Starting anxiety counselling is similar to driving. Like driving different vehicles, it may take time to determine which counselling modality is the best fit for you in sessions. I sit next to you in the passenger seat, ensuring you are safe, heard, validated, and supported as you drive. I offer strategies and tools designed to help you understand and manage your anxiety. You can pull over, slow down, or change lanes at any time. Some sessions may involve driving in difficult terrain as you share upsetting and painful experiences that trigger your anxiety. However, you are not alone; we process these experiences together as we move forward. You gain new insight and understanding, which in turn creates new experiences. As you drive home after your counselling session and reflect on your session, you notice how you are regaining control over your thoughts and feelings.
I am a registered clinical counsellor in Burnaby (#19428) dedicated to supporting individuals who experience anxiety.
I am a Burnaby therapist who works with you to explore your anxious thoughts and feelings. This happens in a safe, non-judgmental, and confidential space, in-person and online. You are more than your anxiety, and I focus on your strengths and resilience to help you regain control over your thoughts and feelings.
At Ease Counselling in Burnaby, I offer individual, in-person, and online anxiety counselling for adults and youth. I work with you to help you achieve your goals and improve your mental health.
As your Burnaby BIPOC counsellor, I ensure you feel seen, heard, validated, and accepted. Starting your healing journey takes courage, and I am here to support you every step of the way.
You may be a busy, successful professional who struggles with anxiety. At work, you may appear like you have everything under control, and coworkers may admire how you carry yourself. However, internally, you may struggle with anxiety, increased self-doubt and panic attacks, but you feel embarrassed or uncomfortable sharing your feelings.
You may be a high-achieving student who struggles with anxiety. At school, your peers and friends admire your ability to study and deliver coursework and presentations confidently. However, internally, you may struggle with anxiety, panic attacks, and worries because you want to meet your parents’ expectations.
You may be a stay-at-home parent or caregiver who struggles with anxiety. At home, you may appear to be in control, consistently meeting the needs of your partner and children. However, internally, you may struggle with anxiety and panic attacks because you worry about things going wrong and not being able to control them.
At Ease Counselling in Burnaby provides a safe space for you to share and explore how your anxiety is impacting your life.
Anxiety can manifest on the surface for people in various forms. Some examples include:
Burnaby anxiety counselling provides a non-judgmental, kind, and compassionate space to help you build your self-esteem. Together, we focus on your needs, which may include the following:
As your counsellor in Burnaby, I use a variety of different counselling modalities to support clients with anxiety. Every client is different, and as a counsellor, I support each client with where they are in their healing journey. Counselling modalities that can help include:
ACT can help clients accept their thoughts and feelings without trying to change them. It can also help individuals change their behaviour so that it aligns more closely with their values. For example, noticing when they feel anxious and how to cope with these feelings.
CBT can help individuals identify and challenge negative core beliefs and thought patterns. It can also help individuals notice the connection between their feelings, thoughts and actions. For example, when an individual feels anxious, they may think that other people are judging them, and they may shut down or withdraw.
DBT can help individuals with emotional regulation and distress tolerance by learning skills and strategies to help them cope. For example, noticing signs of anxiety in the body and learning how to manage these feelings.
Websites to help you with your anxiety
https://www.anxietycanada.com/
https://keltymentalhealth.ca/anxiety
https://www.vch.ca/en/anxiety-resources-children-youth-and-families
BC Crisis Line: 310-6789
Indigenous Crisis and Support Line – KUU-US Crisis Support Line: 1-800-588-8717
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868
https://lookoutsociety.ca/mdabc/
Suicide prevention hotline: 1-800 784 2433
Burnaby anxiety counselling in Burnaby focuses on the connection between your thoughts, feelings, body sensations, and behaviour. When your anxiety comes to the surface, you may feel it in your chest, and you may panic. You may struggle to breathe and have a panic attack. You may think that you have no control over your anxiety and, consequently, may avoid engaging in specific experiences. You may worry about how others perceive you in these moments, and your negative core beliefs may surface. For example, you may believe that you are unlovable, not good enough or unimportant. As your Burnaby therapist, I support individuals with anxiety by unpacking their thoughts, feelings, body sensations and behaviour. Some of our work also involves challenging your negative core beliefs and strengthening positive beliefs.
