Has your anxiety left you stuck in a relentless cycle of worrying, obsessing, and avoiding? Have you been suffering from panic attacks and fear having another one? Are you struggling with crippling shyness and feelings of insecurity? Do you find yourself obsessing about contamination, the well-being of yourself or others, your sexuality or relationships, or the sense of needing things to be “just right?” Do you find yourself desperately attempting to get rid of these thoughts and feelings? Are you ashamed of these thoughts and worry that they mean something about you?
If you’ve been struggling with this, I applaud you for seeking help. I want to assure you of one thing - you are
not your thoughts. Many people struggle with this and it does not mean you are a “bad” or “broken” person. I specialize in treating Anxiety and Panic in teenagers (12+) and adults utilizing evidence-based Cognitive-Behavioural (CBT) treatments including: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Exposure-Response Prevention (ERP), Unified Protocol (UP), Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). Gold standard treatments for anxiety involve
exposure therapy which, simply put, means small steps are taken to approach your fears to help you take back control of your life - no longer letting your fears control
you.
For more information about my training and experience, see my
LinkedIn page (connection requests from clients will not be accepted as per my policy).
Counselling and psychotherapy serve overlapping, but distinct purposes in mental health care:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT - pronounced as the word “act”) is an evidence-based psychotherapy within the cognitive behavioural umbrella. It focuses not directly on symptom reduction but on enhancing life quality through psychological flexibility, achieved via six core processes in the “Hexaflex” diagram. These include being more:
Together, these processes foster a more flexible state of being open, present, and value-driven.
The Unified Protocol (UP) is a cutting-edge, evidence-based form of cognitive-behavioral therapy designed to treat a range of emotional disorders. It is a transdiagnostic approach, meaning it targets the underlying mechanisms that are common across different psychological disorders, rather than focusing on symptoms specific to any one disorder. The UP emphasizes the development of mindfulness, cognitive flexibility, and emotion regulation skills. By helping clients understand and manage their emotional experiences, it encourages them to confront and respond to their emotions in healthier ways. The protocol is highly adaptable, making it suitable for a diverse array of emotional issues, and is especially effective for those experiencing multiple, co-occurring emotional disorders, offering a comprehensive framework for promoting mental health and resilience.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), also known as Exposure and Ritual Prevention (EX/RP), is a specialized form of Cognitive-behavioral Therapy (CBT) designed for the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). ERP involves confronting fears directly to learn that the anxiety or discomfort they cause can naturally lessen over time through repeated exposure, without the need for rituals. This process helps break the cycle of OCD by weakening the urge to perform rituals, thereby improving the individual's quality of life. ERP is composed of four main components:
Successful treatment requires active and emotionally engaged participation in exposure exercises that accurately reflect the individual's specific fears and obsessions. The ultimate goal of ERP is to teach individuals that they can manage their distress and live with uncertainty without resorting to avoidance or ritualistic behaviors.
Important: Please refrain from sharing personal health information outside of appointments. Email, text, and form submissions are not generally considered a secure or confidential means of communication and if you do so it is at your own risk. Please note, if you’d like to begin discussing your specific needs and mental health concerns, the Informed Consent contract would need to be signed to establish the client-therapist relationship. To start that process, it would require booking an assessment to determine how best you can be supported.
In cases of crisis or emergencies, please contact 988 (Canadian Suicide Crisis Helpline), 911, or go to the local hospital emergency department.