Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Temescal Valley, CA.

I use a client centered approach. Her therapeutic approach derives from the Cognitive-Behavioral aspect of therapy. With this approach I help clients connect their thoughts and feelings with their behaviors to identify ways to change their actions into a positive and productive results. I also teach mindfulness and how to be present in the moment.

Experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. However, anxiety disorders and ongoing chronic stress can appear as repeated episodes of worry & fear, or develop into sudden feelings of intense anxiety with physical sensations, known as panic attacks. Your anxiety may feel related to an event or thought, and other times appear to occur randomly and without cause. Anxiety can develop at any age, when left untreated it may develop into depression. In therapy we will explore how anxiety is affecting your life. You will learn how your physical, emotional and mental health are connected and together create an effective treatment plan specific to your goals to improve your well-being.

Stress and anxiety can be extremely uncomfortable but at the same time these are actually areas that therapy is the most able to help relieve. An important step is to help my clients learn how to transition the nervous system out of the fight/flight/freeze response into a state of relaxation. That alarm state is good for helping the individual respond to an emergency but it greatly reduces flexibility. Once out the reactive sympathetic nervous system state my clients can then find new ways of thinking and responding. In order to help them to get out of the alarm mode, I teach a variety of skills both directly and indirectly.

How does anxiety and stress play out in your life? It is a vital aspect of our lives, important at very specific times. Yet when anxiety is the ruler and someone is helpless it becomes a life limiting function. Anxiety might also be an avenue to avoid more intense emotional feelings and thoughts. A valuable goal might be to respect and manage one's anxiety and stress in order to live a more free and productive life.

Anxiety, panic, and phobia treatment are OCAC's sweet spot. This is where we do 95% of our work. The other 5% is in related disorders. If you find your thoughts controlling you or find yourself unable to step away from what you know are irrational thoughts, there are solutions. Many patients hear “Just relax" from friends and family, and while momentary exercises like breathing or meditation may help some, they really only subside surface symptoms of underlying cognitions that really need to be addressed. The inability to “just relax” will often exacerbate anxiety further, and there is a reason. If your needs are beyond common stress management, our average treatment is 14 weeks.

Have you recently gone through a major life change? Do you feel overwhelmed and anxious? Are you uncertain how to cope with your anxiety, work through your fears, and regain control of your life. Life transitions or changes in life can bring on a great deal of anxiety and overwhelm. From changing jobs to having a baby, getting divorced, and even getting married, transitions can be anxiety provoking. The good news is that there are simple and effective tools for managing anxiety and regaining control of your life. I will help you cope with your anxiety and work through the stressful situations you are currently dealing with.