Anxiety
Are You Dealing With Overwhelming Stress And Anxiety?
Do you often experience intrusive thoughts or negative emotions that you can’t seem to get out of your head? Is a constant sense of worry making you feel defeated, overwhelmed or always on-edge? Do you have difficulty sleeping, focusing at work or finding the motivation to engage in the activities that once gave you joy?
Anxiety doesn’t discriminate against who it affects. You might be a professional who comes home exhausted and doesn’t want to talk to or interact with anyone. In time, the stress and anxiety begin to take a toll on relationships, your quality of work and your overall energy levels. Or you could be an individual who feels so hounded by a constant, pervading sense of dread that it just makes you want to go to sleep and forget everything.
I know that for anyone suffering from anxiety, it can be difficult to believe that things can change for the better, especially if you have tried overcoming anxiety on your own without success. But with your commitment and my guidance, you can equip yourself with unique insight, skills and strategies for managing anxiety and reacting to life’s challenges constructively.
Anxiety Is A Major Worldwide Health Concern
Every human being has a natural, internal system that recognizes and helps us avoid danger. Unfortunately, the same neurological mechanism that is meant to protect us can sometimes misfire or go into overdrive, creating the perception of a threat where there is none. Over time, this heightened sensitivity and hypervigilance can begin to affect our thoughts, actions and emotions—ultimately giving way to anxiety.
But you don’t have to feel like you are alone. Anxiety disorders account for the number one cause of disability throughout the world, affecting 1 in 13 people globally.*
As adults, we are expected to be high-achievers, excel in our careers, be likable and go go go all the time without breaking a sweat. It’s exhausting, and the unrealistic expectations that we place—or have had placed—on ourselves can create the perfect scenario for anxiety to set in.
Fortunately, with my help, I can show you how to prioritize your self-care, remove yourself from the immediate situation and gain an impartial perspective of the obstacles that are holding you back. With a little guidance, you can reassess your priorities, gain valuable insight into how anxiety works and find practical solutions for managing stressors.
How Can Anxiety Therapy Help You Move Forward?
Therapy gives you a real chance to truly know your mind, your body and how fear and stress impact those parts of you. It can also provide you with powerful support and guidance during times of emotionally challenging self-growth. But most importantly, I can offer you an impartial perspective and a step-by-step approach to managing anxiety, moving forward and becoming your own therapist for future challenges.
I believe that the therapeutic relationship between a client and their therapist is the primary driving force behind sustainable healing. So, first and foremost, I want to make sure that we connect and that you feel safe and comfortable enough to let your guard down and embrace the opportunity to grow.
Once you feel secure and ready, we can begin exploring your current situation, looking at how anxiety is holding you back. I may ask about your work, social life, relationships or possible past experiences with therapy—anything that helps direct the healing process. Similarly, we may also examine your personal background, family history or any traumatic events that may be at the root of your anxiety.
I offer both a solution-focused and client-centred approach to healing that allows me to be flexible in how I treat my clients. That means I can help you develop the skills and awareness needed to manage anxiety while working together to find practical solutions for immediate problems. To that end, I also offer a very interactive, collaborative healing experience. Often that involves guided meditation, mindfulness practice and muscle relaxation exercises to help keep you grounded and in control in the face of fear or adversity. I also love to use imagery, drawing and kinesthetics to teach and inform my clients about how anxiety affects the mind and body.
One of the primary tools I use for treating anxiety is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT enables you to change the way you think and interact with the world by challenging negative, harmful beliefs you may have adopted in the past. Alternatively, Eye Movement Integration (EMI) therapy allows you to separate yourself from the immediate urgency and emotional burden of a traumatic event through guided eye movements. And Impact Therapy is a very unique approach to counselling that acknowledges differences in learning and healing by creating a multi-sensory experience that goes beyond verbal expression.
Our bodies are wonderfully designed to use anxiety to our benefit, and it’s an important part of who we are. Unfortunately, most of us were not taught how to use that energy in a way that enlightens and helps us grow. But with my help, you can learn how to know your body better, regulate your response to stressors and empower yourself to manage anxiety and overcome any future obstacles that get in your way.
Perhaps you are considering anxiety therapy but still have some questions or concerns…
My life is just too busy for anxiety counselling.
Oftentimes, simply being too busy to care for yourself can allow stress and fatigue to develop into anxiety, so therapy can be a powerful form of preventative maintenance. Plus, taking care of yourself now can free up time that you are likely spending second-guessing your thoughts or avoiding opportunities for personal, professional and relational growth. But I understand that it can still be difficult to find time and I want you to get the best care possible, which is why I offer flexible scheduling as well as online anxiety therapy.
I’ve tried unsuccessfully to treat myself, so I feel weak for asking for help.
When a person is under duress, their ability to see things objectively and make decisions with clarity becomes clouded. It’s just the nature of anxiety. So don’t feel bad if you have tried on your own without success. Reaching out for help isn’t a sign of weakness; rather, it is a sign of greater self-awareness, wisdom and hope that things can change. With the right guidance and support, you can transform those positive qualities into strength, resilience and the ability to live with confidence.
I’ve been to counselling before, so how will this be any different?
One of the things we will explore in sessions is any past history with therapy and/or medication. By understanding what worked and what didn’t, we can build upon the positive aspects of past therapeutic experiences while targeting new ways of healing that truly speak to you.
I also have many tools and resources at my disposal, including mindfulness skills, emotional regulation techniques, imagery-based, non-verbal communication methods and several other research-driven modalities. So whatever you are going through, I am confident that we can develop an effective treatment strategy that is unique to your needs.
Anxiety Doesn’t Have To Dictate Your Life
If you would like to take control of your anxiety symptoms and free yourself to be happier and healthier, I would be honoured to give you the support you need. Please call 613 730 9634 for your free 15-minute consultation to see how my approach to anxiety counselling may be able to help you.
***PLEASE NOTE, I DO NOT TAKE ANY NEW CLIENTS AT THIS TIME***
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