Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Monrovia, CA.

If you suffer from anxiety and stress, we can work together to understand the triggers of your stress and identify concrete, usable strategies to take into everyday life to manage it. Ancient stoic practices can be particularly effective in dealing with anxiety and I integrate these into my therapy sessions. Together, we can work to overcome the symptoms of anxiety and improve your daily experience of the world. With the right tools and support, you can start to live your life to the fullest again.

Life has a way of making us feel overwhelmed and out of control at times. Stress and anxiety can build up and consume your thoughts and feelings. I believe that by exploring unmet needs from the past, people can develop healthier relationships today. By working through painful losses and wounds, people can release unhelpful beliefs about themselves and others in order to live more fully in the present and with hope for the future. We are hurt in relationships; we are also healed in relationship, and the therapeutic relationship can be a useful resource. If you are ready to take the next step I am here to support and empower you. I look forward to working with you!

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 falls along a continuum from acceptable to crippling, debilitating anxiety requiring professional intervention. The major forms that anxiety takes are: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder, Phobic Disorders, Social Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD). A variety of proven therapeutic interventions are well established now, eg., Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Yoga, Tai Chi, Breathwork. By diving into therapy clients regain a sense of optimism, courage and confidence in relationships, workplace and career, driving, aging, life transitions and more.

I am a psychoanalytic therapist with a focus on anxiety and stress. Through my practice, I strive to create an empathetic, non-judgmental space where you can express your thoughts and feelings. I take a unique approach to therapy, exploring the underlying causes of your concerns and developing personalized solutions to help you move forward. My goal is to help my patients gain insight into their struggles and find inner peace.

Big or small, anxiety has a way of effecting our lives. Anxiety not only effects those who struggle to do, but also, those who are already doing so much. We can minimize it, rationalize it, and tell ourselves it's circumstantial but the truth is anxiety is the very thing that keeps you from feeling connected to the moment and those around you. In our work together, I will help you cultivate techniques, strategies and mindsets unique to you that will help you to reclaim your life, allow you to be present to the moment, and create a feeling of wholeness. If you're ready to feel less stress and live in a more meaningful way I'd love to meet you and see how I can support you in your journey.

Many individuals are surprised when I tell them that not all anxiety is necessarily negative, in fact, it was crucial to our survival for hundreds of year. We still can experience this with our fight, flight, or freeze responses when we preceive danger; however, these are often used to extreme when they are not necessary as they may have been back in the cave man days. Anxious behaviors may stem from inherited characteristics, environmental or learned behaviors, or a combination of these. The result may lead to a significant decrease in functioning for individuals and in many domains in their lives, i.e., work, school, social life; psychotherapy can make a significant positive impact.

I take a practical approach to treating anxiety and stress. I help you identify the sources of anxiety if you do not already know them. I support you in learning skills to regulate your emotions and increase awareness of body sensations and experiences in order to help you be able to control and reduce feelings of anxiety. I also use a combination of exposure therapy, if appropriate, and adjustment to lifestyle to help you reduce or eliminate sources of anxiety or stress. I know that every experience of anxiety or stress is unique and I will work with you to develop a plan of support tailored to your needs. I will provide a safe environment for you to challenge and overcome your fear/stress

Stress and anxiety play a big role in our lives. We live in an information heavy world, which along with the daily grind of life, can make people feel overwhelmed and anxious. One of the problems is that it isn’t just felt by the person suffering, but by all those around the person as well. That’s why it’s crucial to learn techniques to alleviate your stress. I believe that in order to really work through your anxiety, you need to figure out where it’s coming from and learn your triggers. Reducing your stress will result in better relationships, greater confidence in your abilities, and renewed enjoyment in experiences to just name a few.

Life can be overwhelming at times resulting in increased anxiety and stress. If you are experiencing difficulty sleeping, worrying constantly, and increased irritability, you can benefit from additional support. Talking about issues you are dealing with may be hard, but avoiding issues can be even more devastating. Lack of sleep and fearful thoughts often do not go away by themselves. Learning new techniques on how to cope with stress and anxiety can improve your relationships, your outlook on life, and your overall health and well being. Reaching out for help is not a weakness, it shows strength and willingness to learn skills to improve your life.

Anxiety and stress must be tended to on multiple fronts. If you are seeking help with anxiety and stress today, you are looking for immediate relief. I will work with you to identify immediate lifestyle changes, coping skills, and tools that may make anxiety more manageable. There is no quick fix or immediate cure, but some changes truly help. Anxiety often has deep sources and is an adaptive response to conscious and unconscious beliefs about yourself and the world. This type of therapeutic work moves more slowly as we work together to fully understand who you are, your unexplored ideas of who you are, and arrive at new places of understanding that can be freeing and calming.

My approach to the treatment of anxiety is to use the most effective intervention strategies possible. My treatment for anxiety (including panic disorder and OCD) utilizes exposure therapy, which works by helping a person confront a specific fear or memory while in a safe and supportive environment. The main goals of exposure therapy are to help my clients learn that by stopping the avoidance of what they fear, they actually become MORE comfortable and can reduce their anxiety to a substantial degree - all of which opens doors of hope and increases the potential to reach your desired goals with an improved quality of life.

Anxiety and stress come from a variety of sources for children and young adults. Further, the behavioral outcome of anxiety and stress varies from one individual to the next. While some may become isolated and avoid stressful situations, others can become behaviorally aggressive and aggitated. I work closely with my clients and families on identifying the underlying causes of this anxiety, and by using cognitive behavioral therapy and solution focused methods my clients learn the skills to manage and resolve these stressors.