Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Winfield, IL.

Anxiety and Stress are one of my primary specialties. Anxiety and stress can affect all aspects of your life. My approach to counseling is down to earth, supportive, and informative. I will help you gain insights and teach you new coping skills. My goal is to provide you relief from your suffering. Counseling is a proven way to help manage anxiety and stress. Seeking a new therapist can be stressful and anxiety provoking. I strive to make the process as frustration free as possible. If you have any questions before making an appointment I would be more than happy to answer them.

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 fear comes in many forms yet stems from living a life in the future not the present. Walking through what the fear might be helps the client become strong face what life in the present has in store for them. Focusing not he here and now eliminates many fears and anxieties. Understanding if brain chemistry is playing a significant role in the intense sometimes out of control emotions will need to be determined before effective psychotherapy can be utilized.

Anxiety can be like a feedback loop that repeatedly criticizes you. It can show up as irritability and feeling like you’re on edge all the time. It can present as panic and you feel like you’ll never stop feeling anxious. Maybe you feel anxious about so many different things and you even feel anxious about feeling anxious. With anxiety, my approach is to first listen and create a safe space to express all this energy. We will also examine the thoughts that can increase our anxiety and practice reframing them. We will build a “coping skills toolkit”, as I like to say, to help you navigate when you feel anxious. You don’t need to be “fixed”. It’s okay to struggle. Let’s work on managing it.

Anxiety and stress can keep you locked up from living your life fully. Often anxiety can be biochemical in nature or can result from ongoing stress, lack of balance or unresolved issues. Christians can struggle with these issues and often feel quite guilty in knowing that they shouldn't worry or have fear. In therapy we will carefully assess these issues in a loving, grace based manner so that you can be free from debilitating anxiety and stress.

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.

I personally have suffered from anxiety and come from a family where anxiety was a pervasive undertow. I know how anxiety can dominate a life and stress the lives of others. Medications may have been tried and and medical services utilized and proven not enough. In counseling I work with my clients individually, sometimes together with a spouse, in a conversational manner to get at the thought patterns contributing to stress and anxiety. Helping the client to get to the base of their anxiety, how they are stressing themselves out in their given life situation and how specifically to change these entrenched patterns is my goal. Referrals are made for other forms of help as necessary,

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.

Clients coming to me for anxiety and stress will find a calm, steady space to slow down, unpack what’s fueling their overwhelm, and learn practical tools to feel more in control. We’ll identify thought patterns, triggers, and behaviors that keep you stuck, and work together to build healthier ways to cope, respond, and regulate. My goal is to help you feel more grounded, confident, and equipped to handle life’s challenges with greater ease.

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.

Like some caffeine, some anxiety can motivate people to meet deadlines or complete tasks. Also, as stress seems to be an integral part of our lives, people often say some stress is vital to keep us stimulated or successful. But what if the anxiety and stress you feel seems to be hurting not helping you? Maybe you can't fall asleep or you bite your nails? Perhaps you often interrupt others or get overwhelmed when starting a project? Certainly, medication is a possibility. However, talking with a psychologist is a necessity.

Anxiety and stress are a normal part of life, but are problematic when it interferes with your ability to function well. Therapy can provide psycho-education and an understanding of how you experience anxiety and stress in order to best manage it. Physical symptoms, emotional distress, and thought rumination are common aspects of anxiety and stress and we can begin to relieve and treat each of these through therapeutic approaches.

Worry is a normal reaction to everyday stress and traumatic life events. Some ways of coping will reduce your discomfort. However, you may be one of the millions who experience anxiety to such a degree that it impairs your functioning at home, work or school. Left unchecked, anxiety will affect your overall quality of life. CBT, Mindfulness, and Exposure Therapy are proven methods for dealing social or performance anxiety, nightmares and sleep fears, intrusive negative thoughts, or OCD. Kari can assist you, your child or adolescent, in controlling anxiety and achieving relief from the mental and physical symptoms that can be debilitating.