Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Bowen Island, BC.

We are far more primitive in our reactions than we like to think, and fear, stress, or anxiety, can go from an adaptive warning to a very non adaptive over reaction, arresting our ability to function. I have worked extensively in this area, in giving workshops and as a trainer for other counsellors, focusing first on understanding the body's reaction and then developing skills to over-ride the anxiety response. Using a mindfulness approach, staying connected with our needs, and focusing on resiliency, anxiety can be tamed.

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues. If you are feeling anxious, you are not alone. Anxiety can be crippling and can drain our energy to enjoy life. The good news is that anxiety is also very treatable. When working with anxiety, I use my clinical experience to tailor my approach to your specific situation. We will focus on what tools will be most useful for you to regulate your anxiety and will also discuss the roots of your anxiety. We will get curious about what anxiety is trying to tell you about the emotions that need to be addressed or the changes that need to be made in your life. We will work together to find your inner calm again.

Anxiety is a kind of stage fright. It stems from trying to control what can't be controlled: the future, other people, the outcomes of some of our efforts. Because anxiety is so uncomfortable, we often want to avoid facing what’s stirring it up. We may even feel embarrassed or ashamed that we’re anxious. Counselling provides a supportive environment that helps you talk about your anxiety and find better ways of managing it. Feeling connected to another person helps you steady yourself. Counselling provides strategies for handling anxiety in the moment. It also looks at how relationships in your past are contributing to the reactions you’re having now so you can make changes for the better.

Are you a gay man that struggles with felling anxious, stressed, and overwhelmed? Perhaps you’ve even felt the out of control experience of a panic attack before. All of these experiences can show up in unique ways for gay men, and sometimes a general approach to these issues just isn’t enough. First, I’ll help you with anxiety by teaching you tools that can get you quick relief from some of your anxiety right away. From there, I’ll work with you to grow your progress further, and understand the roots of your anxiety so that you can maintain your freedom from anxiety long term.

I support individuals tunderstand and cope with anxiety. The underlying purpose of anxiety is to keep an individual safe and away from harm. Due to complex mechanisms that influence the nervous system, individuals develop stress responses that can be adaptive strategies in the moment but become maladaptive over time, no longer serving one’s best interest. There may be many triggers that can generate overwhelming levels of anxiety in an individual that can difficult to cope with. I use CBT to help clients rewire their nervous system, reframe their belief system, recognize negative automatic thoughts and their generation stemming from critical incidents in childhood.

How is anxiety standing in your way of living your life? Do you overthink to the point where your worries seem like absolute realities? What conversations are you avoiding out of fear you would embarrass yourself and sound stupid? Who are you not getting closer to because anxiety is telling you old stories about rejection & judgement? How much longer do you want to live like this? WITH ANXIETY COUNSELLING, I CAN HELP YOU DEVELOP RICHER CONNECTIONS TO YOURSELF AND OTHERS – AND START LIVING A MORE FULFILLING LIFE.

Life is like a bathtub, except there are usually lots of drains and not enough taps to fill it up - so we live in a state of not having being able to fill up fast enough which causes anxiety and stress. Sometimes there are physiological reasons for anxiety and stress, and those need to be addressed medically. I will help you identify if that could be your case. But if it is or isn't, counselling can help you identify and explore those drains and taps and help you plug up some drains and create more taps. The goal is to help you live out of fullness rather than emptiness.

Anxiety is often the manifestation of an overactive fight or flight mechanism. This mechanism is in us for a reason, so we won't try to shut it down. But we will look at ways to modulate the alarm response so our lives are enjoyable and fulfilling. Stress is not the same as anxiety, and my favourite intervention for it involves reframing stress as a challenge and opportunity to build capacity. With a little work, stress can become your friend.

Anxiety and stress can impact every aspect of life, but with the right support, you can regain control and find balance. My approach helps clients understand the root causes of their anxiety and stress, identify triggers, and develop practical tools to manage overwhelming emotions. Together, we’ll build coping strategies tailored to your needs, promote relaxation, and foster resilience. Clients benefit from reduced feelings of tension, improved emotional regulation, and a greater sense of calm and confidence in their daily lives.

Chronic stress and anxiety when untreated can make just 'regular human function' feel like an unsurmountable task. Anxiety tends to be a downstream symptom of other psychological dynamics and experiences, so understanding how we got here can help us process their impact and develop tools to increase resiliency, improve insight, and manage feelings and emotions.

Anxiety is rooted in a deep fear of something in the future. Therefore, I believe the first step in counselling anxiety is understanding what that fear may be (e.g., abandonment, not good enough, harm will come to you) then recognizing what symptoms that arise from that fear. My clients have found it helpful to differentiate between physical and mental symptoms of anxiety, and been given specific strategies to manage both types. It's helpful to distinguish between anxiety and stress, whereby anxiety is future-orientated while stress is present-orientated. Therefore, I counsel stress management skills to encourage immediate change in one's environment to reduce feelings of being overwhelmed.

Anxiety and stress can be the first signs that something is off that we need to respond to in our lives. They can snowball until they have power over us: their impulses conflicting with our greater needs. They can also be signs of deeper issues that are unique to each of our lives. Our personalities, senses of self, life histories, and individual understandings of the world all play a role; as do our nervous systems and embodied patterns of how we generate and resolve anxious feelings. Together we’ll collaborate to get every part of you on your team, aligned with the direction you want to take as as a whole.

Anxiety and stress take a mighty toll on our mental, physical and spiritual well being. I work from the "inside out" in other words I help my clients look at what their own beliefs are about themselves and others too. As we slowly work towards more self acceptance, relaxation, mindfullness and acceptance..stress lessens and anxiety dissapears as it is well managed...and self regulation kicks in.

Our focus is to support individuals who are struggling with anxiety and stress to a more relaxed and manageable way of being. Not only is stress and anxiety hard on our health and energy, but it also can have a significant impact on our world around us. We will work in a collaborative manor to break apart the building blocks that have contributed to the imbalance of anxiety and stress in your life, and empower you with the tools and techniques to remain in balance.

Anxiety and stress impact our sleep, physical health, and our ability to be fully present in our lives. Stress acts as a ‘check engine’ light to let us know something in our environment needs to be addressed. We cannot eliminate stress without attending to our stressors. Some people find a moderate amount of anxiety gives them the umph they need to get things done. Ultimately, we want to feel good in our bodies, and be fully present, without the shadow of worry at every turn. What are these emotions trying to tell us? Getting to their roots gives us the information we need to make healthy adjustments in our lives, so the ‘check engine’ lights can turn back off.

Want to free yourself from anxieties, panic attacks or phobias? Want to learn to stop worrying or feeling stressed out constantly? Want to feel more comfortable and confident in social situations? You don’t have to live with anxieties anymore! The EMDR therapy I use can effectively help you with various types of anxiety, making changes in your brain and your nervous system. The powerful hypnotherapy I use can free you from anxiety by reprograming your subconscious mind that perpetuates anxieties. Many people can start to get great relief from anxiety working with me from 1 to several sessions, even if they have had anxieties for years! Fear no more! Worry no more! Call ME 778-548-7345!

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.