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Anxiety
Anxiety can be exhausting, especially when it affects sleep, focus, confidence, and your ability to enjoy daily life.
Anxiety therapy in Toronto and across Ontario
Do you feel tense most days, like you can’t fully relax? Are your thoughts constantly running, jumping to worst case scenarios, or replaying conversations? Anxiety can be exhausting, especially when it affects sleep, focus, confidence, and your ability to enjoy daily life.
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A certain amount of anxiety is normal. It can show up before a big event, an exam, a first date, or a difficult conversation. In small doses, anxiety can help us stay alert and prepared. But when anxiety becomes intense, persistent, or hard to control, it can start to take over.
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Common Signs of Anxiety
Anxiety looks different for everyone, but it often includes:
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Constant worry or overthinking
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Feeling on edge, restless, or easily startled
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Trouble sleeping or waking up feeling tired
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Racing heart, chest tightness, nausea, or shortness of breath
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Muscle tension, headaches, jaw clenching, or stomach issues
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Avoiding certain situations, people, or decisions
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Difficulty concentrating or feeling mentally “foggy”
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Irritability, feeling overwhelmed, or shutting down
If you relate to several of these, therapy can help.
Why anxiety feels so strong
From a neuroscience perspective, anxiety is not just in your head. It involves different parts of the brain working together.
One part is the thinking brain, which helps you analyze, plan, and make meaning of what is happening. When anxiety is high, this system can get stuck in loops of worry, “what if” thoughts, and overthinking.
Another part is the brain’s threat system, which is designed to react quickly when something feels unsafe. This system can activate before you have time to think, leading to a surge of physical anxiety even when there is no immediate danger.
For many people, anxiety is a mix of both. Fast body alarm signals plus intense mental overthinking.
How therapy can help with anxiety?
In therapy, we work on both sides of anxiety.
We focus on:
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Learning strategies to calm your nervous system and reduce physical panic and tension
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Identifying patterns that keep anxiety going, like avoidance, reassurance seeking, perfectionism, or people pleasing
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Building skills to relate differently to anxious thoughts, rather than getting pulled into them
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Exploring deeper roots of anxiety, including trauma, chronic stress, identity related stress, or past experiences where you had to stay alert to feel safe
My approach is trauma informed and integrative, drawing from CBT, DBT, ACT, emotion focused, and psychodynamic therapy depending on your needs.
I offer anxiety therapy virtually across Ontario and in person in Toronto. If you are unsure where to begin, you can book a free 15 minute consultation to ask questions and see if this feels like a good fit.
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Anxiety Treatment Approaches
There are several evidence based approaches that research has shown to be effective in treating anxiety. Therapy for anxiety is most helpful when it addresses both the physical sensations in the body and the thought patterns and emotional experiences that keep anxiety going.
Approaches I commonly draw from include:
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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours​
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Exposure based strategies, which gently reduce avoidance and fear over time
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which supports learning to relate differently to anxious thoughts rather than fighting them
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Mindfulness based interventions, which help regulate the nervous system and increase present moment awareness
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Anxiety can show up in many different ways, including chronic worry, restlessness, panic attacks, social anxiety, or fears related to specific situations or experiences. While anxiety is the body’s natural response to perceived stress or danger, it can become overwhelming when the nervous system stays activated for too long.
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With the right therapeutic support, it is possible to better understand anxiety, reduce its intensity, and develop healthier ways of coping.
Anxiety therapy at Hedefa Psychology Clinic
At Hedefa Psychology Clinic, anxiety therapy is approached through a trauma informed, mind body lens. Rather than trying to eliminate anxiety completely, we work on changing your relationship with it.
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Because anxiety is experienced differently by each person, therapy is tailored to your specific needs, history, and goals. Sessions focus on understanding how anxiety developed, what maintains it, and how it shows up in your thoughts, emotions, and body.
In therapy, we may work on:
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Managing stress more effectively
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Increasing feelings of calm and emotional steadiness
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Identifying triggers and patterns that intensify anxiety
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Building confidence and self trust
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Developing new ways of responding to anxious thoughts
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Slowing down racing or intrusive thinking
What to expect at the start of therapy
Therapy typically begins with an initial 50 minute session focused on understanding you and your experience of anxiety. During this session, we explore your current concerns, relevant history, and what you hope to gain from therapy.
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Some questions we may explore include:
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When did anxiety first begin for you?
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How does anxiety affect your daily life, relationships, or work?
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What strategies have you already tried to cope with anxiety?
This initial phase helps guide the direction of therapy moving forward
A structured and collaborative therapy process
While therapy is flexible and responsive, it often follows a general progression:
Initial Assessment
We begin by understanding your experiences, challenges, and goals.
Clarifying Goals
Together, we identify what you would like to work toward in therapy.
Evidence Based Interventions
Therapeutic approaches are selected based on your needs, preferences, and clinical presentation.
Ongoing Sessions
Sessions are scheduled regularly, with frequency adjusted based on your situation.
Active Collaboration
Therapy is a collaborative process, with space for reflection, feedback, and dialogue
Skill Building and Practice
You may be introduced to practical strategies to support progress between sessions.
Supporting Long Term Regulation
We explore self care and regulation strategies that fit your life and values.
Ongoing Review
Progress is revisited regularly, and therapy is adjusted as your needs evolve.