Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Kenora, ON.

Anxiety can come in many forms, such as: panic and anxiety attacks; extreme fear; worrying thoughts from which one rarely gets a break; sleeplessness either due to going over and over how one behaved during the day, and judging oneself, or, from dreading what the following day might bring; fear and avoidance of one's own intense emotions; fear of rejection of others, leading to intense social anxiety or avoidance of close relationships; performance anxiety, such as worries about exams, job interviews, or performance appraisals at one's place of work. I like to get a sense of the frequency, intensity, and duration of somebody's anxiety, and then to help them to reduce all 3.

I’ve been helping people lead more intentional lives for over 20 years. Anxiety can cause thoughts to be out of proportion to reality, stop you from doing what you want to do, and make you feel out of control. I’m trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, developmental models,and anxiety and depression management. I will support you in creating a set of tools to help you manage your anxiety. Most importantly, you're a distinctive person, with distinctive needs. My goal is to work with you as a unique individual, and focus on YOUR goals.

Anxiety and stress can impact your health, relationships, and sense of fulfillment in life. In therapy, you can learn more about anxiety and stress and how they impact your daily life. With the support of a therapist, you can develop insights, strategies, and resources to help you thrive amid external stressors and challenges. I work with individuals, couples and families. Book a free consultation to explore if we are a good fit for therapy.

Experiencing feelings of stress and anxiety can be overwhelming. Re-occurring thoughts, feelings of pressure, or worry because of work challenges, relationships, or experiencing a change or loss can sometimes be difficult to manage and process. Additionally, sometimes it is unclear what might be causing feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. In my work with you, I seek to help you understand the story of stress and anxiety in your life, its origins, the ways it impacts you and what kind of relationship you might want with it moving forward to be able to better manage it. Schedule a free consultation with me to see if we are a good fit.

In working with clients on their anxiety and stress I primarily aim to promote understanding: understanding of why we are feeling so anxious and stressed, what factors contribute, what can be done to better manage or eliminate anxiety and stress from our lives, and most importantly, how to eliminate ambiguity from our lives. I specialize in working with clients on their stress and anxiety, whether it stems from work, relationships, family, trauma, lifestyle, or beliefs. It is only through understanding that we can promote comprehensive and meaningful change in our lives. I utilize principles of cognitive behavioural therapy, solution-focused work, and psychodynamics in my work.

Anxiety falls along a continuum from acceptable to crippling, debilitating anxiety requiring professional intervention. The major forms that anxiety takes are: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder, Phobic Disorders, Social Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD). A variety of proven therapeutic interventions are well established now, eg., Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Yoga, Tai Chi, Breathwork. By diving into therapy clients regain a sense of optimism, courage and confidence in relationships, workplace and career, driving, aging, life transitions and more.

As a Somatic (SE) therapist- mental & emotional health follows the state of the nervous system. If it is flowing seamlessly between sympathetic and parasympathetic; arousal and settling, within a “manageable range” there’s a deep, internal sense of well-being, emotional stability, confidence, clear thinking, aliveness, trust in self and others, and mastery. With SE we will focus on: Your experiences... in the body Learn to track, observe, describe what is going on for you Regulate internal arousal states, shift locked patterns into action, increase body awareness. Encourage emotional engagement with attention to: mindfulness, sensations, movements and impulses. Here & Now find YOU!

In my approach to work with anxiety and stress, I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness, and Somatic Experiencing to help people engage fully with their present experiences and bodily sensations. This encourages you to observe and accept their feelings of anxiety and stress without judgment, fostering a greater sense of control. By learning to stay grounded and present, you can develop more effective coping strategies that align with your values, leading to a more balanced and fulfilling life.

Psychodynamic support for anxiety and stress involves exploring past experiences and unconscious processes that may be influencing your current struggles. By examining how early relationships and life events have shaped your patterns of thinking and behaving, we can gain insight into the root causes of your anxiety and stress. Through this deeper understanding, we aim to help you develop healthier coping mechanisms and build resilience to manage these overwhelming feelings. The therapeutic process may involve delving into unresolved conflicts, addressing defense mechanisms, and fostering self-awareness to promote lasting emotional healing and growth.

Fear is a situational-based, positive emotion that prepares us for a sudden and unexpected external event. Since fear is such a common emotion, its presence can often go from being connected to a specific experience (a baby crying, a car horn blowing) to something omnipresent and an overwhelming sense of anxiousness. Anxiety can cause us to feel shame, guilt, and worry because we do not believe we can stand up to the concerns that have brought it into our lives. Psychotherapy is a safe place to explore the causes of shame, guilt, worry, and anxiety. If you are ready to unpack your worry bag, I am here to help! Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to see if we are a good fit.

To assist and provide feedback to client's to enable them label their thoughts and feelings prior to developing coping skills and improve emotion regulation. With DBT -- identifying their thoughts and feelings is imminent, and to be able to tolerate distress. Moreover, to identify any automatic thoughts that may be contributing to anxiety and ongoing stress with their life, and mindfulness could be an additional emotional regulation coping tool.

Dealing with anxiety is difficult as it is the body's natural response to a perceived threat and that response, is unique to each individual and can often present itself as a sense of discomfort, emotional reactions, physical sensations, and unhelpful behavioural patterns. Your anxiety can be triggered through situational or environmental events and can often feel chronic. Schedule a free consultation to me to see if I am the right fit to help you manage your anxiety.

