Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Western Springs, IL.

Anxiety is an obstacle that keeps people from moving towards their goals and dreams. Anxiety hinders relationships, career opportunities, dreams, and keeps people from being successful. I believe in order to get through anxieties one must change their "yes but" language to "yes and" so that opportunities begin to present themselves. The biggest regrets in life are generally now what we have done, but what we didn't do. I believe it is never too late to do the next right thing. Using evidence based modalities of CBT, ACT, and DBT interventions, I can assist you in moving past the anxiety and back to the life you desire.

In anxiety and stress treatment, the first goal is to reduce your discomfort. Anxiety and Stress cause real physiological symptoms; a day of anxiety can result in feeling emotionally and physically exhausted. By addressing the events that trigger you, negative thoughts and reactive behaviors that are intertwined anxiety and stress, you can expect a quick reduction of symptoms while making pathways to new positive behaviors and reactions. Longer term, you'll learn to be aware of your triggers and stop anxiety before it starts; you'll work to achieve inner peace and reduce your stress with new self-care actions.

Anxiety is an intruder! It interferes in an individual's daily life and interpersonal relationships. My approach to anxiety is straightforward: "Either you manage anxiety or it will manage you." The good news is that with knowledge about anxiety and the right tools you can manage this intruder. I teach my clients about the two primary responses to anxiety (one good and the other not good) and give them the strategies and management tools they need to keep this intruder from ruling their thoughts, feelings and behaviors.

I view anxiety as a tender signal—your mind and body’s way of trying to keep you safe in a world that can sometimes feel overwhelming. Rather than pushing it away, we’ll gently turn toward it with curiosity and compassion. In our work together, you’ll find a safe, steady space to slow down, breathe, and untangle what anxiety is truly asking of you. With warmth and care, we’ll work toward calm, clarity, and deeper inner trust.

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.

My approach to anxiety and stress counseling focuses on providing a safe and empathetic environment where clients can explore their experiences and identify underlying patterns. I utilize a blend of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness techniques to help clients gain practical tools for managing anxious thoughts and overwhelming stress. By fostering self-awareness and developing effective coping strategies, clients learn to respond to challenges with resilience and calm. My goal is to empower clients to build confidence, improve daily functioning, and enhance overall well-being through personalized and evidence-based treatment.

Everyone feels anxiety at some point in their lives but when it starts to interfere with your life, counseling can help. Although anxiety can feel debilitating, it is treatable. People with anxiety don’t always share the same symptoms, they vary from person to person. Therapy will help you to reclaim your life and function in a chronically stressful world.

Today's world brings many stressors into our lives. I would encourage the individual to discuss their stressors, and assist them in learning positive coping strategies. Sometimes it is difficult to make these changes after years of habits, but I would stress the benefits of change. I would encourage the individual not to have such impossible standards for their behavior, which often leads to stress and anxiety. I have found that many individuals who are supportive of their friends often over extend themselves, so I would also encourage healthy boundaries.

Similar in approach to the treatment of depression, I take a holistic approach to the treatment of anxiety and stress disorders. I seek to restore function and break the momentum cause by ineffective habits that were created as a knee-jerk way of responding to anxiety symptoms. The instinct to try to control our emotional experience is strong and understandable, but often creates difficulties that make anxiety symptoms more entrenched and difficult to treat. Learning techniques of relaxation and mindfulness are instrumental in the effective treatment of anxiety symptoms and regaining the kind of balance lost in the unrestrained experience of anxiety symptoms.

Some of the benefits in seeking therapy for anxiety and stress: Ability to reduce physical symptoms that come along with anxiety Learning coping skills to use as soon as you start feeling the anxiety or even mid panic attack Learning various relaxation techniques to over come stress Learn various types of meditation to relax the body Learn various types of breathwork to calm the nervous system

Anxiety and stress counseling benefit by sorting through those parts of your life that are unsettling or overwhelming. Anxiety is based on fears, whether conscious or unconscious that counseling discusses in order to understand, problem solve and make peace with. I also teach Breathing lessons to reduce stress from my practice as a yoga teacher.

Clients seeking therapy for anxiety and stress can benefit from cognitive treatment which aims at changing thinking patterns to ease symptoms and promote positive insight. With cognitive therapy, you will learn to model healthier behaviors and ways of thinking to help change the perception of issues/situations that cause anxiety and stress. The goal of this therapy is for you to gain the ability to differentiate negative or overwhelming thoughts from healthy thoughts to prevent future self-depreciating feelings. Therapy can also help you to assess your need for any anti-anxiety medication to assist with symptom reduction.

Do you long for relationships with others but are afraid to take risks because of how you might be perceived? Do you avoid people, places or experiences? Is your life feeling more constrained and difficult to enjoy things you once experienced. If so you may be dealing with something commonly known as an Anxiety Disorder. Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time. It is a normal feeling that we are born with to keep us safe from danger. The problem is when anxiety levels b/c elevated it can be very debilitating and keep people from a full life. Approximately 25% of the population experiences elevated levels of anxiety and there is help. Contact us to set up a consultation.