BA Psych Honours Student- Applied for Grad School and feeling discouraged

Hi guys, mostly just venting but could also use some advice.

I completed my honours degree in psychology recently with a 3.88 GPA. My last year was extremely challenging as I experienced a tragic, unexpected loss of a family member 3 months before the end of my last semester in school. I was able to overcome a lot and kick ass. I am currently in the process of publishing my honours thesis and I work now as a youth counsellor in a treatment program for troubled kids.

I applied for grad school for both school and applied psyc and counselling psyc last year and had a lot less qualifications than I do now, and I was denied. I have really done 100% to improve my CV academically and experience-wise since then (getting a job in counselling, publishing, doing academic presentations). Regardless of what I do, I am feeling extremely discouraged. Last year I heard that there were 8 spots and 450 people applied. No matter what I accomplish, I feel that with the overwhelming amount of applications, there must be candidates that are better. I am feeling that my years and years of hard work and commitment were for unreachable goals, despite doing everything in my power. I am preparing myself for the big "no, try again next year," even though I won't know for sure until this spring. It has really weighed on me greatly for the past few days and I'm hoping that there are some current graduate students on here that may be able to provide me with some information that may help me know where I stand application-wise. Also, any information on the application process, whether or not there is an interview, when will I know, etc, would be really appreciated.

TIA