Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Puslinch, ON.

Back in our distant past, anxiety and stress came from physical concerns such as lack of food, or shelter, to help us survive the winter, or danger of being killed by an animal (or neighbour!). While we now have few physical dangers to cause us anxiety or stress, we have many psychological ones – work, traffic, neighbours, money and lack of time to name a few. It is not these “events” themselves that create the anxiety and stress, but how we perceive them. Through exploring the irrationality of our thoughts, life’s events can be put into a more balanced perspective, with the resulting positive impact on our health and sense of wellbeing.

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.

More than ever today, anxiety and stress are on the increase. And anxiety and stress can take on many different symptoms, such as sleepless, racing thoughts, negative self beliefs, physical discomfort and what feels like irrational fear, to name a few. Working with people who are dealing with anxiety and stress is something I find rewarding, as we explore coping strategies and identify new boundaries to live a healthy life.

I use a variety of counselling techniques including therapeutic art making combined with talking therapy to aid my clients in identifying their triggers for stress and anxiety. The art making process can be used along with meditative techniques to help clients to calm the stress and anxiety that they are feeling. It can provide a safe and effective outlet for the excess energy and/or tension that anxiety and stress can create. I help my clients learn coping techniques to help them manage their stress and anxiety.

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.

Therapy for anxiety and stress includes creating a safe space for individuals to talk about their emotions, feelings and factors relating to stress and anxiety. Sessions adopt DBT, emotion regulation and interpersonal skill development, importance of coping and self-care, time management and other related factors to stress and anxiety. Stress and anxiety can be generalized or related to various such as work, health, interpersonal relationships, trauma or more therefore structure in sessions vary based on client needs.

I use Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) techniques to help individuals who may experience difficulties with stress and anxiety. This approach allows us to work together to recognize and focus on the habitual responses you might experience and instead approach them from a non-judgmental and accepting stance. Furthermore, MBSR equips you with techniques that can be practiced at any time and carried with you to help manage ongoing anxiety and stress. I also use aspects of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that focus on education, creating relaxation techniques, identifying and changing negative thinking, and facing your fears.

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.

Anxiety and stress are normal emotional and bodily responses to real or potential danger. In moderation they are adaptive allowing us the ability to mobilize resources and act in ways to keep us safe. In excess however, they can create emotional and physical suffering. Fortunately, a willingness to allow distressing thoughts and feelings, or alternatively, altering them into ones that are more productive, can result in individuals gaining relief from such discomfort. As a practitioner who strives to teach clients how to do both through acceptance- commitment therapy (ACT) and cognitive- behavioral therapy (CBT), requisite skills will be learned in accomplishing this very goal.

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!

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.

Stress and anxiety can feel overwhelming, leaving you drained and unsure where to turn. I offer a supportive and empathetic space where we can explore your challenges and strengthen strategies together. My approach is rooted in compassion, helping you uncover the underlying causes of your stress and anxiety while equipping you with tools to manage them. I’m here to guide you toward balance, peace, and greater resilience. Please schedule a free consultation with me to see if we are a good fit.

I believe we all have moments in our lives when we experience stress and anxiety. Every single one of us could benefit from tools taken from mindfulness exercises, and other great therapeutic approaches. Stress sucks, but stress can be a really important reminder that we need to pay attention to something important going on in our lives. Let’s find the tools that work best for you and start implementing them into your life. Let’s breathe a little easier together.

Anxiety and stress can show up in many ways, racing thoughts, physical tension, overthinking, or constant worry, and can make it hard to feel present or at ease. In our work together, I provide a safe, calming space where clients can slow down, better understand their triggers, and learn tools to manage overwhelming feelings. Using approaches like CBT, ACT, mindfulness, and solution-focused therapy, I help clients challenge unhelpful thought patterns, build coping strategies, and reconnect with their inner strengths. The goal is not only to reduce distress but also to create more balance, confidence, and peace of mind in daily life.

People often wrongly assume that anxiety and stress come purely from inside our minds or from our circumstances - both of which are hard to control. In our sessions together we'll draw on multiple disciplines and teach you how to do simple exercises that can rewire your nervous system and help you feel at peace in your- regardless of what is happening around you. We'll also explore how to improve your thinking in ways that can protect you from feeling overwhelmed when anxiety pops up.

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.

When our lives get overwhelmed with anxiety and stress it can be hard to ask for help. I commend you for taking the first step and reaching out. In our sessions I will create a compassionate space for you to talk about difficult topics without judgment. I use an informal, conversational approach to therapy where I incorporate techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT). I support my clients in developing effective coping strategies that enable them to live a more authentic and fulfilling life.

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.

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.

Anxiety and stress can be consuming and prevent people from living their fullest lives. I offer practical treatment to help people learn to manage and reduce feelings of anxiety for a more peaceful day to day life in which emotions and fears do not take over. Clients learn to challenge and reduce their anxiety with my support and guidance and learn calming techniques, thought challenging, and emotion management. Learning healthy ways to cope with stressful situations is also a priority. There are both physical, mental, and emotional benefits to managing and reducing stress and anxiety, e.g., reduced blood pressure, reduced muscle tension and aches, a sense of calmness, confidence, and so on.

My approach to treating anxiety and stress often involves integrating cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), mindfulness techniques and relaxation strategies into the work that I do with clients. By helping clients identify negative thought patterns, I am able to guide them in developing more helpful coping mechanisms. Mindfulness practices such as meditation and breathing exercises foster a sense of calm and present-moment awareness. Additionally, relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation reduce physical tension. Clients benefit from these methods by experiencing reduced symptoms, improved emotional regulation and enhanced overall well-being.

Therapy with me offers a caring space to slow down and explore the roots of your anxiety and stress. Together, we examine what feels overwhelming and the expectations you carry: where they originate from and whether they truly benefit you. Often, these pressures come from systemic, cultural, or societal beliefs that influence how we define worth and success. In our work, we increase awareness of these influences while developing tools for calm, clarity, and self-compassion. This process helps you feel more grounded, empowered, and capable of facing life’s challenges with presence instead of pressure.

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.

In my work with anxiety and stress, I offer a calm and supportive space to explore what lies beneath the surface of worry and tension. Rather than trying to eliminate anxiety, I help clients understand it as a natural—often protective—response that can be worked with compassionately. Together, we use mindfulness, grounding, and gentle self-inquiry to regulate the nervous system and develop new ways of responding to stress. My goal is to help clients build resilience, self-trust, and a greater sense of ease and balance in their daily lives.