Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Ottawa, ON.

Who hasn't felt anxious or stressed in life?! Anxiety and stress often show up as racing thoughts, sleepless nights, tight chests, and a relentless inner critic. Whether you suffer from gereralized anxiety, social anxiety, panic or crushing self-doubt, my goal is to offer a calm, steady presence and practical tools grounded in CBT, ACT, and mindfulness to help you slow the spin, quiet the noise, and (literally) breathe again. As a psychologist—and as a person shaped by my own life’s pressures, stresses, and challenges —I can meet you with empathy, not judgment. Together, we’ll create space for clarity, courage, calm, and resilience. When our rational minds fail us... therapy saves the day!

If you are struggling with anixety and distress, you are likely aligning with the "hustle for your worthiness, acceptance and belonging" culture we live in, and not in alignment with the true nature, gifts, and needs of who you are. I work with you to explore and identify the distressing story and patterns that you are in, and help you to identify and step into the story you want to be living, that is more aligned with who you are and what you feel most called to do and be in life. I also provide tools to help you better overcome the thought patterns and beliefs that obscure you from your wisdom, and help you to focus on and nurture the beliefs that support optimal wellness.

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.

My approach to anxiety and stress treatment is compassionate, client-centered, and practical, helping individuals understand the root causes of their worries and build strategies to manage overwhelming thoughts and feelings. I draw from evidence-informed techniques, including behavioural and emotionally focused approaches, to support clients in identifying triggers, developing coping skills, and creating routines that promote calm and balance. Clients benefit by gaining greater self-awareness, emotional regulation, and resilience, enabling them to navigate daily stressors with confidence and reduce the impact of anxiety on their overall well-being.

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 is a normal response to stress, but can become debilitating when the stress is ongoing, overwhelming and inescapable. Learning how to manage anxiety is a critical life skill because it affects both the mind and the body. Dwelling on the future prevents us from living in the moment, and psychotherapy can offer tools and coping skills to help re-regulate our body and find relief from overthinking and relentless mental chatter.

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!

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

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.

Struggling with anxiety? Take a step towards peace of mind with compassionate support. As a dedicated psychotherapist, I specialize in guiding individuals through anxiety with evidence-based techniques tailored to your unique needs. Together, we'll cultivate resilience and empower you to manage stress effectively. Begin your journey towards calm and confidence today.

Anxiety and stress can make everyday life feel overwhelming and exhausting. Therapy offers a safe, supportive space to understand your triggers and develop effective coping skills. Together, you’ll learn relaxation techniques, mindfulness, and practical strategies to reduce worry and increase calm. Many clients feel more grounded, focused, and able to face challenges with confidence and resilience.

Anxiety and Stress are both life and living challenges. They are part of the normal obstacles we face in our lifetime, be it in health, in illness, in marriage, in couple and relationship issues, in aging and with our children. The thoughts, feelings and behaviors associated with them can often overwhelm and even paralyze us when they occur. In a supportive and empathic environment I help people understand and demystify these feelings and find coping strategies so that they can overcome these crippling experiences in order to live productively again.

In anxiety and stress therapy, I provide a safe and supportive space to help you understand and manage overwhelming thoughts, feelings, and physical tension. Together, we explore the root causes of your anxiety or stress, develop practical coping strategies, and practice techniques to regain a sense of calm and control. My goal is to help you reduce worry, improve focus, and build resilience so you can feel more balanced, confident, and in control of your life.

Anxiety and stress can be, in a word, scary! They can leave us feeling overwhelmed and alone. Therapy can provide a safe and supportive space to explore these concerns and learn new skills that can restore your sense of freedom and control. I offer a free 15-minute consultation for individuals aged 14+ to see if I am a good fit to help you manage your anxiety and stress.

For anxiety and fears, a multimodal approach will be used with cognitive behavioural therapy and narrative. It will facilitate the identification of the anxiety or fears while creating a preferred narrative surrounding it. The benefits of using the combination of these two approach is that it will allow for an alternative perspective and to better understand what one is thinking and feeling.

External stressors cause internal reactions as a survival mechanism. Fight, flight, freeze! being tense and constantly hypervigilant is exhausting and often leads to the development of fatigue and generally unhelpful habits (working too much, drinking too much, eating too much, using anger to obtain what we and then feeling guilty & ashamed). Learning to relax, have fun and enjoy life on its own terms is critical. To help people accomplish this task, I start with providing education about what happens physiologically when we are under stress. Then, I teach CBT based strategies including confronting unhelpful thought patterns, exposure and connecting with and processing difficult emotions.

Anxiety and stress can appear in many forms — constant worry, racing thoughts, tension in the body, difficulty sleeping, or a sense of being “on edge.” While some stress is a natural part of life, ongoing anxiety can begin to affect our work, relationships, and overall sense of well-being. Through psychotherapy, I provide a supportive space to understand the root causes of your anxiety and the patterns that maintain it. Together, we will identify triggers, challenge unhelpful thought patterns, and build coping strategies to help you feel more grounded and in control. My goal is to help you develop practical tools for managing anxiety and stress, while also exploring the underlying emotions

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.

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.

Anxiety and stress can affect all aspects of our lives. It can impact our mood, self-esteem, relationships, and our day-to-day functioning. It can be quite overwhelming, and so many people are struggling, especially in this fast-paced & tumultuous world we're living in! In therapy, we'll work together to figure out the root cause of what's making you stressed & anxious, and make a plan to heal and engage tools for coping. This will help reduce your distress, find balance in life, and reconnect with feelings of joy and calm. If you'd like to start feeling better now, book a consultation or session today and let's get started! www.kaleidoscopecounsellingco.com