Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in St Jacobs, ON.

Anxiety has many sources and can mean many different things. It is always experienced physiologically in the same way, no matter the source or meaning. Anxiety arises when we move into unknown territory. This is normal. It arises when something of value to us is threatened. We can think of this as "sacred" anxiety. Or we can become anxious about being anxious, worried about things over which we have no control. This is neurotic anxiety. I work with people to first understand the source and meaning of their anxiety. Then work to help them learn to calm the anxiety down in order to take appropriate action in dealing with its source.

Embark on a journey of healing and resilience with anxiety and stress counseling. As a therapist specializing in anxiety, trauma, grief, and relationships, I offer a compassionate approach grounded in Emotionally Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Polyvagal Theory, and Somatic EMDR. Together, we'll navigate your challenges, providing support and practical strategies to help you find peace and strength in the face of adversity. Take the first step towards a brighter tomorrow today.

It is hard to understand anxiety unless you have experienced it. Anxiety is a lot like an unwanted guest at a party, only this guest often ruins everything and seemingly never wants to leave. People who live with anxiety are often misunderstood, minimized or dismissed as irrational by those who do not understand what it is like to feel anxious. Additionally, many people living with anxiety often blame themselves for their anxious thinking, which can often make things worse. I help men to better cope with their anxiety by working together to find and practice the tools and techniques that work for them so they can successfully deal with those unwanted/and poorly timed anxious moments.

Anxiety can come in many forms, such as: panic and anxiety attacks; extreme fear; worrying thoughts from which one rarely gets a break; sleeplessness either due to going over and over how one behaved during the day, and judging oneself, or, from dreading what the following day might bring; fear and avoidance of one's own intense emotions; fear of rejection of others, leading to intense social anxiety or avoidance of close relationships; performance anxiety, such as worries about exams, job interviews, or performance appraisals at one's place of work. I like to get a sense of the frequency, intensity, and duration of somebody's anxiety, and then to help them to reduce all 3.

Anxiety and stress can be, in a word, scary! They can leave us feeling overwhelmed and alone. Therapy can provide a safe and supportive space to explore these concerns and learn new skills that can restore your sense of freedom and control. I offer a free 15-minute consultation for individuals aged 14+ to see if I am a good fit to help you manage your anxiety and stress.

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.

When our lives get overwhelmed with anxiety and stress it can be hard to ask for help. I commend you for taking the first step and reaching out. In our sessions I will create a compassionate space for you to talk about difficult topics without judgment. I use an informal, conversational approach to therapy where I incorporate techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT). I support my clients in developing effective coping strategies that enable them to live a more authentic and fulfilling life.

The experience of stress and anxiety can be a challenging one to navigate alone. Throughout sessions, we will work to understand activators of stress and anxiety, develop management tools that serve you best, and explore the various meanings and purposes that stress and anxiety serve in your life. Contact me for a free consultation to learn more about my approach and to see if we would be a good fit.

I believe we all have moments in our lives when we experience stress and anxiety. Every single one of us could benefit from tools taken from mindfulness exercises, and other great therapeutic approaches. Stress sucks, but stress can be a really important reminder that we need to pay attention to something important going on in our lives. Let’s find the tools that work best for you and start implementing them into your life. Let’s breathe a little easier together.

Stress and anxiety trigger the internal alarm system, alerting us to a threat, and activating our nervous system, sending a flood of stress hormones through the body in preparation to fight the threat, or run from it. When the brain determines the threat is gone it sends the signal that the body returns to its natural calm state. But what if the brain fails to tell the body that the threat is gone? This is where stress and anxiety start to build and become seemingly impossible to endure. I work with my clients to reduce the presence of stress, to cope and mange it better, while learning how to intentionally activate the body's calming mechanisms.

I offer therapy for clients experiencing stress and anxiety, providing a compassionate and supportive environment to explore their concerns. Through evidence-based techniques such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and relaxation exercises, I help clients identify triggers, manage symptoms, and develop effective coping strategies. My goal is to empower clients to regain control, reduce their stress levels, and enhance their overall well-being, fostering a more balanced and fulfilling life.

Anxiety can be a productive and useful tool in helping us understand and interpret our environment. However, when anxiety is chronic, it can take a significant toll on both physical and mental health, ultimately effecting all facets of our lives. I like to examine the causes of anxiety and understand what anxiety is attempting to communicate and protect one from. In doing so, I hope to reframe anxiety, foster acceptance and welcome healing and change. I am also a strong believer in self-care and giving oneself permission to rest, which is imperative in stress and anxiety management. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to ensure we are a good fit.

