Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Silver Firs, WA.

Anxiety can run your life, but it doesn't have to. Together, we'll work on ways to tap into the security and strength of your body. We'll understand the anxious stories and find ways to bring supportive, soothing energy to calm those parts down. We'll listen to your body for any signs of unresolved trauma or relational wounding and work gently with the body to heal.

Some people describe themselves as 'born worriers', 'always anxious or afraid', 'hypersensitive since I can remember.' Others may have gone through something that is creating anxiety and stress at levels they've never experienced before. Either way, with a therapist at Bluestone, you will find ways to interrupt your patterns of thinking and behaving that contribute to your anxiety, worry or stress. Once you can interrupt these patterns, you will have the opportunity to calm your body, shift your thinking and choose courses of action that benefit you, your relationships and your life.

My approach to counseling couples dealing with stress and anxiety focuses on helping partners better understand how pressure, worry, and emotional overwhelm can affect communication, connection, and daily interactions within the relationship. I work to create a supportive environment where both individuals feel heard and understood while learning healthier ways to respond to stress together rather than against each other. Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques, I help couples identify anxious thought patterns, emotional triggers, and behaviors that may be increasing tension or conflict. Sessions are practical and goal-oriented, often including strategies & exercises to practice.

Anxiety and stress are a natural part of life but how do you manage it? Stress is a result of trying to deal with the pressures and changes of life. I provide clear-cut solutions to give you the relief you need from trying situations. I am a strong proponent of dialectic behavioral therapy and mindfulness which incorporates breathing, relaxation, and other physiological exercises to help reduce the anxiety from within.

Traumatic pasts, expectations of a scary future, extreme sensitivity to the world around us, and the shoulds we impose on ourselves that breed shame wield seemingly insurmountable power when we are in the grip of anxiety and stress. I work with you on establishing healthy boundaries, building skills that drop the nervous system out of stress response, and emotional intelligence and regulation. From the safe enough place of being grounded in the Now, we dip into and unravel what maintains the power of your fears and shame. We work to compassionately release all that blocks your authentic self, your sense of purpose and to normalize and encourage the growth of your beautiful and buried truth.

Anxiety is rough- you likely know this. You might think "why is this happening to me? Why does this phase me like it does? This isn't anything big." You also may be under intense stress and perhaps even intensely traumatic situations and just now starting to feel the impact. I offer helpful practical tools to deal with anxiety in how you think and how you breath. But I don't stop there as those things are often un-effective, as you may have already found, if not partnered with a deep understanding of how to work with, on an emotional level, messy feelings.

My approach to helping people with anxiety and stress is grounded in curiosity, compassion, and respect for what these experiences are trying to communicate. Using Internal Family Systems therapy, I help people discover what fuels their stress, worry, and anxiety, and learn to soothe themselves. Rather than trying to force anxiety away, we work to understand and care for what is underneath it. As these inner experiences feel seen, supported, and less alone, people often begin to feel more calm, clarity, confidence, and ease.

Everyone experiences anxiety at some point, but for some the anxiety is so frequent or intense that it interferes with their lives or even triggers panic attacks. I use Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help my clients get a sense of control over their own anxiety. We collaborate to learn skills to reduce the frequency or intensity of the anxious feelings, to tolerate the anxiety when it does occur so they can still function through it, and to practice habits that reduce stress and improve general mental health.

Anxiety and stress are so common they seem like an unavoidable part of the modern lifestyle. However excessive anxiety, stress, and worry can start to destroy your peace of mind, lessen your confidence, and impact your physical health. I provide a therapy process where the pattern of how anxiety is created in your life is understood and new tools to stop the physical and emotional patterns of anxiety are made habitual. The end result is having your peace of mind back so you can focus on the things that matter most to you.

Anxiety is a common struggle that we all face from time to time. However, for some, anxiety can become an all consuming, unshakeable force that threatens your ability to live with a sense of security and peace. If you are struggling with what seems to be uncontrollable moments of anxiousness, please hear that there is hope; you can once again, or sometimes for the first time, feel a sense of peace and direction for your life.

The treatment of anxiety and stress first begins with the management of the symptoms bringing you in for treatment. Without having these symptoms under control, it is difficult for individuals to begin to examine the reasons behind the anxiety without provoking more anxiety. Once these symptoms are addressed, we will start to examine the life situations you are in and the relationships, stories, family roles and events that may be the roots of the stress and subsequent anxiety. With some time, consistency, openness and commitment to the process, individuals will find anxiety more manageable and the enjoyment of every day returned.

Our work together will help uproot and eliminate the causes of anxiety and decrease worry in life and relationships. You will learn to transform worrisome thought patterns to positive feelings and develop the perspective to live a more meaningful and productive life. In so doing, you create a more positive environment for you and loved ones. You will feel lighter and happier. The process is available to anyone willing to invest time and energy.

Anxiety can pull us away from the person we are or want to be and stop us from enjoying the people and things that make life worth living. Whether you suffer from general anxiety, postpartum anxiety, panic attacks, social anxiety, or phobias, I can help. My approach is mindfulness based. We will learn how the interaction among your thoughts, feelings, and behavior impact your well-being. With help, you can learn to have a different relationship with your painful thoughts and feelings, one that lets you step back into your life and experience it fully as it takes place.