Anxiety Counselling in Ottawa
EMDR-focused therapy to help you process and release the emotional weight you’ve been carrying. Sessions available in-person and online.
Surface symptoms are only part of the story.
If you’re dealing with anxiety or depression, you may already know it’s not just in your head. And if not, you at least know something is “off.” Most days feel foggy, and on the harder ones, you wake up with a sense of dread. Even the simplest parts of life, including once-steady relationships, feel brittle and overwhelming. Work is hard to face too—even if you’re seemingly successful. Plans fall apart, small tasks feel enormous, and you’ve begun to second-guess everything.
You may be withdrawing from others or pushing harder to keep up appearances. Despite how smart or self-aware you are, the anxiety doesn’t let up, and the depression keeps dulling everything that used to matter.
These aren’t “bad moods.” They’re stuck states, often driven by a nervous system that never got to reset after chronic stress or trauma. More willpower isn’t the answer…you need the right support to help your system finally shift.
You can’t outthink what your body believes is true.
How I Can Help
When we work together, the goal isn’t just relief—it’s transformation.
Anxiety and depression go deeper than garden-variety emotions. They're often the downstream effect of nervous system dysregulation—responses wired by past experiences that never had a chance to fully resolve. These states show up as exhaustion, irritability, shutdown, panic, indecision, or a vague but persistent sense that something is wrong with you. As your therapist, I don’t pathologize those responses; rather, I help you understand them, reprocess them, and move forward.
My approach targets the underlying overwhelm within you, not just the symptoms. Methods like EMDR allow us to access and shift the stuck experiences and beliefs held in your nervous system, while integrative methods support the long-term change that follows. We’ll also focus on reinforcing practices that support your neurochemistry, like boundary-setting, movement, rest, and connection. The goal here isn’t just to feel better….It’s to function better, live more fully, and trust yourself again.
You can walk away from this experience with…
A felt sense of “I’m okay now—I’m safe, not broken”
Confidence in your ability to say no, set boundaries, and take up space
Real traction, instead of temporary relief
A new internal story—one where you’re resilient, capable, and worthy of peace
A calmer nervous system and fewer moments of overwhelm
Clarity around who you are, what you want, and where you’re headed
The ability to be present—with yourself, your relationships, and your life
Relief from the looping thoughts, panic, and emotional fatigue
Resolve what’s beneath the noise so you can finally take part in your life again.
FAQs
-
Many clients feel noticeable shifts within just a few sessions. On average, most people see me for 4–9 sessions. For those dealing with more complex trauma, I also offer EMDR intensives for deeper, faster relief. You can learn more HERE.
-
While a diagnosis can be helpful, it’s not a definition. I don’t treat labels; I work with what’s actually happening in your life, your body, and your sense of self. EMDR can create lasting change regardless of what you’ve been told about your diagnosis.
-
Insight doesn’t always translate to change, especially when trauma or chronic stress are involved. My EMDR-based approach works with the body and nervous system, where anxiety and depression often live. Instead of endlessly processing, we get things moving.
-
Stress is typically a response to something external, like a deadline, conflict, or life change. It often resolves once the situation is over. Anxiety, on the other hand, tends to stick around. It’s persistent (often internal) and can arise even when things seem "fine" on the outside. While stress can be situational, anxiety is often a sign that your nervous system is stuck in survival mode—constantly bracing for something to go wrong, even if there’s no clear threat.
-
Absolutely, and many people do. When your nervous system is overwhelmed, it might swing between anxious hypervigilance and depressive shutdown. You may feel panicked one moment and totally numb the next. My work focuses on resolving the stuck trauma responses that often underlie both, helping you regain clarity, energy, and a sense of stability.