Focus Areas
Anxiety & Stress
Living with anxiety may leave you feeling restless or alone. Maybe you worry there is impending danger around the corner. The anxiety is holding you back from fulfilling your potential relationships or career path. Sometimes anxiety leaves us feeling tense, exhausted, constantly worrying and feeling irritated.
In any case, anxiety can feel impossible to manage. Fortunately, anxiety can be managed- and coping strategies can be learnt.
We will work to understand your anxiety, triggers, and learn healthy coping strategies. The goal is for you to learn how to control the anxiety and not the other way around.
Anxiety & Stress
Living with anxiety may leave you feeling restless or alone. Maybe you worry there is impending danger around the corner. The anxiety is holding you back from fulfilling your potential relationships or career path. Sometimes anxiety leaves us feeling tense, exhausted, constantly worrying and feeling irritated.
In any case anxiety can feel impossible to manage. Fortunately, anxiety can be managed- and coping strategies can be learnt.
We will work to understand your anxiety, triggers, and learn healthy coping strategies. The goal is for you to learn how to control the anxiety and not the other way around.
Depression
You wear a smile on the outside but inside feel empty, numb and very alone. You have low energy and some days it’s hard to shower or brush your teeth. You have trouble sleeping and eating.
Depression can leave you feeling withdrawn from the world. You may feel exhausted, disconnected from loved ones, low motivation and constantly feel sad. Maybe activities you once enjoyed are no longer enjoyable. Sometimes it can feel like the walls are closing in, and the only option is to end your life.
Depression can be a silent experience but also a life threatening one.
Couples & Family
Two humans with different upbringings join together to create a relationship. Two different definitions of wrong and right, two perspectives of the same situation. Along the lines there is hurt, pain and frustration. Sometimes growth for one partner and not the other. There is love, memories and home – but there is underlying anger and heartbreak too.
Whether you are in a long term relationship, cohabitating or married you know relationships can be complex but also very rewarding.
Conflicts experienced in relationships can take many forms including communication issues, boundary issues, parenting, intimacy struggles (sexual or emotional), financial issues and relational pressures on a day to day basis.
You May Be Struggling with:
Affair Recovery
Day to day frustrations
Finding Independence from your In-laws
Communication and conflict
Joint Family Relationships
Intimacy or connection
Daily Arguments
Parenting
I can help you individually or as a couple walk through your relationship and support you in learning new communication skills or understanding each other’s perspectives – problem solve or conflict resolution.
I have specialized training through the Gottman Couples Institute which is proven by research as an effective method in helping couples gain new relationship skills and build a stronger connection.
Abuse in Relationships
Relationships shouldn’t make you feel stuck or imprisoned. A relationship should make us feel safe, secure and accepted. Maybe you stay in the relationship because you fear the outside world or how you will manage alone. You’ve tried to leave, but find yourself back in an unsafe or unhappy relationship. The fights grow louder in the night, objects are thrown – horrible words are exchanged, but in the morning everything is forgotten.
Anxiety levels increase and your world feels smaller and smaller, yet you stay. You are alone. The abuse continues and it has become a normal part of your life. You have learned to live in this environment.
Is this counselling for you?
- Maybe you do not want to leave this cycle, but need support in managing your situation
- Maybe you want to leave but cannot find the courage or strength to do so
- Maybe this is unusual behaviour and you believe things will change
- You have no family or friends in Canada (lack of support)
- You have leaned on your partner financially – emotionally – mentally and the thought of leaving creates chaos and confusion
- This is the only type of relationship you are familiar with, so it feels normal
–The Gottman Institute
Grief & Loss
Grief can feel lonely and never ending. Grief is a natural part of dealing with the loss of a loved one. Grief can be confusing and leave you with a range of emotions (sadness, anger, denial, shock, guilt, acceptance). Counselling will not take your grief away, but can help you feel light and less alone. Counselling can support you to process your grieving experience, and honour your loved one in a meaningful manner.
