Healing MattersHealing Matters

Anxiety Counselling

Do You Feel Anxious and Overwhelmed About Your Life?

You may be feeling exhausted and tired of the constant worry. You might have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep and then wake up feeling agitated and restless.  Or you may feel tense, insecure, and awkward when you are around other people.

Feeling anxious from time to time is common particularly since we live in a world with so many competing demands.  When your anxiety begins to significantly interfere with so many aspects of your life and you feel so much distress, it is time to talk to a professional.

You might have panic attacks and be terrified about having another one.  Your breathing gets heavy, your heart races, and you have sweaty palms.  You feel out of control.

Therapy for your struggle with anxiety can help bring ease to your relationships and yourself.

Signs of Anxiety Disorders

Do you experience any of the following symptoms?

Generalized Anxiety

  • You have many worries, and the anxiety and worry is persistent
  • You don’t seem to be able to control your worrying
  • You are easily fatigued, irritable, and have difficulty concentrating

Social Anxiety

  • You have a fear of a specific situation; crowds or public speaking
  • You fear acting in a way that will be humiliating or embarrassing
  • You recognize that the fear is excessive or unreasonable
  • You avoid specific situations or endure them with intense anxiety

Generalized or Specific Social Phobia

  • You have a fear of any social or group situation, not specific
  • You have a fear of being watched or evaluated
  • You have a fear of and avoidance of one object or situation
  • You have significant anxiety & distress when exposed to the object or situation
  • You may have a fear of snakes, bats, bees, or dogs
  • You may have a fear that the elevator will get stuck or that a plane will crash

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

  • You have recurring ideas, thoughts, or impulses that seem senseless but intrude in your mind
  • You recognize that these thoughts are irrational but you can’t stop them
  • You may have a fear of having left the lights on or left the stove on
  •  You engage in a behavior or ritual to get rid of the anxiety that was brought on by the obsession
  • You feel compelled to perform these behaviors or rituals
  • You might count, wash, or check repeatedly or avoid anything that would give you germs

Panic Disorder

  • You have sudden episodes of apprehension or intense fear that a panic attack will occur unexpectedly
  • You might have a fear of having another panic attack
  • You may have shortness of breath, pounding heart, dizziness, unsteadiness, or faintness
  • You may have sweating, trembling, or shaking

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

  • Psychological symptoms following a traumatic event
  • You experience intense fear, terror, and helplessness
  • You have repetitive, distressing thoughts about the event
  • You may have nightmares related to the event
  • You have flashbacks so intense that it feels that the trauma is happening again
  • You avoid thoughts or feelings associated with the trauma & you are emotionally numb

With the right approach and guidance from a careful therapist that understands what you are going through, healing is possible.

Therapy Can Help You Feel More Grounded & Live Your Life with Joy

In therapy with me, I will work with you to help overcome the blocks that are preventing you from having a life free from anxiety.

  1.  You will explore the complex emotions that underlie your anxiety.
  2. I will help you identify your core emotional beliefs so you can change your inner critic.
  3. You will have tools and strategies to help manage your anxiety, worry, and panic and feel less exhausted.
  4. You will identify your triggers and then be able to change the intensity of your anxiety in response to them.
  5. You will learn strategies that will help you sleep more peacefully without the worry that you may now experience.

Clients tell me that they continue to use the strategies they learn to manage their anxiety long after leaving therapy.

Here are 3 Research Proven Methods That I Use to Help With Anxiety

Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)

“EMDR is a set of standardized procedures that incorporates aspects from many different therapy approaches. It has been extensively researched.  Therapists report success with anxiety.” (EMDRIA)

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Tapping

“EFT tapping techniques use the fingers to tap on acupuncture points, and when this is done in conjunction with tuning into the traumatic or difficult or painful experience that is laced with emotion, the tapping process detaches the emotional charge from that thought or memory.” (NefTI)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is based on the premise that our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions are all connected. CBT has proven extremely effective in decreasing anxiety, depression, anger, and other negative emotional states. It is the most widely used evidence-based therapy approach for helping people with their anxiety.

These are some of the most effective therapy approaches for anxiety that can sometimes turn your life around in less time than you think.