Burnaby anxiety counselling in Burnaby explores how your anxiety impacts your life. For example, some clients stop driving or avoid large crowds due to their feelings of anxiety. Other clients share having a panic attack when trying to deliver a presentation. As a counsellor in Burnaby, I remain curious to learn more about your triggers and where your anxiety stems from. For some clients, it stems from their childhood, as one or both parents were not present during their upbringing. For other clients, it may stem from a past trauma, for example, one of their parents was taken ill and hence unavailable. Some of our work is unpacking and processing past traumas. Some of our work may also focus on your attachment style, needs and fears. Unresolved issues or unmet needs may impact your present day, especially in romantic relationships.
Burnaby anxiety counselling works with you to heal from experiences that result in you feeling anxious. Some of your anxiety may stem from your childhood, for example, feeling abandoned by a parent. As your Burnaby therapist, I work with you to process and heal from these experiences through inner child work. We also unpack and explore your attachment needs and fears, and how these impact your relationships. For example, some individuals have an anxious attachment and fear that their partner will leave them, even though their partner may never have talked about leaving. Together, we explore where in your body you feel anxious and how you cope with these feelings. Finally, I am curious to learn about your coping mechanisms, and I share techniques to help you manage your anxiety.
Feelings of anxiety can stem from various places. For some people, their anxiety is rooted in their childhood or adolescence, for others, it is rooted in their family of origin. Childhood abuse or trauma, traumatic life experiences, and attachment styles may also explain why someone feels anxious. At Ease Counselling in Burnaby helps clients unpack the origins of their anxiety in a safe, non-judgmental space. Many people feel anxious in life, and as your counsellor, I’m interested in learning more about what your anxiety is trying to communicate to you.
There are several different types of anxiety disorders, including generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety, specific phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. As your Burnaby therapist, I am not able to diagnose an anxiety disorder, but I support clients with these disorders. Counselling modalities like Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing can help individuals process distressing or traumatic experiences.
This depends on the individual and their unique experiences. Clients who have struggled with anxiety since they were teenagers may have more experiences to unpack and process. I support clients whose grandparents or caregivers raised them because their parents were working, and some of these clients share having an anxious attachment to their partner or spouse. At Ease Counselling in Burnaby, I support clients with anxious attachment styles and unpack how this is impacting their interpersonal relationships. Sometimes, after four to six sessions, clients start to notice change, but their counselling journey may last ten to twenty sessions.
Some people worry that something bad is going to happen, and they start to feel a tightness in their chest. They may struggle to breathe, their heart beats faster, and they notice that they are sweating. In some cases, people worry that they are having a heart attack. A panic attack may last less than five minutes, but it can feel overwhelming and concerning. As your Burnaby therapist, I support clients who are experiencing a panic attack, and I’m curious to explore triggers.
Counselling can help individuals manage their anxiety, but it does not eliminate feelings of anxiety. Some clients feel trapped and overwhelmed when their anxiety comes to the surface, and it prevents them from engaging in activities. As your Burnaby therapist, I work with clients so they feel more in control, even when they feel anxious or have a panic attack. Together, we ensure that clients can engage in experiences and live their best lives. Anxiety helps us feel safe and is part of our internal compass. I support clients in becoming curious about their anxiety and learning to soothe their anxious feelings.
As a Burnaby BIPOC counsellor, sessions focus on meeting you where you are and working at your pace, alongside you, with compassion, kindness, and curiosity, both in-person and online.
As a Burnaby therapist, I incorporate evidence-based modalities in every session. I am trained in various evidence-based modalities, including Acceptance Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. Each of these modalities equips me to support your unique needs, and we work together to achieve your counselling goals.
As a Burnaby therapist, I understand the impact of inequality and oppression, providing a safe, non-judgmental, and inclusive space in-person and online. People from all ethnic backgrounds, genders, and sexual orientations, including 2SLGBTQ+, are welcome. As a South Asian Burnaby therapist, I create a culturally sensitive space, and I am curious to learn more about your culture, norms, and values.
