Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Mattawa, ON.

In these unprecedented times in our lives many of us are dealing with feelings of great uncertainty about our individual future and how to handle and cope with life changes. Repetitive thoughts are often aligned with anxiety. Anxiety has a cyclical pattern and unless it is interrupted it will run its course, causes overwhelming feelings of fear and despair. Through a compassionate and observational lens reducing stress and anxiety will cultivate focus and clarity. Learning to connect to our senses is very grounded and can quickly break the anxiety cycle and help bring us back to our own center. Book a free consultation to see if we are a good fit.

While anxiety and stress in small amounts can be a helpful source of information, too much can become overwhelming and even interfere with our daily lives. Therapy can be a space to explore the impacts of anxiety and how it may have become engrained into your self-narrative. You and I can work together to co-create coping strategies that are unique to your specific situation. Contact me to book a free consultation so we can decide together if we would be a good fit.

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.

A safe and supportive space is provided to explore and address the underlying causes of anxiety and stress. Therapy can help individuals develop coping strategies, learn relaxation techniques, and challenge negative thought patterns. We can offer tools to manage symptoms and build resilience. Additionally, therapy can provide validation, support, and guidance in navigating the challenges of anxiety and stress.

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

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.

Stress can take a toll on your mental health and trigger anxiety. In people who have an anxiety disorder, stress can make it more challenging to manage the symptoms of anxiety. Increases in this hormone are related to anxiety. Anxiety and stress can be overwhelming and sometimes entirely disabling. They interfere with our lives and prevent us from living our best version of selves. In our therapy sessions, we work together to explore the stressors and anxiety that have been impacting you and your ability to lead a healthy stress-free life. We identify options on how to manage your anxiety better using mindfulness and CBT techniques and help you build your own tools box.

Everyone feels stress and anxiety throughout their lives. Our therapists are experts at helping you decrease these aspects to a healthy level. Our goal is to have you feel as though your life is more in balance. Your therapist will work with you to identify triggers and real-life strategies to begin implementing. You deserve to be your best self; do not let anxiety and stress take away from that.

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.

For many of us, our stream of life is interrupted by events that are so stressful and scary that they create lasting change. This can be a single incident such as an assault or accident. Or, it could be recurring incidents that take place in the course of our work. It could also be trauma in our earliest years from our caregivers or in our first relationships. If you feel that something from your past is impacting your current life, trauma and stress focused therapy may be a good fit for you.

Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It might cause you to sweat, feel restless and tense, and have a rapid heartbeat. It can be a normal reaction to stress but sometimes it takes control. Anxiety disorders are very treatable. Most patients who suffer from anxiety are able to reduce or eliminate symptoms after several (or fewer) months of psychotherapy, and many patients notice improvement after just a few sessions. Through the cognitive component of therapy, patients learn to understand how their thoughts contribute to their anxiety symptoms. By learning to change those thought patterns, they can reduce the likelihood and intensity of anxiety symptoms.

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.

I have a broad range of experience in treating anxiety and stress related disorders, including panic disorder and phobias. In my approach, I integrate a number of evidence based practices, including cognitive restructuring, exposure therapy, behavioral techniques, and mindfulness-based practices, to enhance and facilitate a quick and effective recovery.

I love working with people who wrestle with anxiety and stress, I love it because of the difference I witness in the lives and experiences of my clients. Employing a blend of mindfulness, somatic experiencing and neuroscience (polyvagal) techniques, the felt experience of anxiety can be managed in an entirely new way for you, and can lead to profound change in your life. I can not make it so that you never feel anxious again, but we can work to help you learn what to do when you experience the familiar sensations of anxiety, so that it doesn't take over your thoughts, body and life.

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!

Anxiety and stress can be ever present in the hustle and bustle of today’s society. I know first-hand how consuming these experiences can be and how much it can take to overcome them. When working with anxiety, it can be helpful to get to know the root causes of the anxiety so that we can identify and tackle it in any situation. In my work, I support clients in developing and applying individualized tools that best fit them, their lifestyle, and their experiences to manage and overcome the anxiety. Connect with me today for a free consultation to see if we are a good fit.

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.

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 and stress affect us all to varying degrees. There are numerous physical and emotional symptoms that are associated with anxiety and stress such as an increased heart rate, sweating, rumination and worry, to name a few. Anxiety can feel consuming and can keep us from engaging fully in our everyday life. Therapy can help you work with your feelings of anxiety and stress so that you feel empowered. Please contact me to schedule a free 15-minute consultation to see if we are a good fit.

Stress and anxiety is a part of everyone's day to day lives. However, when it becomes difficult to function due to loss of sleep, change in appetite, panic attacks, upset stomach, aches & pains, etc. therapy can be most beneficial. I use various relaxation techniques, deep breathing, mindfulness meditation, as well as talk therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy techniques (addressing self defeating automatic thinking patterns which effect our mood and behavior). I can teach you how to manage unpleasant symptoms related to stress and anxiety.

Stress and anxiety when present within healthy limits can stimulate, motivate, challenge, warn and activate our bodies to react accordingly to the situation. When it's too much, too intense and for too long, stress and anxiety lead to poor functioning, impairment and exhaustion resulting in stress and anxiety overload, contributing heavily to triggering anxiety disorders. In my therapy, I use therapeutic approaches and techniques that help reduce stress and anxiety and enhance the quality of your life and build your emotional resilience. You develop skills to minimize distress and maximize efficacy in many areas of your living and live life in a happier and healthier manner

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!

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.

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.

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.