Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Potomac, MD.

Anxiety and stress often get in the way of a fulfilling life and I believe therapy can help. I am a marriage and family therapist (MFT), so I have been trained to help clients think about the stress in their lives in the context of their relationships. This type of 'systems thinking' is unique to Licensed MFTs. Clients benefit from this approach because it brings your stress outside of your own self and into the world of your relationships. This is very freeing! We work together to achieve your goals, always reaching toward a more peaceful life.

Anxiety comes when the situations of life create negative ideas about people or things. Once these negative thoughts become frequent, they can prevent you from finding joy in life. In therapy, we work through the negativity, exploring its causes, and then find coping strategies to get around them. Once you know where the negative ideas come from, you can face the situations with a fresh outlook. And we act as a team to create it.

In the fast-paced Northern Virginia area, high levels of stress and anxiety are common. I create an understanding, compassionate therapeutic environment. My approach is to address both anxious thinking and the body’s stress response. You will learn practical skills to help adjust the thought patterns that support anxiety. Because anxiety is also physical I use relaxation and mindfulness techniques to achieve a calmer, more focused state by slowing down racing thoughts. With these skills, we examine all areas of life, including any outside factors that contribute to stress. I never take a “one-size-fits-all” approach to my work. Therapy is a collaborative process, the best results coming from honoring the uniqueness of each person.

As we all know stress is from anything in life and left undone, it will start bringing levels of anxiety. If we allow anxiety to grow unchecked it will start overwhelming us and can lead to a life "out of control". Here is one of my principles called "margins". A "margin" is when we give adequate space for the fluctuations of life. If you have put together a serious budget, it needs to have some room for the unexpected. When our "margins" are packed without room to adjust, we are headed for trouble. As we build "margins" with adequate space, we start experiencing rest, hope and joy. For we are not overwhelmed. One cannot have a "crises" management attitude. There is real hope.

Our Christian counselors can provide problem-solving skills, and enhanced coping strategies for issues such as depression, anxiety, relationship troubles, unresolved childhood issues, grief, and stress management. Many people also find that Christian counselors can be a significant benefit to managing personal and spiritual growth, interpersonal relationships, family concerns, marriage issues, and the stresses of daily life. Christian counselors can provide a fresh perception of difficult problems or refer you in the direction of a solution.

Anxiety comes from conflicting emotions, and can end up creating crossed wiring in the brain that is difficult to imagine Getting to the root of anxiety is key, and I do that through brainspotting (https://brainspotting.pro/) and biofield tuning (https://biofieldtuning.com/). Working with the body is essential, so that the person can begin to manage the intense feelings and release the stress.

Anxiety and stress is how our body and mind react to the compounding minor stresses of everyday life or major complications. The goal of therapy is to change how the body and mind respond to intense, overwhelming, or uncertain situations. First, you will develop an awareness of your reactions to stress. Next, we will develop and practice strategies that help you feel in control of the present and face the future with courage and strength.

As a normal reaction to stress, mild anxiety is sometimes helpful: you study for a test, or drive within the speed limit. But excessive anxiety and stress make everyday activities much more difficult – they choke the joy out of life. Perhaps you worry way too much about normal things, find it hard to concentrate, or often experience an impending sense of doom or dread. Maybe you’re afraid of having panic attacks you can’t control. Perhaps you avoid social activities because you fear embarrassment or humiliation. Change is possible! With counseling, you can learn to soothe your anxious body, tame your anxious mind, and change your anxious behavior. Please contact me for more info.

Ashburn Psychological Services has psychologists and psychiatrists available to diagnose and treat anxiety conditions, which include: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, OCD, Phobias, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Separation Anxiety and Childhood Anxiety Disorders. Typically, cognitive-behavior therapy is a successful therapy approach for anxiety. However, at times, medication may also be needed to reduce symptoms and to bring about positive outcomes. Ashburn Psychological Services is here to help.

When fear is working properly inside us it serves as a helpful warning (e.g., don't touch the hot stove!). But when our insides are overwhelmed fear can get out of control and start to shape our life in all sorts of big and little ways. This makes it increasingly difficult to feel at peace (with oneself, others or our circumstances). The good news is that we are capable of change! I would be honored to help you learn how to work through your fear (and the underlying struggles that fuel it) so that you can experience more freedom, peace and joy in your life and your relationships.

Anxiety and stress go hand in hand. Anxiety is a customary reaction to a stressful situation. But, in some cases it becomes excessive and can cause sufferers to dread everyday situations. Stress is a reality for all of us. But, it does not have to overwhelm us. Some people may have a genetic predisposition to anxiety. Early traumatic experiences can also reset the body's normal fear-processing system so that it is hyper-reactive to stress. The goal would be to; rid the exaggerated worries and negative outcomes in unknown situations. I will counsel you on the many ways to reduce the amount of stress in your life, along with techniques to adjust your reaction to those factors.

I can help you identify and address the thought and situations that are contributing to your anxiety. In a safe, supportive and nonjudgmental environment, you can work through difficult emotions and learn ways to gain more control over your thoughts and your life. In your counseling sessions, you can also develop more self-awareness, breathing techniques and other mindfulness-based stress reduction strategies to reduce anxiety and tension.As you develop more mindfulness, you can also begin to identify, examine and address any self-limiting behaviors or negative self-beliefs that keep you from coping effectively.

Anxiety can take on a variety of different forms depending on the individual. Oftentimes people who come into therapy for anxiety because they experience excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation) over a number of events in their life (work, children, relationships, finances, activities) and the source of the worry can change from day-to-day. People experiencing this kind of anxiety feel they cannot control or lessen the worry and that they are intruded upon by it on an hourly/daily basis. My recent book, Be Calm Proven Techniques to Stop Anxiety Now-offers strategies to reduce anxiety on the spot and I use these strategies in my client work.