Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Pitt Meadows, BC.

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.

The circumstances and issues that you are dealing with are unique to you, but you don't have to face them alone. Every individual has different experiences, perceptions, feelings, thoughts, beliefs, values, attitudes, cultural backgrounds and "upbringings". Counselling sessions are private and confidential, and can provide a way for you to explore your problems and really tune in to your feelings. This is an opportunity to speak freely about your circumstances and release pent up feelings, without having to worry about what others think or feel, and without receiving unwanted advise from family, friends or coworkers. At the root of the problem, there are very real, legitimate and understandable reasons for feeling the way you feel, thinking the way...(view profile to read more)

Fear and its associated reaction(freeze, flight, fight) can be useful responses to a dangerous or threatening situation. However, experiences of reactions to firmly, too often, or in inappropriate situations can be distressing and exhausting. You will understand how you interpret the world around you in biased ways that may lead to the worst possible outcome or that our brain takes shortcuts that lead to biases and distortions. You will understand the role your brain plays in anxiety and strategies to use to reset and challenge the brain and bring it back into the present using activities that are healthy and enjoyable.

In my professional and personal experience I have found that problems with anxiety, stress, depression, and anger issues are often overlapping. Many people feel mixed emotions of fear, worry, pressure, frustration, guilt, shame and low self worth. Unfortunately we have a tendency to doubt our abilities and our value which can quickly become a 'self fulfilling prophecy' and cause us to judge ourselves harshly, and/or isolate from others. This can become a cycle but it can often be broken by speaking openly with a professional who is competent, kind and encouraging. I am diligent in helping clients identify the false core beliefs and establish new beliefs that empower them again.

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.

While our bodies are perfectly designed to adapt and react to stress, modern problems mean that we tend to detect life threatening dangers in very ordinary places. Conflicts at work, arguments in our relationships and uncertainties such as the post-Covid world activate old survival mechanisms. We may be stuck in the buzzing, fear states of ‘fight-flight’ or the numb and paralyzed states of ‘freeze and shut down.’ The good news is that I have a long history of safely and successfully helping individuals and couples to reduce and release stress using a variety of CBT and mindfulness techniques, as well as trauma-informed therapy. You have my commitment to compassionate and educated care.

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.

Heightened stress or anxiety is so common in our society that sometimes we fear that without the adrenaline rushing through our bodies, we would suffer from extreme boredom or worse, fall into a deep, dark depression. Unfortunately, the stress response that protects us in times of extreme danger actually harms us when left to run rampant. Finding safe, healthy ways to ‘self-soothe’ will increase physical health & also free you to enjoy your life more fully. Since we have absolutely no power to control anyone but ourselves & nothing but the present moment, decreasing our ‘stress response’ frees up energy that can be put into significant relationships & activities that bring life to us.

In my practice, I use a variety of evidence-based approaches to help my clients manage their anxiety and stress, including EMDR, Compassionate Inquiry, CBT, and mindfulness techniques. Whether you are struggling with generalized anxiety, panic attacks, or stress related to work or relationships, I am here to help. My goal is to create a safe and supportive environment where you can explore your thoughts and feelings, gain insight into your patterns of thinking and behavior, and develop the skills necessary to manage your anxiety and stress in a healthy way.

Anxiety and stress can have a crippling effect on our lives if left unmanaged. We will provide you with psychoeducation to better understand anxiety and the associated physiological symptoms. We will help you address any unhelpful thoughts or behaviours that may be lending to anxiety and stress and give you strategies to change them. We will provide you with tools to better manage stress and anxiety. We will also help you explore areas of your life that may be contributing and collaboratively problem solve any issues that may need to be resolved or boundaries that need to be set.

Benefits of Stress and Anxiety Counselling by me: * Gain a better perspective of Stress and Anxiety * Talk about your Issues Openly * Manage, Reduce, or Change those intense feelings * Improved Communication skills *Achieve a healthier lifestyle *Identify and Apply Strategies to Deal with Issues * Improve your Insecurities * Effectively Problem-Solve * Explore your triggers and how they influence you * Recognize Unhealthy Behaviours, and Apply the Tools to Change Them * Prepare and Carry Out Realistic Goals * Learn how to Manage your Issues so they Don't Get Worse * Take Control of Your Fears

We all have anxiety and stress! It is a matter of how we manage this challenge in our daily lives. Often the anxiety and stress overwhelm us to the point of feeling hopeless! But there certainly is hope and with some consistent therapy and support one can be feeling significantly better after only a few sessions. Once we dissect the overwhelming feelings we begin to understand the underlying issues at the root cause. While medication is an option, quite often it is not necessary as psychotherapy is effective.

