Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Petrolia, ON.

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.

Anxiety can be a pretty consuming, stressful, and overwhelming feeling. In therapy, we will explore the roots of your feelings of anxiety in order to understand where they originated. Additionally, depending on the type of anxiety you are experiencing, whether it be worrying, panic, nervousness, etc., we will: 1. Create a plan for dealing with the anxiety and stress 2. Work on overcoming the anxiety and stress. Interventions that we may use to accomplish these goals are mindfulness, relaxation and breathing, behavioural, cognitive, as well as insight oriented. I will also, collaboratively, draw on other therapeutic approaches to work towards your whole health, well-being, and freedom.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

I use an integrative non-pathologizing approach that validates the human condition. We all experience worry and stress but I work with clients to accept and understand how they can be curious about what it is that keeps them feeling stuck or stressed. Learning how to regulate our emotions supports our ability to maintain a balanced life. We have the power to switch from our fight/flight/freeze state to our rest/relax/digest state. Mindfully and with compassion, we can find a way through this together. Anxious symptoms often shows up with depressive symptoms and vice versa.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Living with anxiety or having a high stress can have an impact on every area of our lives. Emotional health, physical health, relationships and careers can all suffer as a result. I use a poly-vagal informed approach to help my clients cope with and reduce their anxiety and stress while learning to gain control over their nervous systems. This approach is both educational and practical. If you would like to improve your quality of life by reducing anxiety and stress contact me for a free consult.

Anxiety is our body’s way of getting us ready for action, getting us ready to fight or flee in a given situation which, while helpful in keeping us alive, can be very unhelpful when it negatively impacts our ability to live our daily lives. I work collaboratively with clients to explore how anxiety and stress show up in their lives, and to strengthen and develop strategies to minimize the impact they have on living the life you want to live. Book a free consultation to learn more about my approach and explore if we are a good fit.

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.

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.

If you're feeling worried, stressed, anxious, and afraid to be your true self, let's talk about what you'd rather be feeling. Have you ever felt like you needed to hold a piece of yourself back, fearing that people won't accept you? Instead of holding yourself back, wouldn't you rather feel a sense of calm and ease. That feeling you get in your stomach or the vibrating feeling you have in your body are signs anxiety and worry. Let's talk about what you want to be different.

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 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.

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.

Anxiety can be a productive and useful tool in helping us understand and interpret our environment. However, when anxiety is chronic, it can take a significant toll on both physical and mental health, ultimately effecting all facets of our lives. I like to examine the causes of anxiety and understand what anxiety is attempting to communicate and protect one from. In doing so, I hope to reframe anxiety, foster acceptance and welcome healing and change. I am also a strong believer in self-care and giving oneself permission to rest, which is imperative in stress and anxiety management. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to ensure we are a good fit.