You may have stayed strong for family or friends, but in doing so pushed your grief deeper and deeper within. Maybe months or years have gone by and you feel this pit of emptiness in your gut. This may be your grief talking to you.
Know that you are not alone and that it is never too late to process your grief in counselling, listen to your body and honour your grief experience in a supportive and accepting environment.
Trauma
Trauma is an emotional response to an experience where an individual’s boundaries and/or control are taken away from them. Trauma effects our mind, body and spirit. The trauma experience is unique to the individual and ‘no one’ trauma can or should be compared. Your trauma is yours – and to begin the healing process we will honour and respect your journey with safety and trust.
Trauma comes in various forms and could result from one experience, reoccurring or several experiences. Regardless of when the trauma occurred our bodies hold onto the stress-shock-tension of the experience until we allow release.
Yes, trauma is held in the body, and research continues to show trauma manifests in our bodies in the way of physical symptoms, immune dysfunctions, physical tension and so on.
Trauma Can Look Like:
- Early Childhood Neglect
- Disasters
- Bullying
- Intimate Partner Violence (cycle of abuse)
- Death of a family member
- Witnessing a violent incident
- Parental abandonment
- Physical/Emotional/Verbal/Sexual abuse
- Illness or injury (isolation)
How do I know if I need support?
- Increased anxiety
- Nightmares
- Somatic Symptoms (body pains)
- Heartache
- Feelings of guilt and shame
- Feeling disconnected from everything and everyone
- Restless sleep
How Can counselling help me?
Having a safe space to explore and understand your trauma allows the body and mind to connect. Making meaning and honouring your experience will allow a freeing and grounding world. Therapy will open up a world where you process the deep pain and hurt. The hurt that has been manifesting for years. Isha will gently and gracefully hear you and hold space for you to understand, process and release the trauma. There is no timeline to heal trauma. The body will speak to you and you will feel connected-present, and alive.
Life Transitions
Do you feel a strong resistance towards something that seems like the natural next step? You are held back but nobody is holding you back. For some reason, you cannot move through the resistance, you feel stuck. You are moving through the motions of life but feel so disconnected. We are creatures of habit. Inherently human beings resist change because it is uncertain or unknown territory. There is no stability or guarantees with change.
Life Transitions: when is it time to get help?
If you are feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, anxious and sadness and your relationships or day to day functioning is limited it may be time to seek help.
How can counselling help a life transition?
We first recognize and honour that you are experiencing a life transition. Followed by: accepting the new transition, processing (all the emotions), allowing space for growth (action), and turning the page to start the next chapter. There is no time line in processing a life transition, you will just know you are settled and ready for your next chapter in the journey of life.
Life Transitions Can Look Like:
- Graduating from high school or post secondary
- Moving to a new city
- Ending a relationship
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Career Changes
- Financial Loss or Gain
- Health Issues
- Living alone for the first time
- Losing a loved one
- Losing a pet
- Developmental Cycle (adolescent to adult)
Trauma (Intergenerational – PTSD – Complex)
Trauma is an emotional response to an experience where an individual’s boundaries and/or control are taken away from them. Trauma effects our mind, body and spirit. The trauma experience is unique to the individual and ‘no one’ trauma can or should be compared. Your trauma is yours – and to begin the
healing process we will honor and respect your journey with safety and trust.
Trauma comes in various forms and could result from one experience, reoccurring or several experiences. Regardless of when the trauma occurred our bodies hold onto the stress-shock-tension of the experience until we allow release.
Yes, trauma is held in the body, and research continues to show trauma manifests in our bodies in the way of physical symptoms, immune dysfunctions, physical tension and so on.
Trauma Experience Can Be:
- Early Childhood Neglect
- Disasters
- Bullying
- Intimate Partner Violence (cycle of abuse)
- Death of a family member
- Witnessing a violent incident
- Parental abandonment
- Physical/Emotional/Verbal/Sexual abuse
- Illness or injury (isolation)
How do I know if I need support?
