Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Parksville, BC.

It is my view that each client comes to my door with a unique combination of gifts, strengths and challenges. My primary focus is to help you remember and connect with your innate wisdom and your innate strength and resiliency. Then find your unique way of entering in conversation with it so you may connect with what you intrinsically know, with the aim of connecting with, strengthening and activating your emotional immune system, that can then activate the healing of the wounds you may have suffered. Taking into account your most pressing needs and concerns, we will design and create together the kind of therapy that works best for you at The Centre For Expressive Therapy.

We live in a fast paced 24/7 world dealing with social media, technology and lots of things to worry about in the media. No wonder we are all a little anxious these days. I will help you change your relationship with your thoughts so they have less power and control over you. When we give in and avoid things due to anxiety we end up feeling pretty isolated. I will teach you tools and strategies to get through your stress and anxiety.

Olivia excels in helping clients navigate anxiety and stress, whether brought on by life’s natural demands, unexpected changes, or anticipated transitions. She understands how these challenges can impact emotional and physical well-being and offers a safe space for clients to process their experiences. Through counseling, Olivia provides practical coping mechanisms and strategies to help clients manage their stress and reduce anxiety effectively. Her approach emphasizes understanding the root causes of anxiety while equipping clients with tools to build resilience. Olivia’s compassionate guidance empowers clients to face life’s uncertainties with confidence and balance.

Anxiety and Stress are very common reactions in today's world. Life can feel overwhelming, and managing all the moving pieces is just too much. My approach to this is to find ways to de-stress and make sure that a client's stress load is not always hovering at the 'boiling over' line. Clients have reported that using certain techniques to approach stress has been useful while also navigating the underlying issues.

Prolonged stress and anxiety can result in impairment to our mental and physical health. We may experience high blood pressure, significant weight loss or gain, inability to concentrate or sleep, panic attacks, agitation and irritability. Overtime, these ailments can not only decrease our life satisfaction, but reduced our overall health. Don’t ignore the symptoms. Get help. Counselling can help you learn ways to cope, identify the underlying causes of your stress and explore ways to reduce stress and anxiety in your life.

Anxiety and stress are something everyone faces at times. When worry becomes overwhelming, however, it can affect the quality of your life. I offer simple easy-to-follow strategies for dealing with anxiety in the moment, and I can help you explore its deeper roots--childhood experiences, trauma, relationship issues, career problems, unexplored life-meaning, and others. I have advanced certification with the Anxiety Disorder Association of BC (AnxietyBC, through the UBC Psychology Department) and years of experience helping people. Cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and psychotherapy are some of the tools I can use to help you feel in control of your worries.

While our bodies are perfectly designed to adapt and react to stress, modern problems mean that we tend to detect life threatening dangers in very ordinary places. Conflicts at work, arguments in our relationships and uncertainties such as the post-Covid world activate old survival mechanisms. We may be stuck in the buzzing, fear states of ‘fight-flight’ or the numb and paralyzed states of ‘freeze and shut down.’ The good news is that I have a long history of safely and successfully helping individuals and couples to reduce and release stress using a variety of CBT and mindfulness techniques, as well as trauma-informed therapy. You have my commitment to compassionate and educated care.

If you're struggling with anxious thoughts, you may find it hard to focus. The fight or flight alarm is going off in your brain, constantly sending you messages starting with "what if...." If worrying is keeping you trapped in a hamster wheel, tired, but unable to rest, you may find yourself turning to addictive substances or behaviours to cope. As an addiction counsellor, I help clients cope with the anxious thoughts keeping them trapped in addictive behaviours. By uncovering these underlying thoughts, I help you develop coping skills so you can gain a sense of focus, clarity, confidence, and freedom from constantly overthinking. Send me a message and I'll guide you through the next steps.

Dealing with anxiety and stress can feel overwhelming. Day-to-day tasks can be overwhelming. In our sessions, we'll employ evidence-based techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help you identify triggers and thought patterns, giving you practical tools to manage your anxiety. The road to a calmer mind may have its ups and downs, but please know that you're not alone on this journey. With consistent effort and support, you can regain a sense of control and peace in your life.

Anxiety can be debilitating. Uncovering the underlying causes for the worries and fears then learning how to relax will help control your anxiety levels, stop worrisome thoughts, and conquer your fears. Developing more positive coping and problem solving skills will provide you with life long tools for managing unexpected situations. Realizing it is your thoughts and their perceptions, not the external event, that affects the way you feel and react, will allow you to replace the negative reaction with positive ones. Stress can be managed by taking control. Prioritize, identify the major source then each additional one then follow through with changes remembering you are in control.