Stress and anxiety can be overwhelming and challenging to manage. I provide a supportive and compassionate space where clients can explore the root causes of their stress and anxiety. I use a combination of evidence-based techniques, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and relaxation techniques to help clients develop coping strategies to help tackle their triggers and responses. My goal is to provide you with the tools you need to better understand your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors so you can manage your stress and anxiety in a healthier and more productive way.

One of the most most successful approaches to helping my clients cope with anxiety, is helping them understand anxiety itself and the overall awareness of how it psychologically and psychologically affects us all individually. It is then I will be be able to introduce several cognitive behavioral interventions so that my clients may learn better coping mechanisms to help manage their anxieties.

Do you live under a heavy cloud that weighs you down preventing you from being even the shell of who you once were? Have you given up the desires and joys in life you once held dear as you are held prisoner from feelings of fear? Are your loved ones getting fed up, as your stress and anxiety has become a barrier for them too? Is it time you dealth with these feelings and romoved the bars from the doors and windows of the cell you live in and live the life you only now dream of re-entering. Let me help you. We can do it together. You no longer need to face this alone. I know it sounds hard and you are scared, but I an assure you, it is possible to be you again!

Anxiety and stress are common complaints in our busy world with many demands and little time. How does a person cope? I have found that anxiety and stress occur when we are not living in the NOW. We may be obsessing about the past or worrying about the future. Using mindfulness, I can help you to access the present moment, the only place where peace can be found.

We all have worries, yet everyone's approach to those worries varies. My strategy is to understand your past and how it affects you before developing a therapeutic plan. I am interested in your story, strengths and abilities and often that's overlooked. Having a fresh set of eyes to look at the problem objectively can be helpful and change your relationship with anxiety and stress in a positive way.

I approach anxiety counseling with a professional and evidence-based methodology, ensuring that you receive the utmost quality of care. Drawing from a robust background in psychology, education, and therapy, I am well-prepared to navigate the intricacies of anxiety and its impact on your life. While anxiety is a natural response to stress, I recognize that, for some, it can become overwhelming and disruptive. It may manifest in various forms, such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, panic disorder, or specific phobias. Together we will implement proved techniques to relieve you of the anxiety that is impacting your well-being.

Anxiety and stress take a hold on you and never let go, leaving you trapped and frozen. I help my clients to learn all about the magic of mindfulness practice. It's one of the most effective ways to put you in control of your emotions, rather than them controlling you. Imagine how great it would be to have an internal place of peace and serenity that you can use at any time to relax and become grounded. Mindfulness is an ancient practice that is also supported by scientific empirical studies. It's one of the best ways to change your life.

Trauma, stress, and anxiety are usually caused by specific experiences that we have had, or by the lack of feeling of safety in our family, relationship, or at work. I help clients recover from traumatic events and experiences and develop stronger emotional management skills. Often clients have been put on medications that only mask the problems--please do not stop medications without your doctor's approval, and gradual reduction. There are other ways to calm the nervous system, and I am certified in EMDR (a treatment for post traumatic stress disorder), and other therapeutic techniques to help you with this.

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 can be related to a number of things going on in our lives at a given time. Typically it is how we perceive the stressors in our life, or the feeling that we don't have the resources to cope that determines whether or not we feel anxious, stressed, or overwhelmed. If we are unable to get into a RECOVERY zone, anxiety and stress can quickly seem to spin out of control and EVERYTHING may feel too hard. I use Cognitive and Behavioural, Mindfulness, and Ego State therapies to help individuals quickly acquire the tools, and insights that help them reduce the Anxiety symptoms and navigate their anxiety triggers. Moreover, they regain a sense of calm and control in their lives.

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.

You can live free of anxiety. There are step you can take. Anxious thinking creates powerful negative messages that impact your thoughts and your body physically. The result is your life begins to shrink. This is no way to live. You are meant to live a full, healthy life. The beautiful thing is you get to choose. Today you can start on a new journey towards freedom that gives you a new level of skill and an understanding of how anxiety works to assist you in defeating it and replacing it with greater peace and joy.

I come to the practice of counselling with a passion for wellness and transformative, life-long learning. I work in the public setting as a clinical counsellor in a local primary care network, support a local arts organization as executive director, and teach Clinical Counselling at the post-secondary level. I am particularly interested in post-modern and integral approaches to working with neurodiversity, couples, and the transition to full practitioner.