- Increased anxiety
- Nightmares
- Somatic Symptoms (body pains)
- Heartache
- Feelings of guilt and shame
- Feeling disconnected from everything and everyone
- Restless sleep
How Can counselling help me?
Having a safe space to explore and understand your trauma allows the body and mind to connect. Making meaning and honoring your experience will allow a freeing and grounding world. Therapy will open up a world where you process the deep pain and hurt. The hurt that has been manifesting for years. Isha will gently and gracefully hear you and hold space for you to understand, process and release the trauma. There is no time line to heal trauma. The body will speak to you and you will feel connected-present, and alive.
Life Transitions
Do you feel a strong resistance towards something that seems like the natural next step? You are held back but nobody is holding you back. For some reason you cannot move through the resistance, you feel stuck. You are moving through the motions of life but feel so disconnected. We are creatures of habit. Inherently human beings resist change because it is uncertain or unknown territory. There is no stability or guarantees with change.
Life Transitions: when is it time to get help?
If you are feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, anxious and sadness and your relationships or day to day functioning is limited it may be time to seek help.
How can counselling help a life transition?
We first recognize and honor you are experiencing a life transition. Followed by: accepting the new transition, processing (all the emotions), allowing space for growth (action), and turning the page to start the next chapter. There is no time line in processing a life transition, you will just know you are settled and ready for your next chapter in the journey of life.
Life Transitions Can Look Like:
- Graduating from high school or post secondary
- Moving to a new city
- Ending a relationship
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Career Changes
- Financial Loss or Gain
- Health Issues
- Living alone for the first time
- Losing a loved one
- Losing a pet
- Developmental Cycle (adolescent to adult)
Self Love & Spirituality
The world continues to move but you feel disconnected and numb. You wake up – hug your loved ones and go to work. Family, friends and career are a routine you are comfortable with. However, you are bored and stagnate and life is no longer fulfilling.
Sometimes you see double digits on the clock, on license plates – or in significant places. The universe is giving you clear signs and direction yet you ignore them. Maybe you ignore them because you cannot make meaning, or feel afraid to tap into this life-force or deeper power.
You know there is a deeper meaning for your life, but can’t seem to reach it. When you try to explain this feeling nobody in your circle understands you – so you stay quiet. May it be connecting spiritually or understanding yourself in a deeper manner, you know there is more for you.
As your therapist, I will guide you in creating a more fulfilling life to connect with your dreams and wishes. Let’s get you closer to your authentic self and to align you with your strengths and values.
Can I benefit from this style of counselling?
If you find yourself asking or saying:
“There is more in this world for me”
“Where did I go?”
“I don’t know how I let my life get this way”
“Who am I?”
“I know life has more meaning, but how do I get there?”
“I manifested something, and it came true”
–Brene Brown
Self Love ––Spirituality
The world continues to move but you feel disconnected and numb. You wake up – hug your loved ones and go to work. Family, friends and career are a routine you are comfortable with. However, you are bored and stagnate and life is no longer fulfilling. Sometimes you see double digits on the clock, on license plates – or in significant places. The universe is giving you clear signs and direction yet you ignore them. Maybe you ignore them because you cannot make meaning, or feel afraid to tap into this life-force or deeper power. You know there is a deeper meaning for your life, but can’s seem to reach it. When you try to
explain this feeling nobody in your circle understands you – so you stay quiet. May it be connecting spiritually or understanding yourself in a deeper manner, you know there is more for you. As your therapist I will guide you in creating a more fulfilling life to connect with your dreams and wishes. Let’s get you closer to your authentic self and to align you with your strengths and values.
Can I benefit from this style of counselling?
If you find yourself asking or saying:
“There is more in this world for me”
“Where did I go?”
“I don’t know how I let my life get this way”
“Who am I?”
“I know life has more meaning, but how do I get there?”
“I manifested something, and it came true”
–Brene Brown