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Panic attacks. The dreaded experience. Yes, they’re incredibly uncomfortable. Today’s post is all about how to deal with them if they happen to you. A little background: Panic attacks are our body’s fight/flight/freeze response that was originally meant for when our lives had more imminent dangers (of being eaten by tigers variety). This response is meant to help us deal with a truly life-threatening situation. During a panic attack, a component of the brain called the amygda

So I’m a clinical psychologist and I work with people who are seeking to improve their lives through therapy. Many of my clients have intense symptoms of anxiety or PTSD at the beginning of treatment. When they first come in, we often work together on a weekly basis and do structured treatments aimed at getting the symptoms under control. Then, as the symptoms start to resolve, we spread our sessions out to biweekly, then monthly. I love to do this work and help my clients t

A shocking reality is that nearly 90% of people experience a traumatic event in their lifetime. Even as a trauma therapist, I have a difficult time wrapping my head around that. 90%. In my work, I often see people who are still in shock from recent trauma and are curious about the best ways to cope with the overwhelming feelings they’re experiencing. The purpose of this blog is to help you be able to know what to do if a trauma happens to you. This blog is particularly helpf

If you’re feeling like you and your partner could use some couples counselling, you might have 1000 questions about what the process is like. This blog is meant to help you understand couples counselling a bit better and to take some of the anxiety out of the process. I’ve tried to answer the questions that might come up for you in deciding whether couples counselling is for you. If I’ve missed anything, just leave a comment and I promise to answer! So, here are some common q

We all feel anxious sometimes and sadly some lives are ruled by anxiety. As a psychologist, I deal with anxiety on a daily basis. Anxiety can show up in different ways in your life. It can look like worry, panic attacks or feeling awkward in social situations. One thing you may find interesting is that no matter what type of anxiety you have, treatments for anxiety all have similar components. Knowing these can help to manage your anxiety and perhaps you can spread the word a

One lesson that I’ve learned myself, seen with clients and taught time and time again is that dark times almost always come to an end. The thing is, though, when you’re in the thick of it, it feels like it’s never going to stop. A great healthy reminder is to let yourself know that in a year from now, this issue will very likely not feel like a big deal anymore. It might be present, but less stressful. It might even be a blip on the radar. I remember when I was pregnant with

We hear all the time that people expect the worst so they can be prepared. They say, “I don’t want to be caught off guard.” Or, “if something good happens, I’ll be pleasantly surprised.” This is a terrible habit! The Expectation is a powerful tool and you can use it to make your life better. Have you ever known someone terrified of getting cancer, focused on it constantly…then eventually got diagnosed? Or someone who thought all the time about his wife cheating when there wer