Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Vancouver, BC.

I primarily work with anxiety from an EMDR/body-based perspective. Anxiety is a very "old" physiological response, in that there are parts of anxiety that are unconscious rather than "cognitive." I typically find that if we only attend to the cognitive side of anxiety, the physiological parts, such as body memory and activation, will find somewhere else to pop up. By working on the physical activation, we can better address and move through the anxiety.

Anxiety and stress can leave you feeling constantly on edge, overwhelmed, trapped in overthinking, or unable to fully relax. You may find yourself worrying about the future, replaying past conversations, struggling to set boundaries, or feeling disconnected from your own needs. In therapy, we'll work to understand the underlying emotions and protective patterns driving your anxiety while paying attention to how stress is showing up in your body. Using a blend of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and somatic approaches, you'll learn to relate to yourself with greater compassion, feel more grounded, and develop lasting tools to navigate life's challenges with greater ease and confidence.

When working with clients experiencing stress and anxiety, I often draw on both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) approaches. CBT helps us identify and challenge the unhelpful thoughts and beliefs that fuel stress and anxiety, replacing them with more balanced and supportive ones. DBT complements this by focusing on building skills like emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and mindfulness, which can help clients manage the intense feelings and reactions often tied to stress and anxiety. By integrating these approaches, I aim to support clients in developing healthier coping strategies and fostering a greater sense of calm & control in their lives

Anxiety and stress counseling offers individuals practical tools and emotional support to manage overwhelming feelings and regain a sense of balance and well-being. Evidence-based techniques such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), relaxation exercises, and mindfulness practices are utilized to help clients identify and challenge anxious thoughts, regulate physiological responses, and develop coping strategies. Through collaborative goal-setting and validation, counseling empowers individuals to build resilience, enhance self-care practices, and cultivate a greater sense of calm and mastery in navigating life's challenges.

Chronic stress and anxiety when untreated can make just 'regular human function' feel like an unsurmountable task. Anxiety tends to be a downstream symptom of other psychological dynamics and experiences, so understanding how we got here can help us process their impact and develop tools to increase resiliency, improve insight, and manage feelings and emotions.

I specialize in supporting neurodivergent and diverse clients in managing anxiety, traumatic stress, workplace stress, and academic stress. My approach to stress management and anxiety support is as diversified as your needs are unique. Together, we will review your current stressors and coping strategies, identify what works well, what needs to be tweaked, and what other types of strategies you'd like to develop. In order to help you manage anxiety, I will encourage you to engage your thoughts, your feelings, your creativity and your body in the process. Let's aim for more than a reduction of symptoms: let's see how good your life can get and how far you can come!

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.

While most treatment approaches for anxiety and stress are effective on the surface, they don’t treat the real problem. Mantras, deep breathing, and rational dialogues about your fear being irrational rarely work---for most people don’t believe it or you! Imagine if you can trick the brain into changing without you telling your conscious mind that you are changing it? Problem with anxiety and stress is that the brain in this state knows you want to change it and it resists. Contact Kevin@kevinflemingphd.com for the ultimate stress and anxiety solution that will literally change your brain's autonomic nervous system patterns while you sit on your butt. 877-606-6161.

Anxiety and stress impact our sleep, physical health, and our ability to be fully present in our lives. Stress acts as a ‘check engine’ light to let us know something in our environment needs to be addressed. We cannot eliminate stress without attending to our stressors. Some people find a moderate amount of anxiety gives them the umph they need to get things done. Ultimately, we want to feel good in our bodies, and be fully present, without the shadow of worry at every turn. What are these emotions trying to tell us? Getting to their roots gives us the information we need to make healthy adjustments in our lives, so the ‘check engine’ lights can turn back off.

Anxiety and Stress are a part of our human experience as we navigate so much that is out of our control and unpredictable in life. Some anxiety and stress is helpful in navigating difficult moments in life. We want to be able to move through life with an awareness of how the anxiety and stress is helping us and how it is also covering deeper emotions that need to be addressed. Through body psychotherapy we can connect more deeply to ourselves and the emotions stored in our bodies and use tools and exercises to regulate the anxiety and stress while processing the deeper emotions. The anxiety and stress dissipates as we become more comfortable with our deeper emotions and we begin to thrive.

Anxiety and stress are natural life experiences. Concern arises when anxiety interferes with a person's ability to carry out daily life responsibilities and/or when a panic attack occurs unexpectedly. Therapeutic intervention is then essential to manage the associated symptoms. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is generally the Gold Seal modality, albeit, a number of others interventions are suitable. Psycho-education is important to help the client understand the difference between fear and anxiety. It is also important to provide home exercises such as breathing activities, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation and other self guided exercises.

Anxiety and stress can feel overwhelming, exhausting, or difficult to explain, especially when your mind and body seem stuck in overdrive. My approach is warm, practical, and research-informed, drawing from CBT, attachment theory, family systems, and trauma-informed therapy. I help clients understand the patterns, beliefs, triggers, and nervous system responses that may be contributing to anxiety or stress. Together, we put words to what is happening beneath the surface, explore where certain fears or coping strategies began, and build practical tools for regulation, boundaries, confidence, and change.

Anxiety, panic, and stress often show up as tension or unpleasant physical sensations in the body as fear and other emotions are held back. Trauma, relationship problems, losses, and attachment issues are often the hidden source of emotional pain. To resolve anxiety and panic, I use a mind-body approach which integrates cognitive, emotional, and body sensing techniques to get curious about and resolve the true underlying issues.