. With time, many clients notice:

  • Fewer emotional ups and downs

  • More confidence in navigating stress or uncertainty

  • Increased energy and focus

  • Healthier relationships and communication

  • Greater emotional resilience and self-trust

You deserve to feel supported and whole—no matter where you're starting from.
If you're ready to take the first step toward healing from anxiety or depression, we’re here to help.