Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Maple Ridge, BC.

Anxiety comes in many forms - constant worrying, a sense of loss of control, or the overwhelming feeling that something is going to go wrong. As humans, we all experience some level of anxiety, it's a part of our normal stress response to help motivate us and even keep us safe by thinking ahead to danger. However, when we get stuck in this experience and feel held back, it can be helpful to talk to a therapist. My approach to anxiety starts by helping clients understand their body's unique response to anxiety. This awareness will be the key into understanding triggers, which helps us work together on regulating and coping with anxiety in a way to push you forward.

Are you living your life constantly feeling on-edge? Are you a worrier who can't seem to turn it off? Does anxiety or stress keep you from being fully present for your family? As an anxiety and stress specialist, I know rough this can be. But there is hope. Together, we can deploy powerful techniques to get you feeling calm, relaxed, and emotionally thriving, so you can effectively deal with life challenges. Imagine: going about your day feeling excited rather than worried, confident rather than stressed, and focused rather than scattered. If you’re ready to stop worrying and start living, reach out.

Anxiety and stress are both extremely common in Western culture. Both of these things deal with an unregulated nervous system and a fight/flight mode that is overextended. In working with you, I will be able to help you get back in tune with your body, learn to regulate your nervous system, treat yourself with compassion and relieve stress. The more you are able to listen to the message your body is sending you, the less your body will feel the need to scream to be heard.

Anxiety is a powerful emotion that can cause a lot of distress when not managed well. Anxiety is a normal human emotion in response to stress or a threat in our environment but can sometimes get out of hand. Therapy at West Coast Counseling can help you to manage your anxiety, identify the stressors in your life and develop coping skills to manage your life better all in a safe, supportive environment.

As a society we tend fear anxiety and stress and make many efforts to avoid or get rid of it. My approach to anxiety and stress is to show you that it does not have to inhibit your functioning – you CAN do things while also being anxious, and you likely already have. Anxiety and stress were once adaptive traits that helped humans survive, and together we can work towards creating a healthier relationship with them, one that does not interfere with your daily life. We will look at your core values, underlying beliefs, and negative thought patterns that might be getting in the way, and work towards a healthier mind and body.

Anxiety and stress are normal responses to life events, work and relationship/family pressures, and worry and fear. In therapy we can explore the context of your life and relationships and how these relate to the stress and anxiety. Through individual or family counselling we can develop goals and strategies for addressing the stress or anxiety. I utilize therapeutic interventions from Response-Based Practice, Narrative Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

To assist and provide feedback to client's to enable them label their thoughts and feelings prior to developing coping skills and improve emotion regulation. With DBT -- identifying their thoughts and feelings is imminent, and to be able to tolerate distress. Moreover, to identify any automatic thoughts that may be contributing to anxiety and ongoing stress with their life, and mindfulness could be an additional emotional regulation coping tool.

I offer an integrative blend of somatic awareness, mindfulness practices, relational attunement, and trauma-informed presencing to help my clients address anxiety and stress in their lives. Using your natural healing process as our guide, we can help the nervous system learn what a peaceful state of health and vitality is again. I am currently offering sessions online and in person.

Experiencing stress and anxiety, especially over long periods, can become overwhelming. Building an understanding of ourselves and the best ways to manage these concerns can be a significant first step toward healing. I approach anxiety through the lens of the nervous system and work towards building compassion for its work to keep us safe while exploring ways to let it know that its defences are not always needed. I integrate modalities that work best for each individual; these often include concepts from Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), a Strength-Based approach, Attachment Theory and more.