ANXIETY THERAPY IN ONTARIO
You don't have to keep living in anticipation of what might go wrong.
When your mind rarely switches off, therapy can help you understand what's keeping it on alert.
Maybe you're always thinking ahead, replaying conversations, preparing for the worst, or wondering whether you've done enough.
You might appear calm and capable to everyone else while feeling tense, overwhelmed, or exhausted inside.
At Théla, anxiety therapy goes beyond simply trying to eliminate anxious thoughts. Together, we explore what anxiety is responding to, what keeps it going, and how you can develop a different relationship with uncertainty, emotion, and yourself.
BOOK A CONSULTATION →In-person in Markham · Virtual therapy in Ontario and select provinces
You can know your worries are unlikely and still find it difficult to stop worrying.
Insight is valuable. But understanding something logically doesn't always change how it feels.
MORE THAN WORRY
Anxiety doesn't always look like panic.
Sometimes anxiety looks like overthinking every decision, preparing for every possible outcome, needing reassurance, or struggling to relax without feeling guilty.
It may show up as procrastination, perfectionism, people-pleasing, difficulty setting boundaries, or constantly monitoring how others feel about you.
When anxiety has been present for years, these patterns can start to feel like personality traits rather than responses that developed over time. Therapy can help you explore that distinction.
DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?
The many ways anxiety can show up.
You don't need to experience all of these to benefit from support.
Constant Overthinking
Replaying conversations, imagining worst-case scenarios, or struggling to make decisions without examining every possibility.
Perfectionism
Feeling that mistakes are unacceptable, overpreparing, or measuring your worth by how well you perform.
Avoidance & Procrastination
Delaying tasks, decisions, or conversations because the possibility of failure or discomfort feels overwhelming.
Reassurance Seeking
Frequently checking whether things are okay, whether someone is upset, or whether you've made the right decision.
Physical Tension
Feeling restless, tense, nauseated, or on edge, sometimes without an obvious reason.
Difficulty With Uncertainty
Feeling compelled to plan, predict, check, or control situations to prevent something from going wrong.
UNDERSTANDING ANXIETY
Why reassurance doesn't always last.
Many anxiety patterns are maintained by a cycle in which efforts to feel safer provide temporary relief but make uncertainty harder to tolerate over time.
01.
Uncertainty
Something happens that you cannot fully predict or control.
02.
Anxious Prediction
Your mind begins imagining danger, rejection, mistakes, or unwanted outcomes.
03.
Safety Behaviour
You check, avoid, overprepare, seek reassurance, or repeatedly think through possibilities.
04.
Temporary Relief
Anxiety decreases briefly, but the next uncertain situation restarts the cycle.
The goal isn't to become careless about what matters.
It's to learn when preparation is helpful, when anxiety has taken over, and how to make decisions without requiring absolute certainty.
AREAS WE CAN EXPLORE
Anxiety can take different forms.
Generalized Anxiety & Chronic Worry
Persistent worry about work, relationships, health, finances, family, or everyday responsibilities.
Social Anxiety
Fear of being judged, embarrassed, criticized, or negatively evaluated in social or performance situations.
Panic & Fear of Panic
Sudden episodes of intense fear, uncomfortable physical sensations, and concern about experiencing another episode.
Health-Related Anxiety
Frequent worries about physical symptoms, illness, medical uncertainty, or the wellbeing of loved ones.
Relationship Anxiety
Worry about abandonment, conflict, disappointing others, or whether relationships are secure.
Anxiety During Life Transitions
Stress and uncertainty related to school, careers, parenthood, separation, health changes, or new responsibilities.
ANXIETY & THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
Sometimes your body sounds the alarm before your mind understands why.
Anxiety can involve changes in heart rate, breathing, muscle tension, digestion, attention, and sleep.
You may experience nausea, dizziness, shaking, chest tightness, restlessness, or a sense of disconnection.
Somatic and nervous-system-informed strategies can help you notice these responses, develop grounding skills, and build greater flexibility in how you respond to physical signs of stress.
EXPLORE SOMATIC THERAPY →Feeling anxious doesn't always mean something dangerous is happening.
Therapy can help you understand the difference between an alarm response and a present-day threat.
New, severe, or unexplained physical symptoms should be medically assessed. Anxiety-related symptoms should not automatically be assumed to have a psychological cause.
WHEN ANXIETY OVERLAPS WITH OTHER EXPERIENCES
Understanding the bigger picture.
Anxiety & ADHD
Difficulty managing deadlines, tasks, and attention can contribute to worry. Some people rely on anxiety to compensate for executive-functioning difficulties.
EXPLORE ADHD THERAPY →Anxiety & Trauma
Past experiences can influence expectations of safety, trust, control, and relationships. Therapy can explore these connections without assuming every anxiety response is caused by trauma.
Anxiety & Perfectionism
When making mistakes feels threatening to your identity or relationships, even ordinary decisions can become exhausting.
Anxiety & Relationships
You may monitor others' moods, avoid difficult conversations, seek repeated reassurance, or feel responsible for preventing conflict.
