Anxiety Counselling in Barrie, Ontario
When anxiety feels like a way of life rather than a response to danger — it is time to understand what it is really trying to tell you.
Anxiety counselling with Wanda Nayduk, Registered Occupational Therapist and psychotherapist, 39 years in practice — in Barrie, across Simcoe County, and by secure virtual session across Canada and internationally.
You are not broken. Your nervous system is trying to protect you.
Anxiety is not a weakness. It is not a character flaw. It is not something you should be able to think your way out of. Anxiety is, at its most fundamental level, a survival response — a system designed to protect you from danger that, for many people, has become stuck in the on position.
The question worth asking is not how to suppress the anxiety — but what the anxiety is responding to. What did it learn, and when? What is it still trying to protect you from? These are the questions that anxiety counselling with Wanda explores.
First consultation is free
Types of anxiety Wanda works with
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) — persistent, pervasive worry that is difficult to control
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Social anxiety and fear of judgment or humiliation
- Health anxiety
- Phobias and avoidance behaviours
- Separation anxiety and abandonment fears
- Trauma-rooted anxiety and hypervigilance — see also trauma therapy
- Anxiety related to life transitions, major change, or existential uncertainty
- Anxiety co-occurring with depression, addiction, or other mental health concerns
- Performance anxiety and perfectionism-driven anxiety
- Anxiety in older adults related to health, loss, or diminishing independence
What anxiety can feel like
Anxiety rarely announces itself as anxiety. More often it shows up as a way of living that has quietly narrowed. Some of what you may recognize:
- Worry that is persistent and pervasive, and that you cannot seem to put down
- Panic that arrives without warning, or the constant dread of the next one
- Fear of judgment or humiliation that makes ordinary social situations feel dangerous
- A body that will not settle — hypervigilance, a system stuck in the on position
- Avoiding the places, people or situations that set the alarm off, and a life that shrinks around the avoiding
- Fear of being left, or of losing the people you depend on
- Standards so high that nothing you do feels safe enough
- Worry about your health, or about death, meaning and what it is all for
- Anxiety that makes it hard to work, to be in your relationships, to rest, or to feel safe anywhere
None of this is a sign that something is wrong with you. It is a nervous system that learned, somewhere, that vigilance was necessary — and has not yet been shown that it can stand down.
How Wanda works with anxiety
Every session is with Wanda herself. The approach is chosen with you rather than applied to you, and it usually draws on several threads at once.
Understanding the roots. Using psychodynamic and trauma-informed approaches, Wanda explores the origins of anxiety — the early experiences, relational patterns, and survival strategies that taught the nervous system to remain on high alert.
Working with the body. Anxiety lives in the body as much as in the mind. Somatic and body-centred approaches help clients recognize and work with the physical dimension of their anxiety — rather than fighting it.
Building lasting capacity. Using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and other evidence-based tools, Wanda supports clients in developing practical, sustainable strategies for managing anxiety in daily life.
The psycho-spiritual dimension. For clients whose anxiety has an existential or spiritual dimension — fear of death, loss of meaning, disconnection from the sacred — Wanda’s Integrative Psycho-Spiritual approach makes space for those questions alongside the clinical work. This is offered on your terms — within your own tradition, outside of any, or not at all.
What sessions look like
The first consultation is free. It is a conversation, not an intake interview — a chance to say some of it out loud and to see whether this feels like the right fit. There is no obligation to continue.
Sessions are available in person in Barrie at 80 Bradford Street, Suite 801 (Entrance Door 3), and by secure video or telephone across Canada and internationally. For some people with anxiety, beginning by telephone or video is simply easier than walking into a new room; both are available, and the two can be mixed. Current rates are on the fees page.
This page is educational and is not a substitute for emergency care. If you are in immediate danger, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department. In Canada, the Suicide Crisis Helpline can be reached by calling or texting 988, at any hour.
Related areas of support
Frequently asked questions
Anxiety counselling in Barrie and Simcoe County
Wanda’s office is centrally located in Barrie and is used by clients from across Simcoe County, including Orillia, Midland, Innisfil, Angus, Bradford, Bracebridge and Gravenhurst. For those further out, or for anyone who would rather not drive after a difficult hour, secure virtual sessions are available throughout Canada and internationally.
If you are ready, the first conversation is free. You can reach Wanda at 705-321-4297, by email at wandanayduk@gmail.com, or through the contact page. There is no need to have the words ready first.
You don’t have to carry this alone
The first conversation is free and there is no obligation. Call 705-321-4297, email wandanayduk@gmail.com, or use the contact form — Wanda replies personally.
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