Belleisle
ANXIETY THERAPY OTTAWA AND GATINEAU
Understanding Anxiety
Anxiety occurs when you experience worry about a current or impending situation. When anxiety becomes pervasive and leads to frequent worrying about the future, it can interfere with your ability to be present in your life and relationships.
Most people have dealt with anxiety at some point in their lives during a stressful period of time or before an important event such as public speaking or taking an important exam. However, when anxiety escalates, it’s time to consider starting therapy to treat your anxiety as it can start to impact your daily life in different ways and you may find yourself:
Struggling to focus
Feeling on edge or more irritable than usual
Experiencing fluctuations in appetite
Experiencing muscle tension or physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, a clenched stomach, or shakiness.
Worrying frequently about the future
Having difficulty sleeping
Avoiding certain situations or places that provoke your anxiety
Therapy for anxiety can help treat symptoms that occur due to a variety of factors including:
TRAUMATIC OR STRESSFUL EVENTS
Traumatic events that occur in childhood or adulthood such as exposure to abuse or a high-conflict environment or stressful life events such as a break-up or death in the family can activate or worsen anxiety symptoms.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
Certain environmental factors may contribute to or exacerbate anxiety symptoms such as relationship challenges, exposure to hostile environments, financial stress, or occupational stressors.
GENETIC PREDISPOSITION
Some research suggests that genetics may be a contributing factor to developing an anxiety disorder. If you have a family history of anxiety disorders, you may be more susceptible to experiencing anxiety that interferes with your daily functioning.
NEUROTRANSMITTER IMBALANCE
Neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and GABA impact a person’s ability to regulate their emotions and manage their stress response. If someone has a neurotransmitter imbalance, they may be more susceptible to developing an anxiety disorder.
Different Types of Anxiety
SOCIAL ANXIETY
Social anxiety is characterized by frequent and intense worry about social situations and negative thought patterns about how others are perceiving you. If you have social anxiety, you may have difficulty connecting with others and avoid social situations. Meeting with an anxiety therapist for your social anxiety can assist you in learning how to manage your symptoms so that you can feel more at ease in social situations.
HEALTH ANXIETY
Health anxiety is characterized by frequent worry regarding your health and whether you have a particular health condition. People with health anxiety often continue to worry about their health even if they have consulted with medical practitioners who rule out any concerning health conditions. When you meet with a therapist for health anxiety, they can help you learn tools to alleviate your symptoms and feel present in your life again.
PHOBIAS
Phobias are characterized by intense anxiety and avoidance of a specific situation or object such as fear of driving, spiders, or vomiting. Our clinic offers cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety and phobias, which can help you address your symptoms step by step so that they are no longer negatively impacting your life.
GENERAL ANXIETY
General anxiety is characterized by frequent worry about the future and different areas of one’s life such as relationships, work, school and/or finances. Receiving therapy for anxiety can help you learn how to cope with your symptoms effectively so that you can find balance in different areas of your life.
Benefits of Anxiety Therapy
When you receive anxiety therapy, it can help you:
Learn to navigate challenging situations without your anxiety running the show
Feel present in your life and relationships
Learn evidence-based strategies that empower you to manage your anxiety and challenge your negative thought patterns effectively
Improve your concentration
and productivity
Ottawa Anxiety Therapy Services
At Belleisle Clinic, we understand the negative impact anxiety can have on different areas of your life and we are passionate about providing anxiety therapy services in Ottawa to help you find balance in your life.
Our therapists are specialized in providing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat anxiety, which is an evidenced-based therapy approach backed by research showing its effectiveness for the treatment of anxiety. Our anxiety therapists utilize a comprehensive treatment approach to assist you in learning to manage your symptoms and challenge your negative thoughts. We recognize that treatment isn’t one size fits all and tailor our treatment approach to meet your unique needs.
How Does Our Ottawa Anxiety Therapy Work?
Our Ottawa anxiety counselling services are designed to empower you with the right tools to manage your anxiety.
The first step is to fill out our contact form and indicate that you are seeking anxiety therapy services so that we can select a therapist who will be a good fit for your needs.
During the initial stages of treatment, an anxiety psychologist will spend time exploring how the symptoms are impacting you in different areas of your life and whether there are any underlying factors impacting the disorder.
Next, your therapist will utilize cognitive behavioral therapy techniques for anxiety and assist you in building awareness of your anxiety triggers as well as behaviors or thought patterns that may be contributing to your anxiety. During this phase of treatment your therapist will help you learn coping tools to challenge your negative thought patterns, reduce feelings of overwhelm, and increase your ability to feel present in different areas of your life.