Low levels of anxiety can motivate us to accomplish goals and perform at our best. As the level of experienced anxiety creeps higher, it robs us of our joy and can make us feel overwhelmed resulting in either inactivity or a compulsion to be overactive yet not experiencing any lasting relief. Our sense of internal peace and calm is replaced by perpetual overthinking and fear. Let's work together to gain insight into the root cause of your anxiety so that we are able to empower you to reclaim your experience of joy and a sense of internal calm.

Our emotions work to provide us with information about a situation, environment, or relationship. When we feel anxious or stressed, our brain is signaling to us that there is a real or perceived danger and/or that our current coping strategies will not be able to work at this moment. Together, we will explore the circumstances surrounding your anxiety and stress symptoms to develop an understanding of them. This will assist us in identifying new ways of reducing and managing these emotions, to improve your daily functioning and overall quality of life.

Anxiety is an inescapable emotion, we've evolved to have this signal emotion. However, when a person regularly feels debilitating or distracting levels of anxiety, it can really hold them back. We begin anxiety with cognitive-behavioral therapy, which helps individuals identify and change negative thought patterns, and then tailor other types of Psychotherapy based on the individual's needs. We often focus on their relationships and communication patterns. By tailoring treatment, we're able to ensure each client gets help that meets them where they're at

In life, we face various stressors and there are times when we may feel anxious, overwhelmed, or helpless. Finding a way to calm the body and mind can be difficult, regardless of whether this is a new struggle or one you have been dealing with for years. I believe that therapy can be a safe container in which stress and anxiety can be explored and worked through. Should you reach out for help, I will work with you to help you better understand how stress and anxiety impact you and I will also help you to develop coping strategies that may invite more calmness and that may support you in feeling empowered. Contact me or book a free consultation if you wish to learn more.

Dealing with stress and anxiety can be a challenge for many and navigating GAD, SAD and OCD can feel like anxiety has the upper hand. There are many coping strategies available to help with anxiety. Research has shown that CBT can be as effective as medication (Source: APA Div. 12 (Society of Clinical Psychology). I use a blend of CBT and ACT to help with anxiety both of which are research-based and proven to be effective for many people.

If you're struggling with anxious thoughts, you may find it hard to focus. The fight or flight alarm is going off in your brain, constantly sending you messages starting with "what if...." If worrying is keeping you trapped in a hamster wheel, tired, but unable to rest, you may find yourself turning to addictive substances or behaviours to cope. As an addiction counsellor, I help clients cope with the anxious thoughts keeping them trapped in addictive behaviours. By uncovering these underlying thoughts, I help you develop coping skills so you can gain a sense of focus, clarity, confidence, and freedom from constantly overthinking. Send me a message and I'll guide you through the next steps.

If life were a video game, anxiety would be the boss at the end of each level. We might hide from it, or run from it, but sooner or later we're gonna have to face it. Like any heroic tale, we seldom start at the beginning and jump right to the end. Along the way we'll make sure you're equipped with the tools needed to confront even the most intimidating and powerful adversaries. Plus, what journey would be complete without help from trusted advisors and friends. No hero does it alone, and I look forward to joining you on your worthy quest.

This is a difficult time that we're living in. Human connection is not as readily accessible as it used to be, and we now find ourselves having to go out of our way in order to find friends and have meaningful conversation. Life wasn't meant to be this way, and we have to get creative in finding ways to navigating life healthfully. If anxiety and stress are limiting your life, please reach out.

In these difficult times, and before, anxiety and stress can sometimes sneak up on us until we are surprised to find that we are catching colds, experiencing muscle aches and pains, or even are having difficulty eating or sleeping regularly. I will help you get to the root of what ails you, whether it is past trauma, current life stressors, an impending life transition, or generalized anxiety. By helping you uncover your strengths and teaching you tools to manage your stress or anxiety, I can assist you in rewriting the story you tell yourself about your past and your future.

Anxiety, stress and panic attacks can be debilitating and life-limiting. Anxiety is a specialty area for me and I work to get at the root of the problem as well as provide practical and powerful tools to help eliminate or significantly manage these issues. Some anxiety may be trauma-based and I utilize a trauma-informed approach to therapy in general. You don't have to let stress anxiety rule your life - there is effective help here!

I hope to help you explore what a more preferred relationship with anxiety and stress could look like. In today’s hectic and often overwhelming environments, managing anxiety and stress can be one of the most important and difficult experience to manage. In our work together, you can expect me to ask about the impacts of both on your life, and gently explore what it could mean to live a little differently. Using evidence-based and individualized strategies, I help clients to find ways to manage and thrive. Book a free consultation to explore if we are a good fit.

Anxiety and stress, sometimes they're manageable... sometimes they aren't. If you are having difficulty managing the anxiety and stress, I strive to work with people to navigate and explore their stressors to understand them and gain insight and perspective into those stress patterns so we can collaboratively devise empowering ways to manage them.

Anxiety and stress can be confusing and overwhelming, and result in both negative emotional and physical symptoms. Counselling for anxiety or stress provides the opportunity to discover and implement effective coping strategies, identify triggers, and explore and process new ways of engaging with the world around you. Having someone safe to talk to is an effective strategy in and of itself, connect with me today and we can walk out this journey together.