In these unprecedented times in our lives many of us are dealing with feelings of great uncertainty about our individual future and how to handle and cope with life changes. Repetitive thoughts are often aligned with anxiety. Anxiety has a cyclical pattern and unless it is interrupted it will run its course, causes overwhelming feelings of fear and despair. Through a compassionate and observational lens reducing stress and anxiety will cultivate focus and clarity. Learning to connect to our senses is very grounded and can quickly break the anxiety cycle and help bring us back to our own center. Book a free consultation to see if we are a good fit.

Anxiety and stress can be overwhelming, but you don't have to face them alone. I offer a supportive and personalized approach to help you regain control and develop a deeper understanding of your concerns. Together, we'll explore effective strategies tailored to your unique needs. You deserve relief from the weight of anxiety. Reach out for a free consultation, and let's start your journey towards calmness and resilience.

Stress and anxiety when present within healthy limits can stimulate, motivate, challenge, warn and activate our bodies to react accordingly to the situation. When it's too much, too intense and for too long, stress and anxiety lead to poor functioning, impairment and exhaustion resulting in stress and anxiety overload, contributing heavily to triggering anxiety disorders. In my therapy, I use therapeutic approaches and techniques that help reduce stress and anxiety and enhance the quality of your life and build your emotional resilience. You develop skills to minimize distress and maximize efficacy in many areas of your living and live life in a happier and healthier manner

It is easy to become to become overwhelmed by emotions, especially when they tend to have particularly negative reactions to those unpleasant feelings and situations. In therapy we will work though learning to understand how thoughts contribute to you anxiety symptoms. By learning to change those thought patterns, you may reduce the likelihood and intensity of anxiety symptoms. You will also learn techniques to reduce undesired behaviours associated with anxiety and stress. Specifically, you're encouraged to approach activities and situations that provoke anxiety to learn that their feared outcomes and work through the heat of the moment, with guidance and help.

In my experience, the combination of schema therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective approach to dealing with anxiety. This method digs deeper than CBT alone and brings forth insights that guide us to specific stress and anxiety management priorities tailored to your needs. This is an amplified form of CBT that will open a new door to your recovery.

People often wrongly assume that anxiety and stress come purely from inside our minds or from our circumstances - both of which are hard to control. In our sessions together we'll draw on multiple disciplines and teach you how to do simple exercises that can rewire your nervous system and help you feel at peace in your- regardless of what is happening around you. We'll also explore how to improve your thinking in ways that can protect you from feeling overwhelmed when anxiety pops up.

Anxiety and stress are main reasons that we lack balance in our lives because they result in heightened focus on one particular area, often to the detriment of others. Taking the time to explore how your anxiety and stress are affecting you and finding strategies for addressing the imbalance can lead to a greater sense of peace and more satisfaction and contentment with life.

Anxiety and stress can be consuming and prevent people from living their fullest lives. I offer practical treatment to help people learn to manage and reduce feelings of anxiety for a more peaceful day to day life in which emotions and fears do not take over. Clients learn to challenge and reduce their anxiety with my support and guidance and learn calming techniques, thought challenging, and emotion management. Learning healthy ways to cope with stressful situations is also a priority. There are both physical, mental, and emotional benefits to managing and reducing stress and anxiety, e.g., reduced blood pressure, reduced muscle tension and aches, a sense of calmness, confidence, and so on.

My approach to Anxiety & Stress Treatment combines evidence-based techniques with a compassionate, individualized touch. In a supportive and non-judgmental environment, we will identify the sources of your anxiety and stress, and develop practical strategies to manage them. Utilizing cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and relaxation techniques, I aim to help you regain control, reduce symptoms, and improve your overall well-being. By empowering you with effective tools and coping mechanisms, you can lead a calmer, more balanced life. Take the first step towards peace and book an appointment with us today.

For many of us, our stream of life is interrupted by events that are so stressful and scary that they create lasting change. This can be a single incident such as an assault or accident. Or, it could be recurring incidents that take place in the course of our work. It could also be trauma in our earliest years from our caregivers or in our first relationships. If you feel that something from your past is impacting your current life, trauma and stress focused therapy may be a good fit for you.

In our world of chronic and fast change anxiety and stress are common. Sometimes the source is situational and sometimes its a longstand issue. Sherry believes that discovering the root cause helps her client work through the anxiety and stress. She also assists her client with developing new coping skills, tailored to fit who the client is and what works best for them.