Counselling for anxiety and overthinking in Halifax and across Nova Scotia

What anxiety can feel like

Anxiety doesn't always look like panic. Often it's quieter: replaying a conversation for hours, rehearsing worst-case scenarios, checking your email one more time, or lying awake running through tomorrow's to-do list. From the outside you might seem fine, even high-functioning. Inside, it can feel like you're always bracing for something.

You might notice:

• Overthinking decisions, big or small, and second-guessing yourself afterward

• Constant worry about work, health, relationships, or the future

• Trouble sleeping, a tight chest, or a stomach that's always on edge

• Avoiding things that matter to you because they feel too uncomfortable

• Being hard on yourself, or feeling like you're never doing enough

• Irritability or exhaustion from being "on" all the time

Why fighting anxiety often backfires

Most of us try to get rid of anxious thoughts: argue with them, distract ourselves, or avoid whatever sets them off. It makes sense, and it can work for a while. But the harder we push anxiety away, the more space it tends to take up. Avoidance also has a cost. Bit by bit, life can get smaller.

How I work with anxiety

My main approach is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an evidence-based therapy that has been widely studied for anxiety. Rather than trying to eliminate anxious thoughts, ACT helps you change your relationship with them. Together we'll work on:

• Noticing thoughts without getting pulled in. Learning to see "what if I fail?" as a thought, not a fact or an instruction

• Making room for discomfort. So anxiety doesn't get to decide what you do

• Getting clear on what matters to you. Your values become the compass, rather than fear

• Taking small, meaningful steps. Practising in real life, at a pace that feels manageable

I also bring a person-centred approach. That means sessions aren't a lecture or a worksheet. You'll have space to talk about what's really going on, and we'll shape the work around you. We'll also look at the context: anxiety often makes more sense once you see where it comes from, whether that's a demanding job, a big life change, family expectations, or experiences of not fitting in.

Counselling is available in English or Mandarin, by secure video from anywhere in Nova Scotia. If anxiety is tied to burnout or a big transition, you might also find my page on burnout and life transitions helpful.

Other ways I can help