Nina | Integrative Counsellor (MBACP)

Anxiety is a natural response to stress, or when you feel threatened or afraid. It's our body's way of ensuring that we survive by enducing the "fight or flight" mode during certain situations. But sometimes anxiety can become unmanageable. Sometimes you can feel "on alert" even when those stressors aren't currently present. You may find yourself constantly worrying, or even when you try to be calm and not think about what's worrying you, your body feels stuck in that "high-alert" state of being. You may be hypervigilent wherever you go, always scanning for danger. You may be sitting with all of the "what-if" questions. And this may feel overwhelming, suffocating, and exhausting.

They say anxiety encompasses worrying about the future, based on your experiences from the past. In my practice, I help you understand the physiological and cognitive roots of your distress. By integrating evidence-based strategies with a compassionate look into your triggers, we can work together to dismantle the cycle of hypervigilance, and help you to develop effective coping strategies to help you manage your current state of being. My goal is to help you reclaim a sense of grounded agency and calm in your daily life. 

Living with depression can feel like walking around with a constant dark cloud above you. It can feel like a type of heaviness, like life feels too much, or like getting out of bed is too hard. Depression can often lead onto thoughts around no one understanding what you are going through or that people would be better off without you. Depression can feel like real torment and suffering. I approach depression with kindness, compassion, and a helping hand to see you through this difficult time in your life. I help you rediscover your internal resources and build a sustainable path toward hope and reconnection with yourself. I help you to see a light at the end of the tunnel, when all you may see is darkness.

Depression can be deep and feel hopeless, or it can be as simple as something feeling "off", or losing interest in people and activities you used to enjoy. However depression feels to you, please know you are not alone, and you can come out the other side. 

My work in this area focuses on identifying the unconscious patterns and communication barriers that lead to disconnection and conflict. Whether you are navigating a specific crisis or seeking to deepen intimacy, we can work together to transform cycles of reaction into moments of genuine connection, ensuring your relationships become a source of strength rather than a source of stress. We can look at attachment styles, love languages, communication methods, past relationships, upbringing, stressful life events, and your thought patterns and behaviours to gain a clearer picture of what is going for you in your relationships with others.

Maybe somebody not texting you back feels like deep rejection? Or maybe you leave relationships before they get too deep? Perhaps you feel torn between the needs of your partner vs what you feel you need? We can look at all of this to shed some light on what is happening, to restore some clarity instead of confusion, and to help you move forward. 

 
It’s okay to admit it’s hard. I offer a non-judgmental space to navigate the beautiful, messy transition of becoming and being a mother. Whether that's during the trying to concieve period, during pregnancy, post-birth, the "fourth trimester", or during any stage of motherhood - from toddlers to teenagers, there's always something that can feel overwhelming, and I'm here to help you process that. I am a mum myself so I can really relate to lots of things that my clients say or feel.

Motherhood is not all sunshine and rainbows. It can be hard, frustrating, exhausting, mixed in with moments of joy, and fulfillment. It can be a complete rollercoaster being a mum. I have worked with women who want to process their birth story, difficult pregnancy, pregnancy loss, fertility issues, navigating the transition into motherhood, and also during the "battle" of motherhood as well. I also work for a charity for women who have/have had severe pregnancy sickness. Wherever you are in your journey into motherhood, we can navigate through it together, one step at a time.