Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Niagara on the Lake, ON.

Disappointments in life, conflict in relationships, challenges in the workplace, debt or health issues or any combination of things can contribute to stress and anxiety. When you feel overwhelmed, life becomes confusing and solutions are hard to see. Many day to day problems are easier to resolve, manage and avoid when you have the tools and support you need. Through counselling I help you understand your fears, frustrations, disappointments and experiences, while equipping you with effective skills and tools to cope with challenges from a position of inner peace and strength.

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.

As a Somatic (SE) therapist- mental & emotional health follows the state of the nervous system. If it is flowing seamlessly between sympathetic and parasympathetic; arousal and settling, within a “manageable range” there’s a deep, internal sense of well-being, emotional stability, confidence, clear thinking, aliveness, trust in self and others, and mastery. With SE we will focus on: Your experiences... in the body Learn to track, observe, describe what is going on for you Regulate internal arousal states, shift locked patterns into action, increase body awareness. Encourage emotional engagement with attention to: mindfulness, sensations, movements and impulses. Here & Now find YOU!

In these difficult times, and before, anxiety and stress can sometimes sneak up on us until we are surprised to find that we are catching colds, experiencing muscle aches and pains, or even are having difficulty eating or sleeping regularly. I will help you get to the root of what ails you, whether it is past trauma, current life stressors, an impending life transition, or generalized anxiety. By helping you uncover your strengths and teaching you tools to manage your stress or anxiety, I can assist you in rewriting the story you tell yourself about your past and your future.

Living with anxiety or having a high stress can have an impact on every area of our lives. Emotional health, physical health, relationships and careers can all suffer as a result. I use a poly-vagal informed approach to help my clients cope with and reduce their anxiety and stress while learning to gain control over their nervous systems. This approach is both educational and practical. If you would like to improve your quality of life by reducing anxiety and stress contact me for a free consult.

Some degree of anxiety and stress is normal. However, persistent and chronic anxiety and stress can interfere with the ability to cope with adverse situations. It can damage an individual’s health, mood, productivity, relationships, and quality of life. Mastora works with individual to find a more effective ways to deal with anxiety and stress through various therapeutic techniques and take back control of your life.

Are you feeling overwhelmed with stress or if are feelings of anxiousness getting in the way of you fully participating in life? If so, help is available to you. I will work with you to develop strategies to manage stress and to establish balance in your lifestyle. I am experienced in working with people with various types of anxiousness including: generalized anxiety social anxiety panic attacks obsessive compulsive disorder Together we can work to gradually develop skills that will help you manage difficult and anxious, thoughts and feelings so you may feel more relaxed as you participate more fully in life.

In my approach to anxiety and stress treatment and counseling, I prioritize creating a safe and supportive environment where clients feel empowered to explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. By employing evidence-based techniques such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and relaxation techniques, I work collaboratively with clients to develop personalized strategies for managing their symptoms. By addressing the underlying causes of anxiety and stress, clients can gain insight, build resilience, and develop coping skills to navigate life's challenges more effectively. Through therapy, clients not only learn to alleviate distressing symptoms but also cultivate a deeper understanding of themselves, leading to enhanced well-being and improved quality of life.

It is normal to worry and feel stressed about life's problems and pressures. But when compounded symptoms begin to overwhelm us to the point where we are getting headaches, heart palpitations, a churning stomach, cold sweats, sleepless nights, weight loss, obsessive thoughts, a distressed GI tract - then we need help to break the adrenaline-fear cycle. Anxiety feeds on fear and needs to be confronted, appropriately and safely, with relaxation techniques, new perceptions and constructive thinking patterns. A counsellor can help you do this.

In working with clients on their anxiety and stress I primarily aim to promote understanding: understanding of why we are feeling so anxious and stressed, what factors contribute, what can be done to better manage or eliminate anxiety and stress from our lives, and most importantly, how to eliminate ambiguity from our lives. I specialize in working with clients on their stress and anxiety, whether it stems from work, relationships, family, trauma, lifestyle, or beliefs. It is only through understanding that we can promote comprehensive and meaningful change in our lives. I utilize principles of cognitive behavioural therapy, solution-focused work, and psychodynamics in my work.

It's critical to understand that, even if you suffer from panic attacks, compulsive thoughts, ongoing worry, or a phobia, you don't have to live in fear and anxiety. In many cases, therapy is the most effective strategy to handle anxiety-related problems. Therapy gives you the skills and teaches you how to use them to overcome anxiety. If stress is not managed, it can become chronic stress and ultimately lead to burnout. While burnout leaves people feeling completely exhausted and unmotivated to keep going, stress often results in people feeling overwhelmed. Therapy provides coping mechanisms for stress symptoms, which may help to avoid burnout.

Dealing with stress and anxiety can be a challenge for many and navigating GAD, SAD and OCD can feel like anxiety has the upper hand. There are many coping strategies available to help with anxiety. Research has shown that CBT can be as effective as medication (Source: APA Div. 12 (Society of Clinical Psychology). I use a blend of CBT and ACT to help with anxiety both of which are research-based and proven to be effective for many people.

Anxiety and stress are common elements in most people's life. It is a necessary element to keeping us alive and safe; however there are points in our life's journey where stress can increase and change how we choose to move through our life's journey. Connect with Nicole to explore how stress and anxiety could be impacting you; why it maybe happening and how you can use various strategies, body based methods (Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga, somatic methods) and/or therapy methods such as CBT, mindfulness and meditation to move continue on your life's journey.

Anxiety and stress are two common experiences that can make us feel hopeless during difficult periods of our life. Anxiety can increase our stress and stress can make us feel worse. My approach is to explore triggers and building coping strategies to help manage symptoms and increase resilience to overcome personal challenges and build cognitive flexibility.

Stress can motivate you, but anxiety can dominate your life. I want to help bring your life back into balance. There are many ways we can address habitual anxiety because each person perceives and analyzes his or her world differently. Each person has his own history, habits, and ingrained viewpoints. Each person has certain prejudices and automatic reactions which he may not recognize. To gain a clearer view we need to get to know ourselves. Then we may decide to practice changing. The idea behind Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the best known group of anxiety treatments, is that mind, body and emotions are all connected in the brain. Change one, and you can effect the others.

Anxiety and stress are rampant in society today as we juggle a fast-paced environment and never-ending demands from employers, family, friends, and social media. My focus is aimed at helping you identify what triggers you have that lead to your experience of anxiety or stress and how we can mitigate these issues with tools, techniques and perhaps trauma therapy to alleviate your symptoms.