Because I suffered from Social Anxiety for many years, I now concentrate a lot of my counselling on helping people overcome anxieties.  Often with anxieties I use a combination of counselling, CBT, and Neurofeedback, depending on the type. There are many different kinds of anxieties, but most people experience a version of one of the major 5: General Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder [OCD], Phobias, and Post Traumatic Stress [PTSD].

This is state of the art, cutting edge technology that is non-invasive and drug-free; helping people to feel stabilized and focused. It is often called “brain training” and it is helping many people with panic attacks, ADD, sleep problems, peak performance, depression and more. I don’t diagnose, or treat something specifically here, we just train up your brain and all kinds of symptoms and conditions start changing. I’ll be the first to admit that it does not work well for everyone – but if it does, then it is truly life transforming. It is considered very safe and remarkably free of side effects.

Most people can feel down from time to time, and that’s pretty normal in life – but sometimes we feel depressed. It can feel like it is for no reason at all, or because of circumstances that have left us feeling helpless and hopeless. Losing a job, a failed marriage, relationship conflicts, death of a loved one, loss of dreams, feeling trapped… it can all send us into depression. Sometimes talking to someone that can lead us out and offer us hope, support and a plan, is all we need to get traction back in our lives.

Relationships can be some of the hardest and most hurtful experiences people will encounter in their lives.  In fact, a lot of counselling is about how to overcome hurts, and have healthy connections. There are many things that can get in the way of people having  strong healthy relationships: boundary violations, addictions, lack of communication tools, lack of listening, codependency, unwilling to forgive…you name it! Sometimes just getting an unbiased opinion, an outsiders point of view or a few tools can really help to get your relationships back on track. Ask me about my 5 session package for couples that is based on the theories of John Gottman!

It might surprise people to know that many of the reasons we struggle in our lives is because of low self-esteem or low self-worth. Not having a healthy view of ourselves can show up as perfectionism, codependency, depression, people pleasing, social isolation, rebellion, controlling and addictions…just to name a few! We can end up feeling unworthy and judged, fearing abandonment, failure, and even our own power.  Some people live everyday feeling guilt about their feelings, or someone else’s. Though it is not easy, there is hope and freedom from this.

Trauma and PTSD affect so many people, I’m often very surprised that some have done as well as they have. An unexpected event, witnessing or being a part of a violent or terrifying act, car accident, or even doing something you never thought you would; can leave you feeling traumatized. PTSD is characterized by experiencing what is perceived as a life threatening event that left you feeling helpless or in horror. It is usually accompanied with avoidance, flashbacks and nightmares and will leave you feeling very much like your “radar is always on” and dissociative. This will usually continue for more than a month after the event. Research has been showing that Neurofeedback has been very successful along with counselling and some CBT, in helping people with PTSD and trauma.