Anxiety · CBT, EMDR & somatic work · Ottawa & online
Anxiety Therapy in Ottawa
For minds that won’t quiet down.
You’ve probably been told to breathe, to think positive, to let it go. If that worked, you’d have done it by now. Anxiety isn’t a mindset you can switch off. It’s a nervous system stuck on high alert, and it responds to being worked with, not argued with.
Racing thoughts can slow down.
What can anxiety feel like?
If any of this is familiar, you’re in the right place:
- Your mind starts solving problems at 3 a.m. that don’t need solving.
- You rehearse conversations before they happen and replay them after.
- Your chest is tight, your stomach is off, and the doctor says you’re fine.
- You hold it together all day, impressively, and fall apart in private.
- Social situations leave you scanning for judgment that may not be there.
- You’re heading for burnout and you know it, but you can’t slow down.
None of this means something is wrong with you. It means your alarm system is working overtime. For some people, anxiety stands on its own. For others, anxiety is connected to trauma or a body that learned to stay ready. We sort that out together instead of assuming. If complex PTSD is part of the picture, my complex PTSD guide explains the longer-term patterns in more detail.
What happens in anxiety therapy?
Anxiety affects both thought and body. When you’re in the middle of a spike, insight may not be enough to stop your chest tightening or your mind racing. Trying a grounding skill for the first time during panic can feel like learning to swim in a storm.
In the first session, we slow things down and map what anxiety looks like for you: when it starts, what happens in your body, how you cope, and what it is costing you. You do not need to arrive with a diagnosis or explain everything at once.
From there, we practise regulation skills when you are relatively calm, so they are more familiar when anxiety rises. We also pay attention to the early physical shifts that come before the spiral. This body-first groundwork draws from my somatic approach to therapy.
Which therapy approaches can help with anxiety?
Anxiety can be shaped by present stress, learned patterns, past experiences, or some combination of them. Depending on what is driving yours, I may draw on:
- CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). A practical, structured way to examine the thought patterns and behaviours that keep worry or panic going. CBT is included in major clinical guidance for generalized anxiety and panic.
- EMDR and the float-back technique. When current anxiety seems connected to an earlier experience, float-back can help us explore that link and decide whether reprocessing the memory fits your treatment plan.
- The Flash Technique. If a memory feels too overwhelming to approach directly, Flash may help lower the distress attached to it first, without asking you to focus on the memory in detail.
- Parts work (IFS). This approach treats anxiety as a protective part of you rather than your identity. We get curious about what it is trying to prevent and what it needs from you now.
No two plans look exactly the same. The point is to choose an approach that fits what is happening, then review it openly rather than staying with a method that is not helping.
Can anxiety affect your relationship?
Anxiety can follow you into a relationship. You may ask for reassurance and still not believe it, go quiet because you are overwhelmed, or sound irritable when your body is on alert. Your partner may read that as distance or rejection. If that loop sounds familiar, couples therapy can focus on the pattern between you, alongside or instead of individual work.
Anxiety doesn’t look the same in every culture
In many South Asian and Middle Eastern communities, among others, distress may show up in the body before it is described as worry. Family expectations, obligation, and stigma can shape what feels possible to say out loud.
If your anxiety doesn’t match the textbook description, that doesn’t make it less real, and you won’t have to translate yourself here. Your lived experience is the starting point, not an exception to it. Sessions are offered in English, Pashto, and Urdu/Hindi.
Anxiety therapy in Hintonburg and online
In-person sessions are available at 9 Melrose Ave in Hintonburg, near Wellington Village. Virtual anxiety therapy is available across Ontario and Quebec. You may prefer working from the place where anxiety shows up most often, or you may want the separation of coming into the office. We can talk through either option during the free consultation.
Fees and practical details
- Free 15-minute consultation. No forms, no pressure, just a conversation about fit.
- Individual session (50 minutes): $200.
- Insurance: you pay per session and receive a detailed receipt with my CRPO registration number (#11921) to claim through your extended health plan. Most Ontario plans cover Registered Psychotherapists. I don’t bill insurance directly.
- In person at 9 Melrose Ave in Hintonburg, Ottawa, or online across Ontario and Quebec. No referral needed.
Questions people ask about anxiety therapy
Can anxiety fully go away?
Anxiety is a protective emotion, not something therapy needs to erase. The work is to notice when the alarm is out of proportion, understand what keeps it going, and practise responding without letting it make every decision. What changes, and how quickly, varies from person to person.
What is the best treatment for anxiety?
There is no single best treatment for every person. Clinical guidelines support CBT for generalized anxiety and panic. When anxiety appears connected to distressing past experiences, EMDR may also be considered. Your preferences, symptoms, history, and response to the work help guide the plan.
What is high-functioning anxiety?
High-functioning anxiety is not an official diagnosis. People often use the phrase when they look capable and organized from the outside but live with constant overthinking, fear of mistakes, and rest that never feels earned. That strain can build toward exhaustion or burnout. Therapy may look at the beliefs driving the pressure and use somatic work to notice how the body stays braced.
What triggers anxiety?
A trigger is anything that sets off your alarm system. Sometimes the danger is current. Other times, your brain is connecting something in the present with an earlier experience. A trigger can come from outside you, such as a place or conflict, or from inside, such as a body sensation or passing thought. When an earlier experience seems involved, EMDR’s float-back technique can help us explore the connection without assuming every trigger comes from trauma.
How many sessions will I need?
I cannot give you an honest session count before we understand what is driving the anxiety and what you want to change. We agree on what progress would look like, review it openly, and adjust the plan if the work is not helping.
Do you offer virtual anxiety therapy?
Yes. Secure video sessions are available to anyone in Ontario or Quebec, with the same structure and pacing as in-person work. We can discuss whether online or in-person sessions fit your needs. Details are available on the virtual therapy page.
One small ripple is enough to start.
A free 15-minute call. No forms, no pressure to tell your story before you’re ready.
Book a free 15-minute call