Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Russell, ON.

Struggling with anxiety can rob your ability to function, as well as your enjoyment of life. I find the most effective approach to controlling anxiety to be a multi-dimensional approach. Often medication is very helpful, however other interventions are important to use alongside the medications. Working through your thoughts about the anxiety and how they are adding to the problem, for instance. Having taught relaxation techniques and stress management to people who suffer from chronic pain, I am also well aware of the beneficial effects of learning how to clear your mind through relaxation or meditation.

I use my easy and efficient practical course on stress management. It includes proper nutrition as a first line of defence and the application of various coping mechanisms such as self-relaxation, meditation, auto-suggestion, self-hypnosis, breathing exercises, visualization and mind reprogramming techniques. The goal of the program is to utilize and convert the overflow of negative energy brought about by stress into a meaningful life changing experience. I also define to the clients the many aspects of stress and its dangers and the ‘fight or flight phenomena’, the main driving force behind every stress reaction.

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.

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.

Anxiety and Stress are the most common issues that I work with. Anxiety can take many forms so I will take the time to understand the specific type of anxiety with you. We will start to track the anxiety frequency and severity to better understand it. We will then work in session on coping strategies to decrease the impact that the anxiety is having on your daily life. We will also work towards exposing you gradually in a way that will allow you to be better able to tolerate your anxiety and live with it!

At Elim we use a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy approach for treating anxiety and depression. This model of therapy works on indirectly changing a person's feeling by changing their negative thoughts and maladaptive behaviours. As clients learn to identify and change their thoughts and behavior they report feeling less anxious and better able to deal with the stresses of life.

Working with people who experience anxiety is something that I find very fulfilling. Anxiety can lead people to feel like an inferior version of themselves, affecting social interactions, familial responsibilities, work performance, and confidence in general. Stress is something that we need in our lives, to a certain degree. Without it, we would not have the motivation to do what needs to be done; excessive amounts of stress, however, can lead us to flight, fight, or freeze. Recognizing how stress affects us, and how to manage it in a way that promotes well-being is something that can be learned in therapy.

My cross-training in counselling, conflict resolution, mediation and hypnotherapy can be very empowering for clients who come to my practice suffering from anxiety and stress. Unfortunately most people attempt to reduce their stress by choosing a form of pleasure that only leads them into more stress. I remind my clients that they can choose to utilize stress reducing techniques rather than stress increasing choices. Another common symptom is anxiety about becoming anxious again. I teach clients that if they focus on the present moment that this anxiety can be markedly reduced. I teach clients the techniques of getting a good sleep....the most important stress reducing factor.

Anxiety disorders commonly coexist with addiction tendencies. Anxiety can severely inhibit a person's life, causing them to feel an irrational amount of panic, fear and other negative emotions in any given circumstance. Severe anxiety may influence a person to avoid leaving their house, or to become paralyzed in situations they interpret as stressful. Many people who struggle with anxiety will try to self medicate with alcohol or drugs, which ultimately makes their symptoms worse. A dual diagnosis of addiction and anxiety requires special treatment considerations; the kind that Valiant Recovery provides.

Often we are bombarded by stressful life circumstances that can steal our peace. Many of us have come through very painful and challenging experiences that have shaken our ability to create safety. All of which leave us vulnerable to anxiety and we can easily find ourselves in a constant state of panic. In my approach, I support you to make sense of these feelings and get them to work for you rather than against you. As we make sense of our fears and learn ways to create internal safety, we can create a peace that comes from the inside out. Like the quote says " I am not afraid of the storms, for I know how to sail my ship." Our work is to strengthen your ability to sail the storms.

Anxiety and stress can be situational to an event, loss, disappointment, or fear. Anxiety can also be a baseline hypervigilent state, with a relapsing, remitting quality. It is always parasitic, unpleasant and toxic to those whom it infects. It is also hard on our elationships. Therapy with me seeks to achieve remission or soften the anxiety and then we will focus on preventing relapse. I see anxiety as biological, situational and interpersonal. Therapy will explore precipitating stressors, contributory biological factors, and personal factors and in a Cognitive and narrative model we explore new ways to interact with a goal of remission or at least softenning the distress.

Anxiety, stress, and chronic worries are very common for people in today's fast paced, ever changing society. Anxiety, stress, and chronic worries impact wellness, relationships, quality of sleep, ability to achieve goals and activities of daily living, and leave people often feeling stuck with no where to turn. I can help you identify specific symptoms, triggers, hot thoughts, and will work with you to develop a tool box of coping strategies. I can help you manage your anxiety, stress, and chronic worries by enhancing goal planning, problem solving, assertive communication, reframing thoughts, and focusing on your self care.

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.