Anxiety Therapy in Toronto
Jennifer Tiviluk is a Registered Psychotherapist who works with clients living with anxiety symptoms in the Toronto area. She is a client-centered therapist who believes in working collaboratively with the client and other health professionals supporting the client for anxiety therapy. Jennifer believes that it is important to get the root of the anxiety symptoms to treat its symptoms. She believes that if you just treat the symptoms and not the cause, inevitably the anxiety symptoms will come back, sometimes worse than before.
Some facts about how anxiety affects Canadians:
In 2013, an estimated 3 million Canadians (11.6%) aged 18 years or older reported that they had a mood and/or anxiety disorder.
More than a quarter (27%) reported that their disorder(s) affected their life "quite a bit" or "extremely" in the previous 12 months. Basic activities and the ability to work are challenging for many.
While the majority consulted a health professional about their disorder(s) in the previous 12 months, almost a quarter (23%) did not.
Most people with mood and/or anxiety disorder(s) are currently taking, or have taken, prescription medication(s) (93%), but few (20%) have received psychological counseling to help manage their disorder(s).
Becoming more informed about their disorder(s) and adopting good sleep habits are common coping strategies; however, engaging in other self-management strategies such as physical activity/exercise, meditative practices and developing a care plan are less common.
(Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/mood-anxiety-disorders-canada.html
These facts show the prevalence rates of anxiety and mood disorders affecting Canadians. Of note, is that 93% of people affected with anxiety and mood disorders will take medications but only 20% of Canadians will seek counseling or therapy for their anxiety and the challenges it represents. In the therapy world, there is a saying “pills don’t build skills”. Jennifer believes that there is a role for medication in the treatment of these disorders, but therapy is probably the best first line of defense. It is important to try to build the skills to see whether the symptoms can be managed this way before committing to taking medication to treat the anxiety. Sometimes the medication can mask the causes of the anxiety missing the opportunity to understand the root cause.
Jennifer’s process for anxiety counseling therapy always takes into account the individual’s unique position but her general approach to anxiety therapy treatment is outlined below:
Eliminate any medical causes of the anxiety by working with your physician to ensure that appropriate blood work has been completed and any potential medical causes have been eliminated.
Complete a thorough psycho/social history with Jennifer to determine whether any events or environmental factors that may have contributed to the development of your anxiety symptoms.
Determine whether there are any circumstances in your past (root cause issues) that need to be processed therapeutically in parallel with learning strategies to manage the anxiety symptoms.
Introduce grounding strategies, challenge outdated thinking strategies and learn new ways of relating to anxiety understanding the adaptive importance of the anxiety response.
Continually monitoring your symptoms through assessments done on a periodic basis to monitor where improvements have been noted and target areas where you and Jennifer can work on a further reduction in symptoms.
Jennifer welcomes new clients for Anxiety Therapy/Counselling in Toronto. Help is just a phone call or an email away. Get in touch today.