Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Puslinch, 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.

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.

Anxiety and stress are often treated as isolated problems but, in reality, they are signals from a system that has been running in survival mode for too long. My approach does not focus solely on symptom management but on helping clients understand why their system feels chronically unsafe, overwhelmed, or hypervigilant. Often, anxiety arises from relational injuries, unresolved emotional tension, or existential dislocation that lead to feeling trapped in a life that no longer fits. Together, we work to understand the architecture of your anxiety: what it is trying to tell you, how it was built, what it protects you from, and how to grow from it.

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.

For many clients it is difficult to make the call to seek counselling for anxiety, but I encourage you to do it as an investment in yourself. In a warm and empathetic environment, together we look at how your thoughts affect your feelings which lead to anxiety as well as your life story to consider areas of healing from the past as well as solutions for the future. My specialty is in understanding how significant relationships or the loss of these relationships contribute to one’s anxiety and stress.

Together we look at some of the underlying factors that contribute to your anxiety/stress. Sometimes it's internal factors and other times it may be coming from external environments. Understanding is half the battle. By learning new skills you can learn to manage your anxiety and stress much better! I utilize an empathetic approach to help deescalate some of the stress you may be experiencing. Hope is here!

Anxiety and stress can feel overwhelming, affecting your thoughts, emotions, and daily functioning. In our work together, I provide a compassionate, non-judgmental space where you can explore what’s contributing to your anxiety and stress. My approach is client-centered, collaborative, and solution-focused, helping you identify triggers, develop practical coping strategies, and build resilience. Through therapy, clients gain greater self-awareness, learn tools to manage symptoms, and develop confidence in navigating challenges, fostering a calmer, more balanced, and empowered approach to life.

Life is hard. It can also be wonderful. Flux and flow. Often anxiety is created by a faulty belief system, and by the way the human brain works...I will explain in session...with what we now know about the brain and how it works, we know that we have a lot more power over our thoughts than we used to think we have. We CAN begin to shift our thinking. Yes, sometimes medication is also needed, especially as we learn how to have more control over our thoughts.

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.

I believe that you and I are required to become an expert at dealing with work stress, relational stress, and personal internal stress. We need to be able to have sharp cognitive and emotional skills that other generations just did not require. When people come to me for help we work extensively at developing awareness, stress management and emotional and relational intelligence (IQ). I use a holistic model that incorporates the most clinically proven strategies that produce positive outcomes. If you are motivated you can overcome anxiety, panic and phobia. We have successfully run individual treatment programs for the last twelve years helping people just like you.

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.

In working with individuals who struggle with anxiety, I use both a cognitive behavioural therapeutic (CBT) approach and eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. The principal aim of cognitive behavioural therapy is to increase awareness that thoughts and behaviour drive emotion. My aim is to increase consciousness of distorted perceptions, and then assist individuals in rebalancing those perceptions to be more accurate. EMDR focuses specifically on reprocessing traumatic memories that are at the root of the anxiety. Through EMDR individuals can come to terms with traumatic and distressing memories that underlie anxiety.

For the past 10 years, I have enjoyed helping clients work through their struggles related to anxiety and stress, especially when it comes to career and workplace related stresses. I have found success using client-centred, Cognitive Behavioural Theoretical and Dialectical Behavioural theories in associated sessions. As well, I also tend to rely on Solution-Focused Theory to help client find and implement coping strategies.