Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in View Royal, BC.

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.

I use therapeutic insights and my own experience to guide you. If stress and anxiety paralyses you and is hurting those you love, and you don't know what to do, professional assistance is called for. Feelings of anxiety result from our reality and how we look at this reality. Our perspective is shaped by our experience and thinking. By understanding emotionally why you are where you are and why you feel about this the way you will be helpful. By keeping judgment at bay, the emotional space for other insights and options that can help you manage your anxiety better and to discover what you need to do to move beyond your anxiety, will develop.

As we explore anxiety and stress together, we’ll cultivate curiosity about where these feelings come from while learning practical tools to self-regulate and build resilience. My approach empowers you with coping strategies tailored to your needs, helping you navigate life’s challenges with greater calm, confidence, and balance for lasting well-being.

Anxiety can feel overwhelming, persistent and disruptive to the life you're wanting. Gravitate Counselling Inc. has five Registered Clinical Counsellors in British Columbia who offer counselling to help ease the impact of anxiety. We can help you identify what creates anxiety, understand how it impacts you, learn new coping skills and strategies, and make changes in your life to decrease how often and how intensely you experience anxiety. We can also help with stress-related concerns, including counselling for parenting and caregiving stress, work-related stress, burnout, and health issues.

Stress & anxiety can feel awful. They can interfere with our ability to access joy, relate to others, and engage in life to the fullest. When there is no relief, depression, burnout & illness can ensue. Help is available though. Whether your are experiencing worry & rumination, intrusive thoughts & obsessive-compulsive behaviours, PTSD, anxious feelings & panic attacks, or a need to control self or others in order to feel safe, I can help you to reduce your symptoms while bringing awareness to the underlying causes. Depending on your needs, my approach to draws on Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), somatic techniques, and psychodynamic psychotherapy.

I am honoured that you are interested in my services and I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. I have been described as slightly non-conventional in the counselling world, which suits me perfectly, and also tends to suit youth who are trying to stand up to the force of the problems in their life. I am very comfortable working with this population, and I feel fortunate that I can connect with teens the way I do, conventionally or in a way that makes sense to them.

You are not alone. Whether you are anxious in social situations, suffering from PTSD, OCD, or panic disorders, or experiencing a generalized and on-going anxiety, you are not the only one! And you don't have to face it by yourself. At your own pace we will work at alleviating the physical symptoms like nausea, dizziness, chest pain, muscle tension, trembling and sweating. We will manage the manifestations of your anxiety, like isolation, irrational fears, or heart racing panic attacks. Discover helpful anxiety and stress, and why it is essential to our survival. Find peace in our carefully created therapeutic relationship, and recreate it in all parts of your life.

Anxiety comes in many forms. From generalized anxiety to phobias to panic, I use a blended CBT and Jungian approach to understand your symptoms, why they are happening in your current life, and help you manage symptoms. Anxiety counselling is my specialization and I have worked in the area for over 10 years. You can find a video about Understanding Anxiety on my website scottkouri.com

Anxiety and stress can feel relentless and all consuming, racing thoughts, muscle tension, difficulty sleeping, irritability, or a constant sense of being “on edge.” Over time, anxiety and stress can impact relationships, work performance, and overall well-being. Whether anxiety shows up as perfectionism, people-pleasing, panic symptoms, or constant mental noise, Renee creates a supportive space to slow down and regain clarity. The focus is not only on symptom relief, but on building resilience, strengthening boundaries, and restoring a sense of balance and confidence in daily life.

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.

Dr. Sloat feels we live in a world that overstimulates us, and thus stress and anxiety are sometimes unavoidable, especially for the sensitive among us. She takes a triple approach to treatment in that it is, 1) aimed at teaching strategies and tools for dealing with anxiety and stress as we experience them, 2) geared toward challenging thoughts and beliefs that are anxiety and/or stress producing in themselves, and 3) facilitates management of one's lifestyle such that it becomes balanced.

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.

Shelley teaches her clients how to cope with stress and anxiety through Mindfulness, Compassion, and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Understanding the underlying fears that trigger their anxiety, can help clients become more aware of their negative thought patterns. Reframing those negative thoughts and unhealthy core beliefs can help clients to feel more in charge of their life as they experience their world more realistically. Shelley teaches valuable skills to help clients regulate and calm their anxiety by relaxation and visualisation techniques. Shelley's keen ability to attune to her clients with compassion and empathy as well as teaching skills is her gift that leads to her success.