Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Milton, ON.

Anxiety and Stress are prevalent and challenging issues that may seem insurmountable and hopeless at times. Stress is an individual experience and often means different things to different people. Some may describe it as tension or worry, or some may describe the feeling of anxiety as being overwhelmed or out of control. My professional training and experience has shown that simple changes can make a big impact on a persons quality of life and their experience of anxiety. At the core of every persons experience is the bodies natural reaction to stress, fight or flight. Learning more about how your own personal reaction can initiate recovery through awareness.

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.

All associates with New Leaf Psychology Centre offer therapy for stress and anxiety. Although the initial treatment approach for anxiety is often Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), treatment is individualized to address your personal situation. Therapy can help you reduce worries, increase your ability to face fears, and allow you to approach life more optimistically. Dr. Strauss specializes in work related stressors, such as overwork, increasing demands, interpersonal challenges with colleagues and management, and career decisions. Dr. Gilani specializes in health related anxieties and stress.

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.

My approach to anxiety and stress focuses mainly on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, as it is an empirically-tested, evidence-based technique. It includes recognizing and addressing distorted thinking, grounding techniques, mindfulness, maintaining a journal, and self-care. Alongside CBT, we can explore the roots and possible causes of the anxiety. I have had great successes with clients who came to me with anxiety. One client in particular had social anxiety so severe, she would become physically sick, experience awful gastrointestinal issues, and eventually faint when in a social situation. As a result of therapy, her coping skills improved, until her anxiety all but disappeared.

When it comes to treating anxiety disorders, research shows that therapy is usually the most effective option. That’s because anxiety therapy, unlike medication, treats more than just the symptoms of the problem. Meristem can help clients uncover the underlying causes of their worries and fears; learn how to relax; look at situations in new, less frightening ways; and develop better coping and problem-solving skills. Our approach gives clients the tools to overcome anxiety and teaches them how to use them. Since anxiety disorders differ considerably, therapy is tailored to our clients' specific symptoms and diagnosis.

It's time for you to restore your confidence, sense of well-being and enjoyment of life! If you're looking for a therapist, chances are you're hoping to make some changes in these areas. I will help empower you to learn new ways of dealing with stress, depression, anxiety or other difficult emotions and make room for new ways of coping. Many of my clients struggle with being overly self-critical, have a hard time 'turning off' thoughts and at times feel as though they're just 'going through the motions'. Therapy can absolutely help you feel better! If it feels right to you, please give me a call.

Anxiety is at an epidemic level in North America which includes Canada. Lets face it. Its called stress, anxiety, panic and many other names but what we are doing is dressing up fear to a more presentable level. Even stress is not stress, its distress! We need to face our fears. If you control or are accused of being controlling, its probably due to your own fears. Anger often comes out of fear but we are reticent to admit we have fear.

It is normal to worry and feel stressed about life's problems and pressures. But when compounded symptoms begin to overwhelm us to the point where we are getting headaches, heart palpitations, a churning stomach, cold sweats, sleepless nights, weight loss, obsessive thoughts, a distressed GI tract - then we need help to break the adrenaline-fear cycle. Anxiety feeds on fear and needs to be confronted, appropriately and safely, with relaxation techniques, new perceptions and constructive thinking patterns. A counsellor can help you do this.

How do I Treat Anxiety? We know that chronic anxiety affects about 15% of the population (Bourne, 2000). But here is the good news; anxiety is treatable and is quite possible to overcome. Solving this problem requires a good deal of effort and quick fixes don’t exist. These could involve working on several behavioural skills at once which can be learned. Practitioners like Registered Psychotherapists who work with anxiety disorders will often employ a cognitive-behavioral approach because of its proven effectiveness. CBT focuses on challenging and changing unhelpful thinking distortions and behaviors, improving ways we respond emotionally and developing personal coping strategies.

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.

I provide a compassionate and supportive environment for clients to explore the underlying causes of their distress. Through evidence-based modalities such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness techniques, and relaxation exercises, I help clients develop effective coping strategies, challenge irrational thoughts, and promote self-care practices. By addressing the root causes and triggers of anxiety, clients can experience reduced symptoms, increased self-awareness, and a greater sense of calm and balance in their lives. Together, we work towards cultivating resilience, empowering clients to navigate challenges, and fostering a renewed sense of well-being.

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.

I offer a compassionate environment to help you explore ways to regain a sense of balance, control, and inner peace. We will work together to develop practical stress management tools, improve emotional regulation, and focus on lifestyle adjustments for long-term resilience. If you're ready for relief, please contact me to schedule a free 15-minute consultation to see if we are a good fit.