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Treatment for Anxiety in Vancouver

anxiety-counselling-Vancouver

Anxiety Treatment is Better with the Right Counsellor

Vancouver and the Lower Mainland can feel chaotic. And our busy lives can feel out of control leading to feelings of anxiety and stress. However, what works for one person in finding treatment for anxiety, might not work for another. Counselling for anxiety is very personal. This is why most of our clients contact us directly and ask for our personal help to find a therapist. Our Clinical Director will match them to the most suitable therapist for their unique needs.

Waypoint Counselling Network offers a free personalized referral service to connect people with the right “fitting” counselor to help with anxiety. We know that the client-counsellor “fit” is critical to good outcomes. And we will follow-up to make sure the match with the therapist works.   To learn more, check out Match me to a Therapist.

People also choose their own counsellor from our team. Either way, we offer a free complimentary session so a person can make sure the “fit” with the counsellor feels right.

Vancouver Counsellors Treating Anxiety

Waypoint has four counsellors based in Vancouver who all have expertise in working with anxiety. This includes children, youth and adults.

Kristina Dixon, RCC, works with children, youth and adults in helping them discoer their inner strengths and capacities.  She supports clients to develop skills that can create lasting, positive change. Kristina uses individually tailored approaches that may include play-based, trauma informed, attachment, family systems and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. She works with children and parents either individually or as family groups. When she works with young children, Kristina provides regular consultations with parents.

Karlie LeClaire, RCC, currently provides counselling via online or phone. She provides mental health counselling for  anxietydepressiongrief and loss, addictions, and relationship difficulties  in addition to other issues.  She is experienced in response-based counselling and EMDR for those who have experienced trauma

Karlie also has expertise working with children and youth, particularly those who identify with the LGBTQ population.  She provides support on other issues including depression, anxiety, substance use, eating disorders, self-harm.  Karlie also has extensive experience working with children and youth with different needs and abilities including Autism Spectrum Disorder and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.  Her ability to connect with children and youth has given her the privilege of seeing these young people develop and improve on their therapeutic goals.

Emad Seyed Sadr is a Registered Clinical Counsellor in Vancouver BC specializing in anxiety, depression, life transitions, grief and loss, and gender identity and suicide prevention. He offers in-person and phone counselling in French or English. He focuses on the strengths of his clients and provides a safe and nurturing approach.

Emad believes it is important to make an impact in the community. He donates 5% of the total sum from each session to local not-for-profit agencies supporting Indigenous families in the Vancouver area.

Pamela Fernandes is a Registered Clinical Counsellor experienced in working with children, youth, and families in Greater Vancouver and Lower Mainland.  She works with children of all ages and developmental stages. She provides counselling to a variety of families and has experience supporting homeless, at-risk youth, and youth and adults with concurrent disorders and addictions.

Pamela also works as a School Counsellor.  Her experience includes children and youth who are struggling in school with academics, emotions, social networks or managing behaviour.  This includes children and youth having difficulty with social skills, managing emotions, or who have lost interest in activities they once enjoyed.   Pamela helps children and youth build self-esteem, identify strengths, promote healthy body image and manage peer and familial relationships.  Pamela also helps to create  boundaries in relationships, helps clients develop coping skills, and manage emotions.

Waypoint’s team is expanding in Vancouver and we will update this post to include more counsellors in the near future.

Types of Anxiety

There are many different types of anxiety – and all can be overwhelming.  At Waypoint, we have counsellors located in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland who can help a person learn better ways to manage anxiety. We also have counsellors who practice e-counselling by text, phone or secure video. So wherever a person is located, we can help.

Below are some of the many different types of anxiety – so have a read through them and think about how anxiety could be affecting your life. Most importantly, it is important a person doesn’t try to self-diagnose themselves but reach out for help. More information on different types of anxiety can be found at AnxietyBC.

Panic Attacks

Of the anxiety types, panic is among the most common.  This can feel like a sudden rush of fear. It is common to also have physical feelings and a strong need to escape the situation. In a nutshell, a person might feel like something bad is going to happen

Specific Phobias

Phobias are basically a strong fear and need to avoid a particular thing. Often a person might know the fear is unreasonable, but knowing that doesn’t change how they react. The most common fears are animals, heights, closed spaces, blood , storms , and flying.  Trying to always avoid these things can really affect a person’s life!

Social Anxiety

This is an intense fear of being embarrassed when around people. It can happen when we are just with a few people or in a crowd. A person might be terrified of public speaking, blushing in public, being watched at work, and being in a crowds.  Typically, folks will really try and avoid social situations.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) develops after a traumatic experience. These experiences are often violent and/or threatening.  PTSD can lead to distressing thoughts, nightmares, flashbacks, and emotional numbness.

How does counselling work for anxiety?

Even though there are lots of different types of anxiety disorders, successful treatment strategies tend to work for all of them.  The most commonly used method is called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, also called “CBT”.

CBT works! It has been researched for decades and many physicians and specialists suggest their patients receive CBT. A therapist does not need to be a PhD or psychologist to provide CBT. But a well trained counsellor using CBT can really help a person develop the tools necessary to deal with their anxiety.

If you want to learn more about CBT, check out our page: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. And stay tuned for our next blog! It will focus on CBT and how it works. Until then, reach out if you have any questions!

George is the Clinical Director at Waypoint Counselling & Referral Centre. He has been a Registered Clinical Counsellor since 1991, working and teaching in a variety of counselling settings.

Waypoint counsellors are here to help when learning to deal with bad moods. Our office in downtown Victoria is a safe place to receive guidance and help make the best decisions to do with you life.

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