Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Vancouver, BC.

We live in anxious and stressful times. Although anxiety is an expected and adaptive reaction to stress, it can become a problem when it limits our ability to work, socialize, and enjoy life. The good news is we know that evidenced-based techniques can significantly reduce anxiety and help cope with stress. Our reactions to stress can impact all areas of life including work, relationships, and general well-being. I want to help you manage the current stress in your life, and develop resilience to make it easier to rebound from future challenges.

Stress and anxiety are part of life and can be positive forces that motivate and excite us. Yet the demands of work, family and other relationships can overwhelm our normal capacity to cope. I work with clients to create a supportive place to explore and clarify key issues that contribute to current stress and fear, while coaching through strategies to actively manage symptoms. The goal is to promote self-awareness, develop confidence in strategies to manage the overwhelming feelings, and feel more resilient.

You might be familiar with that tense, unsettled feeling that you can't shake. The overthinking, ruminating, and worrying. It's so hard to be present and engaged when we suffer with anxiety! Anxiety is the #1 reason people seek out my services. I can help you get to the roots of your anxiety (hint: it's not ONLY about disputing your irrational thoughts) so that you feel more grounded and alive. Through their work with me, my clients have reported that they are more socially engaged, less in their heads, more in tune with their bodies, and better able to attend to the underlying emotions and needs underlying the anxiety. I look forward to supporting you in moving beyond your anxiety.

Our focus is to support individuals who are struggling with anxiety and stress to a more relaxed and manageable way of being. Not only is stress and anxiety hard on our health and energy, but it also can have a significant impact on our world around us. We will work in a collaborative manor to break apart the building blocks that have contributed to the imbalance of anxiety and stress in your life, and empower you with the tools and techniques to remain in balance.

Stress and Anxiety is perhaps the top concern that everyone has as a part of life. Not everyone has the tools to manage the rapidly changing journey of life thus we seek out counselling to light our way, at least for the moment. In order to "cure" anxiety, you must first know what it is. Together, we will learn about what it is, how it supports you, and what you can do with it to maximize its benefits and limit its restrictions on your life. We can make anxiety "leave you alone" and make sure it only does its job and not take you for a ride. The key is to know which type of anxiety you are encountering and manage it that way.

Do you suffer from Social Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, or another form of anxiety? I use a combination of approaches to support your efforts to reduce your distress, creating relief and hope. My therapeutic approach includes using the tools of Cognitive Behavior Therapy, a highly effective clinically proven short term approach, along with Mindfulness Therapy and Relaxation techniques. I also work to provide a warm, intuitive environment where you will feel safe to explore and process the roots of your pain as you learn new skills that can bring a sense of safety, relaxation and well being to your life.

Most of us suffer from anxiety and stress at some point in our lives. And we live with it. What if we didn't have to live with it? What if there was a way to alleviate it from our lives? What if it was a choice? Most of the stress and anxiety in our lives comes from our perspective of what is happening in our lives. This perspective is coming from us, and therefore it is possible to change it. I help clients do this through cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness, meditation and other methods that enable them to become much more aware of their thoughts and the choices they have to think differently. There is no need to suffer. There is another way!

Anxiety can result in very physically uncomfortable feelings, be accompanied by destructive thoughts, or stir up intense emotions. Whatever ways your anxieties may show up, it can feel like a storm is taking over, or like a grinding marathon of tension. These uncomfortable, anxious feelings can have a huge influence on the decisions you make in your life. It may even feel like you are not making deliberate choices, but instead are just trying to get through one challenging, anxiety-riddled day at a time. It can be very exhausting! The goal of therapy is to shift you to a place where YOU are making the decisions in your life, not your anxious feelings. Read more on my website.

Anxiety and stress are not reserved for the adults of our world. Many children experience the debilitating effects of negative stress at home, school and socially. While positive stress is essential to get us moving every day, too much negative stress may lead to physical and emotional distress. Increases in career demands, job loss, marital issues, the loss of a loved one, a new relationship, a recent move, scholastic demands, bullying, the birth of a child or caring for ill or elderly family members may elevate one's stress level to the unmanageable. Together, we will endeavor to help you (or your child) manage and overcome the effects of negative stress with effective tools.

We cannot escape anxiety and stress as they are an inevitable part of modern life, but we can manage them within our personal tolerance thresholds. Mindfulness is the first thing that I help clients master and bring into their daily life. Mindfulness or focused attention exercises can help us get in touch with our body and monitor our own feelings; it will help us self-soothe and cope with anxiety and stress. A few additions to daily routine are enough, e.g.: taking an extra minute in the shower, listening to sounds in the environment, paying attention to physical sensations in alteration with our inner sensations; accepting any thoughts and feelings allowing them to come and pass. It works!

Anxiety and stress is the body’s natural response to danger, an automatic alarm that goes off when we feel threatened. But when anxiety is constant or overwhelming, when it interferes with your relationships and activities—that’s when you’ve crossed the line from normal anxiety into the territory of anxiety disorders. As a product of the body’s fight-or-flight response, anxiety involves a wide range of physical symptoms. Many people experiencing anxiety benefit from supportive counselling or couples or family therapy. However, experts agree that the most effective form of treatment for the is cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT).

Most of my clients over the past twenty plus years have dealt with some form of anxiety and stress. There are many helpful approaches to managing these such as mindfulness and breath awareness, but I have found that often the greatest healing comes from learning to trust one's self and the process of life. Listening to one's deepest self and learning to express one's truth verbally or creatively, may also help the person transform their anxiety and live with greater energy and joy. As with most issues, each individual is unique, as is the approach that is called for.

A life, free from worry, stress, and anxiety- this is what we want for you. What is occurring in your life experience? How are you thinking? How are you feeling? What worries you? These are questions that we may start with in a therapy session together that addresses anxiety and stress. We offer plenty of tools to help the anxious person change the way their brain is working. We want to cool down anxiety and stress, and learn acceptance and relaxation.