Depression Counselling in Montreal

Depression narrows life gradually. Motivation drops, routines thin out, and activities that used to hold attention lose their pull. What begins as a low period becomes a pattern of withdrawal, and the withdrawal itself keeps the mood low. By the time most people consider counselling, they have been managing this on their own for months.

I am a Canadian Certified Counsellor based in Westmount, working with clients in person and online across Montreal. The goal of depression counselling is practical: to identify what is maintaining the low mood, interrupt the cycle that keeps it in place, and rebuild the routines and engagement that depression takes apart.

How Depression Presents

Depression does not always look like sadness. It can present as numbness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, or a flat indifference toward things that used to matter. Some people continue performing at work and socially while feeling almost nothing. Others find that basic tasks now require deliberate effort: getting up, answering messages, starting anything at all.

It is worth distinguishing depression from sadness. Sadness is a response to something specific. It moves, it fluctuates, and it generally eases as circumstances change. Depression persists. It flattens responses to good events as well as bad ones, detaches from any single cause, and continues even when circumstances are objectively stable.

In men, depression often presents indirectly: irritability, a shorter temper, longer hours at work, more drinking, more time on screens, less contact with people. The low mood is there, but it is expressed as friction and withdrawal rather than visible sadness, which is one reason it goes unaddressed for so long.

Common signs include:

• Low mood or flatness persisting for weeks or longer
• Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities
• Irritability or a shorter temper than usual
• Increased self-criticism or hopeless thinking
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
• Withdrawal from social and professional responsibilities
• Changes in appetite, weight, or sleep
• Low energy, fatigue, or difficulty starting tasks
• Physical discomfort without a clear medical cause

The threshold is interference. If low mood is affecting your work, your sleep, your relationships, or your ability to start and finish ordinary tasks, and it has persisted for more than a few weeks, it warrants structured attention.

How Depression Counselling Works

Depression is self-reinforcing. Low energy leads to withdrawal. Withdrawal removes the activities that generate accomplishment, connection, and interest. With less of those, mood drops further, energy drops with it, and the cycle tightens. This is why the common strategies tend to fail: pushing through, waiting for it to lift, and resolving to try harder all rely on motivation, and depression suppresses motivation first.

One principle organizes much of the work: in depression, motivation follows action rather than preceding it. Waiting to feel like doing something means waiting for the depression to resolve before beginning to treat it. The work starts with activity that is small enough to complete and meaningful enough to register, and builds from there.

The first session is an assessment. We review your symptoms, history, sleep, current stressors, and what you have already tried, and establish how the depression operates: what has fallen away, what is maintaining the low mood, and where the leverage points are. From there we agree on a focused plan.

Ongoing sessions are structured and practical, drawing on cognitive and behavioural methods. The work typically includes three strands. First, routine and activity: a graduated return to the activities that generate accomplishment and contact, scheduled deliberately rather than left to motivation, with attention to sleep and daily structure. Second, thinking patterns: identifying the self-critical commentary and hopeless predictions that accompany low mood, and testing them against evidence rather than accepting them as accurate reporting. Third, sustaining change: recognizing early markers of decline, consolidating what works, and reducing session frequency as stability returns.

Between sessions you apply the work. Progress in depression counselling is built on small completed actions tracked over time, and most of the change happens outside the counselling room. We review what is working and adjust the approach if something is not producing results.

Sessions are available in person at my office in Westmount and online across Montreal.

Who This Service Is For

I work with adults whose low mood has begun to interfere with work, sleep, relationships, or daily functioning. Some are struggling visibly: performance has dropped, tasks are slipping, contact with people has thinned. Others are functioning outwardly while feeling flat, disengaged, and unable to say why. Both patterns respond to the same structured approach.

Many of my clients are men for whom depression has presented as irritability, withdrawal, or overwork rather than sadness, and who have spent a long time attributing it to stress or character. Some are new to counselling and arrive sceptical. That is a workable starting position. The process is transparent, the methods have a clear rationale, and progress is measured against observable change: tasks started and finished, contact re-established, sleep improving, the week requiring less effort to get through.

Counselling can proceed alongside medication or on its own. Decisions about medication rest with your physician, and the two approaches address different parts of the problem.

This service suits people who want a defined process with practical output. If you are looking for open-ended exploratory conversation, other approaches may be a better fit.

What to Expect from the Process

Depression makes it difficult to believe that things will improve, and that scepticism is part of the condition. You do not need to feel optimistic to start. You need to be willing to attend and to engage with the process between sessions, which is where most of the change occurs.

Timelines vary. Some clients notice measurable improvement within a few sessions once activity and routine begin returning. Depression that has recurred over years, or that is connected to ongoing circumstances, generally takes longer. There is no fixed program length. We review progress together and adjust session frequency as symptoms stabilize.

Schedule a Free 10-Minute Phone Consultation

Professional Background

Academic qualifications and professional memberships:

• Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy
• Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy
• Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC), Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association

Learn more about my background and qualifications.

Counselling That Fits in With Your Schedule

I’m available for appointments Monday to Friday from 8 am to 8 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm, either in-person at my office in Westmount, or online for your convenience.

You don’t need a referral to make an appointment. You can contact me directly by phone, email, or book a session through the website.

If you're not quite ready to book but would like to learn more or get a sense of how I work, I offer a free 10-minute consultation by phone.

Your First Appointment

In our first session, we’ll talk through the following:

• Your main concerns and what has brought you to therapy
• How these concerns are impacting your day-to-day life and relationships
• Your expectations, goals, and hopes for the work ahead

This initial session is also an opportunity for you to get a sense of how I work and to ask any questions you may have.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of depression do you work with?
I work with mild to moderate depression, persistent low mood, adjustment-related depression, and depressive symptoms linked to stress, burnout, or life transitions. If low mood is affecting your sleep, work, relationships, or decision-making, it is appropriate to address in counselling.

What approach do you use in depression counselling?
The work is structured and draws on cognitive and behavioural methods. Sessions focus on rebuilding routine and activity, examining the thought patterns that maintain low mood, and sustaining change over time. Skills are applied between sessions and progress is reviewed regularly.

Can I do counselling while taking antidepressants?
Yes. Counselling and medication are commonly combined, and they address different parts of the problem. Decisions about starting, adjusting, or stopping medication rest with your physician.

How often will we meet?
Most clients begin with weekly or bi-weekly sessions to build momentum and stabilize symptoms. Frequency is adjusted over time based on progress and what makes sense for your situation.

How long does depression counselling take?
This varies. Some clients see meaningful improvement in a relatively short period. Others benefit from longer-term work, particularly when depression has been a recurring pattern. We assess progress together and adjust accordingly.

Do you offer online sessions?
Yes. I offer in-person sessions at my office in Westmount and online across Montreal.

Do I need a referral?
No. You can book directly. A referral from a physician is not required for counselling services.

Do you issue insurance receipts?
Yes. I provide receipts that can be submitted to your insurance provider. Confirm directly with your insurer whether services from a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) are covered under your plan.

What is your cancellation policy?
I require 48 hours’ notice for cancellations or rescheduling. This allows the time slot to be offered to other clients.

Booking a Consultation

If low mood has become a pattern rather than a period, structured counselling is a practical next step. An initial conversation will clarify whether this service fits your situation.

To book a free 10-minute consultation, contact the practice at (514) 360-7205 or contact@pauljozsef.ca, or click the button below.

Schedule a Free 10-Minute Phone Consultation