Anxiety Therapy

Anxiety doesn’t have to run your life. Therapy can help!
Available in-person in Hamilton and virtual across Ontario

Anxiety: Understanding and Navigating Mental Health

Anxiety is a natural human response when we perceive a threat or danger of some kind. Our Fight or Flight system kicks into gear, leading to racing thoughts, muscle tension, digestive problems, shallow breathing, sweating, and other symptoms. Sometimes, our bodies freeze up. Symptoms that are meant to help keep us safe can easily get trapped in a vicious cycle, creating discomfort and distress.

Therapy can help break this “cycle of anxiety” by helping you recognize, respond to, and manage these physical and emotional reactions. When it comes to anxiety therapy, you will also learn how to challenge the negative thought patterns that fuel anxiety and replace them with more balanced, healthy ones.

Types of Anxiety

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

GAD is characterized by persistent and excessive worry about various aspects of daily life, such as work, health, family, or other concerns. People with GAD often find it difficult to control their worries, which can lead to physical symptoms like fatigue, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances.

Social Anxiety

This type of anxiety is marked by fear and discomfort in social situations where you might feel judged, embarrassed, or humiliated. Symptoms of social anxiety can include:

Worrying about social situations before they happen
Avoiding social situations
Physical symptoms like sweating, shaking, blushing, nausea, or rapid heart rate
Negative thoughts.

Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder

Panic attacks are sudden, intense episodes of fear or discomfort that can come on unexpectedly and feel very overwhelming. During a panic attack, the body goes into a “fight or flight” response, even though there might be no immediate danger. Panic attacks include at least 4 of the following symptoms:

Pounding heart, chest pain
Sweating
Trembling or shaking
Shortness of breath
A feeling of choking
Nausea or abdominal distress
Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
Feelings of unreality (derealization) or being detached from oneself (depersonalization)
Fear of losing control or going crazy
Numbness or tingling sensations
Chills or hot flushes.

In panic disorder, there are recurring panic attacks and a persistent fear of future attacks. Because the panic attacks can be so distressing, many people find themselves avoiding certain situations, which can limit their ability to enjoy a fulfilling life.

Specific Phobias

They involve intense fears of specific objects or situations that tend to lead to avoidance of those objects or situations. This avoidance can affect people’s quality of life in various ways.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD is caused by a very stressful or terrifying event – either being part of it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include:

Flashbacks
Nightmares
Severe anxiety
Uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

Perfectionism

It can involve a pursuit of unrelenting high standards – while these can often take you far in life, they can also leave you feeling anxious, exhausted, and drained.

CBT Solutions

Discover anxiety therapy at CBT Solutions

Therapy for Anxiety at CBT Solutions involves finding ways to reverse these unhelpful cycles. We share concrete skills, strategies and tools with our clients, from Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and other current evidence-based and trauma-informed approaches.

Anxiety therapy will help you identify and overcome negative thought patterns that fuel your anxiety. You will learn how to replace them with more balanced, healthy patterns and perspectives. During the therapeutic process, we will also help you develop healthy coping strategies (e.g., breathing exercises, mindfulness, and relaxation techniques), that will help you calm your nervous system and reduce anxiety symptoms. Over time, thanks to therapy, you will achieve a more balanced view of your situation and build confidence.

Meet our compassionate anxiety therapists

Liz Curran

Registered Social Worker/Psychotherapist (MSW, RSW)

Bernard Kehler

Registered Social Worker/Psychotherapist (MSW, RSW)

Melissa Truelove

Registered Social Worker / Psychotherapist (BSW, RSW)

Lujayn Mostafa

Psychotherapy Intern (B.A, M.Ed; MSc in progress)

Quincy Hanna

Psychotherapy Intern (B.A, MSc in progress)

Anxiety Counselling at CBT Solutions

Achieve your mental health goals and overcome anxiety

Book a free initial consultation for anxiety therapy in Hamilton

If you’re ready to embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery and personal growth, we invite you to take the first step. Contact our practice today to schedule a consultation and learn how anxiety therapy can help you unlock your fullest potential

We understand you may have some questions about anxiety therapy. That’s why we warmly invite you to schedule a free initial consultation with us! Here, you have two options. If you’re ready to book, you can do so through our booking platform. If you’d like to find out more about us and our approach, please send us this contact form. We’ll do our best to respond in 24 hours.

We look forward to talking to you!