Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Seneca, IL.

Worry is a normal reaction to everyday stress and traumatic life events. Some ways of coping will reduce your discomfort. However, you may be one of the millions who experience anxiety to such a degree that it impairs your functioning at home, work or school. Left unchecked, anxiety will affect your overall quality of life. CBT, Mindfulness, and Exposure Therapy are proven methods for dealing social or performance anxiety, nightmares and sleep fears, intrusive negative thoughts, or OCD. Kari can assist you, your child or adolescent, in controlling anxiety and achieving relief from the mental and physical symptoms that can be debilitating.

My approach to anxiety and stress counseling focuses on providing a safe and empathetic environment where clients can explore their experiences and identify underlying patterns. I utilize a blend of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness techniques to help clients gain practical tools for managing anxious thoughts and overwhelming stress. By fostering self-awareness and developing effective coping strategies, clients learn to respond to challenges with resilience and calm. My goal is to empower clients to build confidence, improve daily functioning, and enhance overall well-being through personalized and evidence-based treatment.

Anxiety is an obstacle that keeps people from moving towards their goals and dreams. Anxiety hinders relationships, career opportunities, dreams, and keeps people from being successful. I believe in order to get through anxieties one must change their "yes but" language to "yes and" so that opportunities begin to present themselves. The biggest regrets in life are generally now what we have done, but what we didn't do. I believe it is never too late to do the next right thing. Using evidence based modalities of CBT, ACT, and DBT interventions, I can assist you in moving past the anxiety and back to the life you desire.

In my psychotherapy practice, I offer a compassionate and supportive environment for addressing anxiety and stress. My approach combines cognitive-behavioral techniques, mindfulness, and personalized strategies to help patients manage symptoms effectively. Through our work together, patients gain tools to reduce anxiety, enhance coping skills, and improve overall well-being. The benefits of my anxiety and stress treatment include increased resilience, better emotional regulation, and a more balanced, fulfilling life.

Anxiety can go by many names - fear, shyness, worry, etc. It can be a functional part of life when it is managed, but when it is not, it can be detrimental to your sense of security. We explore what may be feeding you anxiety and try to help you break unhealthy associations. In doing so, we promote self-confidence, self-compassion, and resilience. Oftentimes and over time, it is a surprise to see how much you have overcome.

I specialize in the treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (Worry), Panic Disorder with or without Agoraphobia, Health Anxiety Disorder, Specific Phobias, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I would describe my therapeutic approach to be cognitive behavioral (CBT), with an emphasis on the behavioral. I also like to integrate other third wave mindfulness-based CBT approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy when indicated.

Clients seeking therapy for anxiety and stress can benefit from cognitive treatment which aims at changing thinking patterns to ease symptoms and promote positive insight. With cognitive therapy, you will learn to model healthier behaviors and ways of thinking to help change the perception of issues/situations that cause anxiety and stress. The goal of this therapy is for you to gain the ability to differentiate negative or overwhelming thoughts from healthy thoughts to prevent future self-depreciating feelings. Therapy can also help you to assess your need for any anti-anxiety medication to assist with symptom reduction.

Some of the benefits in seeking therapy for anxiety and stress: Ability to reduce physical symptoms that come along with anxiety Learning coping skills to use as soon as you start feeling the anxiety or even mid panic attack Learning various relaxation techniques to over come stress Learn various types of meditation to relax the body Learn various types of breathwork to calm the nervous system