Counselling Approaches for Anxiety, Trauma & Relationships in Coquitlam
Therapy Is Not One-Size-Fits-All
I believe our therapy process should be collaborative, trauma-informed, and tailored to your unique life journey, experiences, emotional needs, and nervous system. Many people come to counselling feeling overwhelmed, emotionally stuck, disconnected from themselves, or caught in patterns they do not fully understand.
My approach to therapy goes beyond simply "talking about problems". I aim to integrate evidence-based and trauma-informed approaches that support growth and healing through these 5 main paths:
- emotional insight
- emotional processing
- practical coping strategies
I offer helpful tools from my toolbox as well as a safe and supportive space where processing and healing can occur. This space often goes beyond talking and taps into our self-regulation and somatic healing. Supportive therapeutic space allows clients to develop not only cognitive and psychological ways and techniques of coping but also physiological and somatic experiences that support safe healing, regulating and connecting.
Depending on your needs and goals, therapy may include approaches such as:
- polyvagal theory work
- DBT-informed strategies
- CBT strategies
- EFT-informed therapy
- mindfulness
- somatic techniques and awareness.
My goal to create a supportive and individualized approach that helps you feel more grounded, emotionally connected, and supported in meaningful and lasting change. Whichever approach or approaches we use in our work together, it is a safe and human connection that always informs our conversation. Ultimately, therapy process is about feeling understood, safe and connected - regardless of the techniques and methods that we use.
CBT
CBT is a practical, goal-oriented approach that focuses on the connection between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. It helps identify unhelpful thinking patterns and replace them with more balanced, realistic ones.
CBT is especially effective if you find yourself stuck in cycles of overthinking, worry, or self-criticism. Together, we work to build awareness of these patterns and develop tools to shift them.
CBT can help with:
-
Negative self-talk
-
Develop adaptive coping
-
Creating changes in behaviour
Polyvagal Theory Techniques
Polyvagal-informed therapy is based on understanding how your nervous system responds to safety and threat.
If you often feel anxious, shut down, or on edge, your nervous system may be stuck in a protective state.
This approach helps you:
-
understand your body’s responses
-
build a sense of safety
-
regulate emotional and physiological states
This approach can help with:
-
Burnout and overwhelm
-
Feeling “stuck” or shut down
EFT
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) helps you better understand, process, and transform your emotional experiences. Rather than avoiding or suppressing emotions, this approach supports you in working through them in a safe and guided way. EFT helps us see and connect with the emotions and emotional needs that are affecting our behaviours and feelings in relationships.
EFT is particularly helpful in understanding patterns in relationships and emotional responses.
EFT can help with:
-
Relationship challenges
-
Emotional awareness
-
Attachment patterns
-
Self-esteem
Somatic Techniques
Somatic therapy focuses on the connection between the mind and body. Many of our experiences — especially stress and trauma — are stored in the nervous system, not just in thoughts.
This approach helps you tune into physical sensations, release tension, and gently process experiences that may feel stuck.
Somatic therapy can help with:
-
Feeling disconnected or numb
-
Healing attachment wounds
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured therapy designed to help process and resolve traumatic or distressing experiences.
It works by using bilateral stimulation (such as guided eye movements or tapping) to help the brain reprocess memories in a way that reduces their emotional intensity.
I am currently completing training in EMDR and may integrate elements of this approach where appropriate.
EMDR can help effectively with:
Attachment Therapy
Attachment-based therapy focuses on how early relationships and life experiences shape the way you connect with others today. These patterns can influence how you experience closeness, trust, communication, and emotional safety in relationships.
If you’ve ever found yourself feeling anxious in relationships, pulling away when things get too close, or repeating the same patterns over and over, attachment-based work can help you understand why.
Attachment-based therapy can help with:
-
Relationship challenges and conflict
-
Fear of abandonment or rejection
-
Difficulty trusting others
-
Emotional closeness and vulnerability
How I Choose the Right Approach for You
You don’t need to know which therapy approach is “right” for you before starting counselling. My goal is to help guide that process and offer the right method to reach your goal and foster your healing.
We’ll work together to understand your goals and hopes, and tailor our sessions to fit the goals and needs.
Reach out today to book a counselling session with me online anywhere in BC or
in person in Coquitlam, Tri-Cities or Lower Mainland.
Email me at olga@feelgoodcounselling.com
Call, text or whatsapp at 778 788 4159
Book a session here:
Therapy FAQ
What is the most effective approach for anxiety symptoms?
There isn’t a single “most effective” therapy for anxiety, as different approaches work for different people. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is widely used to help identify and change anxious thought patterns, while somatic and polyvagal-informed therapies focus on calming the nervous system and reducing physical symptoms of anxiety. In many cases, a combination of approaches is most effective. In our work together, we’ll tailor therapy to your specific needs and find strategies that help you feel more grounded, supported, and in control.