Counselling for Anxiety
"I feel anxious" is one of the most common things a therapist hears. It might show up as racing thoughts or a tight chest that won't ease. Many women brush it off as life's usual chaos, but if worry starts affecting your mood, relationships, or sleep, it may be time to reach out for support.
- Target feelings of anxiety, worry, and fear
- Learn how to take charge and feel more in-control of your thoughts
- Reconnect with yourself and establish a sense of calm
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is an instinctive response to perceived threats, whether they’re physical, emotional, or mental. It’s part of your built-in survival system designed to keep you alive. When your brain detects potential danger, it triggers a series of reactions in your body. Your heart beats faster, your muscles tense up, and your senses sharpen so you can respond quickly and get to safety.
While this fight-or-flight response was a vital survival mechanism for early humans facing physical predators, our brains haven’t evolved as quickly as our world has. Today, the “dangers” you face may look more like a tense email from a boss, financial stress, or uncertainty about the future. Your brain is simply doing its best to protect you in a world of everyday stressors.
Therapy for anxiety
We offer a range of therapy options designed to meet you where you are, helping you take charge, feel more in control of your thoughts, and establish a sense of calm.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioural therapy helps you notice and shift unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours that contribute to low mood.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT helps you learn to live alongside difficult emotions with greater acceptance, while staying connected to your values and taking small, meaningful steps forward in your life.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness-based therapy helps you observe thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations without judgment, supporting grounding, emotional regulation, and a greater sense of clarity and calm.
Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapy helps you tune into and regulate how stress and emotion are held in the body, using techniques like breathwork, grounding, and gentle movement to support a sense of calm and safety.
Inclusive Support
We're committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We're allies of LGB2TQIA+ and BIPOC individuals, and support those who self-identify as women, non-binary or gender non-conforming.
Personalized Care
Your needs and experiences are unique to you. Our counsellors are trained in a wide range of therapeutic techniques to ensure you receive the effective, high quality support you deserve.
Qualified Professionals
Every counsellor on our team is a licensed professional with a masters-level education and extensive experience supporting the needs of women.
Find a counsellor who can support you with anxiety
Get help from a counsellor experienced in supporting women navigating anxiety.
View all counsellors
Each counsellor has their own unique skill set, experience and area of expertise.
- Master's level education
- Registered with a provincial body
- Extensive experience supporting women
Memberships & Certifications
Not sure who to book with?
Get matchedTypes of anxiety
While everyone experiences stress or nervousness at times, anxiety disorders are more persistent and can significantly impact daily life.
People with GAD experience ongoing, excessive worry about everyday matters — from relationships and finances to work or world events. This uncontrollable worry often shifts from one concern to another, even when there’s no reason to be worried.
Panic disorder involves sudden, intense fear that can appear without warning. These episodes may cause a racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, intense dread or a feeling of losing control. The fear of another attack can cause a person to avoid certain places or activities.
Social anxiety involves a fear of being judged, humiliated, or rejected in social settings. Everyday interactions, such as speaking up in a meeting or going to a social event, can trigger shaking, sweating, or stomach problems. Many people avoid social situations to escape the discomfort.
Some women experience postpartum anxiety after giving birth. They have intrusive worries and an ongoing sense of danger. New parents may feel on edge, unable to relax, or preoccupied with fears of something happening to their baby. Perinatal counselling can offer comfort and support during this time.
Health anxiety involves persistent worry about having or developing a serious illness, even when medical reassurance suggests otherwise. People may frequently check their bodies for symptoms, search the internet for explanations, or seek repeated reassurance from doctors and loved ones. The worry itself can feel exhausting and disruptive to daily life.
Performance anxiety shows up as intense worry before or during situations where you feel you're being evaluated — public speaking, presentations, exams, interviews, or athletic and creative performance. Symptoms can include a racing heart, trembling, nausea, or going blank, often making the very situation you're worried about harder to navigate.
OCD involves intrusive, distressing thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviours or mental rituals (compulsions) used to ease the anxiety those thoughts create. Common themes include contamination, harm, symmetry, or relationships. While the rituals may bring brief relief, they can take up significant time and reinforce the cycle of anxiety over time.
Anxiety affects 1 in 4 women, with one third describing their anxiety as high to extremely high.
How common is anxiety in women?
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health concerns in Canada, and it's affecting women at higher rates than ever before. According to Statistics Canada, the proportion of Canadians aged 15 and older living with generalized anxiety disorder has doubled over the past decade, rising from 2.6% in 2012 to 5.2% in 2022.
Research also suggests that anxiety can have a more severe impact on the emotional, physical, and social health of women. These differences likely reflect a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors, including hormonal changes, caregiving roles, workplace pressures, and gender-based expectations.
What’s on your mind?
Everything you need to know about our counselling services.
If worry or tension is interfering with your sleep, focus, relationships, or sense of peace, therapy may help. You don't have to wait until things feel "bad enough". Counselling can be beneficial at any stage, whether you're feeling mildly overwhelmed or deeply anxious.
Stress is often a response to a specific situation, like a deadline or conflict, and tends to resolve once the situation is over. Anxiety on the other hand, can linger even when there’s no clear cause. It often feels like ongoing dread or uncontrollable worrying that’s hard to shake.
Mild anxiety may go away with rest, self-care, or life changes. But when anxiety becomes chronic or begins disrupting your daily life, professional support can make a significant difference.
Everyone's journey is unique. Some people notice changes after a few sessions, while others benefit from longer-term therapy. The goal isn't just symptom relief — it's building tools and insight that are sustainable.
Absolutely. Even long-standing anxiety can improve with consistent support and the right therapeutic approach. Change is definitely possible. It often begins with one conversation.
If you're ready to feel calmer, more confident, and supported, we're here to help. Reach out today to get matched with a counsellor who understands what you're going through and can guide you toward lasting relief and balance.
