Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Ottawa, ON.

Anxiety has been called the "common cold" of mental illness. Often people are embarrassed or ashamed about anxiety, so first they need to overcome their anxiety enough to come in and explore it. The more the client understands him or herself, and the more he is educated about anxiety, the more self accepting he can be. If a client is experiencing anxiety attacks without warning, I offer psycho-education, cognitive-behavourial coping, "focusing", and possibly referral for a medication consult. It is important to treat underlying issues, and to do so at a pace that the client is comfortable with.

For many years I have taught Relaxation and Imagery for anxiety and Stress issues. I have found Mindfulness meditation to be particularly useful to those clients who commit themselves to the process. EMDR [eye movement desensitizing and reprocessing] can also be useful in reducing Anxiety. I work with Generalized Anxiety as well as Social Anxiety. Cognitive/ Behavioral therapy is useful with clients suffering from these issues.

Saint Paul University’s Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre welcomes a diverse clientele, for individual or couple’s therapy. Services are provided by counselling interns at the Master of Arts and Doctoral level in Counselling and Spirituality at Saint Paul University. *Services in French available

Dealing with anxiety and stress involves some understanding of the situation and what might be causing or contributing to a problem. Often it will be the unique way in which we think about something said to be our automatic thoughts and from there we learn to evaluate them for any sign of distortion. Our thoughts for example, may come across as catastrophizing or seeing only the worst in an event which will naturally lead to anxiety/stress. In counselling we can gain some valuable insight and achieve greater awareness learning to step back examining with a different lens and therefore expanding our perspective. This serves to allow for a more enlightened thought or mood to emerge.

Experiencing anxiety can vary from an unfocused sense of concern or worry to performance fears affecting school or work, panic attacks, stress, hypervigilance from trauma, or phobias. Physical and psychological symptoms generally feel out of control and are frustrating and fear-inducing, and can lead people to question themselves and their capabilities as well as limiting their enjoyment of life. I am experienced and specialized in supporting individuals, children and families to find their own strengths to use in regaining control of their life from the influence of anxiety, using a combination of psychotherapy and counselling approaches to fit each unique situation. Serving the Ottawa area

Learning how to manage anxiety & deal with the irrational thoughts or distressing behaviours associated with anxiety is an essential first step to recovery. Processing the deeper emotions & meanings associated with past & present day difficult life situations is also important to build a more secure, resilient self that is capable of facing the challenges of everyday life without becoming overwhelmed.

When our sense of self is threatened we respond by experiencing anxiety. In verbalizing our anxiety we begin to see our reality with more clarity. We consider the beliefs and events on which we base our reality and examine our protective strategies and the consequences of our choices. We learn to expand our reality so as to include various helpful factors that we earlier omitted and that will better allow us to manage our stress and anxiety.

Anxiety and stress are emotions that are useful on short supply. When the anxiety and stress turn into panic attacks and prevent us from functioning, they can be very damaging. Breathing and grounding techniques can help calm us down. This combined with understanding the source of the anxiety, and learning to remember to breath and ground oneself are tools that will be provided.

Helping client's understand what the difference is between stress and anxiety. Helping them identify what is causing them anxiety and what stressors they may be able to eliminate from their lives. Offering clients a variety of strategies to cope with stress and anxiety --- exploring healthy lifestyle habits, work-life balance possibilities, learning to say no and setting appropriate boundaries, self-care, CBT strategies (such as using a thought record), mindfulness strategies (deep breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation), etc.

Anxiety and excessive worry can present in a variety of forms; however, when these experiences begin to act as roadblocks in our lives, Counselling support can help alleviate these challenging feelings while fostering a sense of mastery over these pesky worries and feelings of anxiety. Using a gentle, understanding, and compassionate approach to Counselling, the client can begin to feel confident in utilizing new and effective coping strategies in the face of anxiety-provoking situations.

A certain amount of stress is needed for our psychological and emotional health. It is when stress is perceived as negative or overwhelming that issues may arise. Anxiety can contain feelings of fear, uncertainty or uneasiness. It can range from mild and tolerable to severe and intolerable. Anxiety becomes a concern when one is unable to function well in their daily life. It can be experienced as Panic Attacks, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, phobias and various forms of addictions (Substance, sexual, relationship, work, etc.). We help you to identify the different stressors and how you perceive them. We give you the tools to cope better with overwhelming stress and anxiety.

Stress management starts with identifying sources of stress. Your true sources of stress aren’t always obvious, and it’s all too easy to overlook your own stress-inducing thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Together we look at your thought patterns that may keep you stuck in your stress cycle. Anxiety is a natural bodily response to a stressful or dangerous situation. Your body reacts and you experience a racing heart, sweaty palms and shortness of breath. For some people this reaction is more intense and can last hours. Anxiety can be overwhelming and take control of your life. Anxiety may coexist with depression. Call today at 613 287 3799 to learn how you can take control of your stress.

Anxiety and its cousins, fear and panic, have cognitive and emotional components and behavioural manifestations. Clients become skilled in recognizing this negative spiral, where negative thinking reinforces emotional dis-regulation, by challenging this unconscious mechanism with conscious and healthy replacement tools. Clients are ultimately able to live a life of conscious choice in the present.