Anxiety During Pregnancy & Postpartum
Pregnancy and parenthood can bring concerns about health, safety, identity, changing relationships, and new responsibilities. Additional perinatal support may be appropriate.
Anxiety & Burnout
Overpreparing, people-pleasing, overworking, and difficulty resting can contribute to prolonged stress and exhaustion.
OUR THERAPEUTIC APPROACH
Anxiety therapy should be as individual as you are.
Your therapist may integrate several approaches, depending on your needs, preferences, and clinical presentation.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Exploring anxious predictions, unhelpful beliefs, avoidance patterns, and behavioural strategies for responding differently.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Learning to make room for uncomfortable internal experiences while taking action guided by personal values.
Exposure-Based Strategies
Gradually approaching feared situations or sensations when clinically appropriate, rather than allowing avoidance to determine what is possible.
DBT-Informed Skills
Building emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness skills.
IFS & Parts Work
Exploring protective patterns, including parts that worry, overprepare, criticize, or try to prevent mistakes.
Somatic & Trauma-Informed Therapy
Considering body awareness, nervous system responses, attachment, and past experiences where relevant.
WHAT TO EXPECT
What actually happens in anxiety therapy?
01.
Understand Your Anxiety
Identify triggers, physical sensations, thoughts, behaviours, and situations in which anxiety becomes difficult to manage.
02.
Explore What Maintains It
Look at avoidance, reassurance seeking, perfectionism, relational patterns, and other responses that may provide short-term relief.
03.
Build New Responses
Practise individualized skills and gradually develop more flexibility with uncertainty, discomfort, emotions, and everyday challenges.
MEET YOUR ANXIETY THERAPISTS
Find the approach that feels right for you.
Bonny and Charlie offer integrative anxiety psychotherapy, with different areas of clinical focus.
ANXIETY · TRAUMA · ATTACHMENT · EMOTIONAL REGULATION
Bonny Kaman Li
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Bonny works with adults whose anxiety intersects with perfectionism, overthinking, relationship difficulties, attachment experiences, trauma, emotional dysregulation, and self-criticism.
Her integrative approach may incorporate CBT, DBT-informed skills, IFS, attachment-based therapy, and somatic-informed strategies. Therapy can include both practical coping skills and deeper exploration of longstanding patterns.
Languages: English, Cantonese, Mandarin
Format: In-person in Markham and virtual therapy across Ontario
BOOK WITH BONNY →ANXIETY · ADHD · NEURODIVERGENCE · BURNOUT
Charlie
Registered Psychotherapist
Charlie supports adults experiencing anxiety alongside ADHD, neurodivergence, sensory overwhelm, masking, chronic stress, burnout, and trauma-related difficulties.
Her neurodivergent-affirming, trauma-informed approach considers both emotional experiences and the impact of prolonged stress on daily functioning and nervous system regulation.
Approach: Neurodivergent-affirming and trauma-informed
Format: Virtual therapy in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, subject to eligibility
BOOK WITH CHARLIE →FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions about anxiety therapy?
Do I need an anxiety diagnosis to begin therapy?
No. You can seek psychotherapy for anxiety, stress, panic, overthinking, avoidance, perfectionism, or other emotional concerns without a formal diagnosis.
Can therapy help if I've always been anxious?
Yes. Longstanding anxiety patterns can be explored in therapy, including how they developed and what might help you respond differently.
Can anxiety cause physical symptoms?
Anxiety can be associated with muscle tension, increased heart rate, nausea, sweating, dizziness, and changes in breathing. New or concerning symptoms should also be medically evaluated.
Can anxiety and ADHD occur together?
Yes. ADHD-related difficulties and anxiety can reinforce one another. Bonny and Charlie can explore these experiences as part of individualized psychotherapy.
What if I don't know why I'm anxious?
You don't need to identify a cause before starting. Therapy can help you notice when anxiety appears, what influences it, and what patterns may be maintaining it.
Does anxiety therapy involve exposure?
Depending on your needs, therapy may include collaboratively planned, gradual exposure to feared situations or sensations. The approach should be explained and adapted to your circumstances.
Can I receive anxiety therapy in Cantonese or Mandarin?
Yes. Bonny offers psychotherapy in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin for eligible clients.
Is anxiety therapy available online?
Yes. Théla offers virtual anxiety psychotherapy across Ontario. Charlie also works virtually with eligible clients in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.
How long does anxiety therapy take?
The duration depends on your goals, the nature of your concerns, your preferences, and your response to treatment. Your therapist can review progress with you and adjust the plan collaboratively.
EXPLORE RELATED SUPPORT
Anxiety is only one part of your experience.
Our integrative approach considers how anxiety interacts with executive functioning, trauma, relationships, and physical responses to stress.
ADHD THERAPY SOMATIC THERAPY EMDR & TRAUMA THERAPYBEGIN WITH A CONVERSATION
You don't have to solve every possible future before living in the present.
Anxiety may have helped you prepare, protect yourself, or manage uncertainty. But it doesn't have to make every decision for you.
Therapy can help you build a different relationship with worry, uncertainty, and yourself.
BOOK A CONSULTATION CONTACT OUR TEAMIn-person in Markham · Virtual psychotherapy in Ontario and select provinces
