Anxiety Counselling
For minds that won’t stop worrying about what could go wrong
You Know Something’s Off, Even When You Can’t Explain It
Maybe you’re always braced for something to go wrong. You replay conversations, worry about things that haven’t happened yet, and feel a low hum of unease that doesn’t quite go away even when life is going well. Or maybe anxiety shows up more acutely: a racing heart, a tightening chest, a sudden wave of dread before a presentation or a difficult conversation.
Anxiety can take many forms, but the common thread is a nervous system stuck in a kind of overdrive, working hard to protect you from threats, real or imagined. That system exists for good reason, but when it’s working overtime for months or years, it can wear you down and start to limit your life. Counselling works with the patterns in your thoughts, your body and your history that keep the anxiety going.
Vista Counselling provides anxiety counselling in person at our Langley, BC office and online across BC, for everything from generalized worry and panic to social, health, and high-functioning anxiety.
Anxiety looks different for everyone, and so does the way through it.
What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is the brain’s anticipatory alarm system, designed to alert you to potential threats before they happen. This is useful. The problem is that the brain isn’t always accurate about what counts as a threat, and it errs heavily on the side of caution.
When anxiety becomes persistent, it’s no longer matching real danger. Your body responds to a difficult email, a crowded room, or a looming deadline the same way it might respond to an actual emergency. Over time, that chronic activation takes a toll on your sleep, your relationships, your work, and your sense of self.
What We Commonly See
Anxiety takes many forms. These are the ones we see most often:
How We Work With Anxiety
As we come to understand what’s keeping your anxiety going, we draw on the approaches that fit, often more than one:
Anxiety usually has a history, and it often makes more sense once we understand what it developed in response to: a stretch of life that felt unpredictable, a home where you had to stay alert, or an experience that taught you to expect the worst. Understanding that history isn’t always enough to change how the anxiety feels, since many people already know why they’re anxious and still feel it just as strongly. Even so, it can help: your reactions start to feel less random, and it shows us which experiences may need attention in counselling.
Some people choose to add NeurOptimal neurofeedback alongside counselling. Kevin has offered it since 2009, and many clients with anxiety describe the sessions as a rare stretch of time when their mind isn’t racing ahead of them. That sense of settling can create more room to slow down, reflect, and engage with the deeper work of counselling.
Who You’ll Work With
Dr. Kevin Klassen, PsyD
With a doctorate in psychology and more than 20,000 clinical hours, Kevin has been practicing in Langley since 2009, working with individuals through EMDR, IFS and AEDP. Trauma is a particular focus, including work with first responders.
Roshni Vedamanikam, MA, MSW
A Registered Clinical Counsellor since 2003, Roshni brings an integrative approach and many years of experience supporting women and children affected by family violence. She works online across BC with anxiety, depression, stress and burnout, boundaries, parenting and attachment struggles, identity and self-worth, and life transitions.
What to Expect
In early sessions, we focus on understanding your experience: when anxiety shows up, what triggers it, how it affects your daily life, and what you’ve already tried. There’s no rush to fix anything before we understand what we’re working with. As we go, you’ll develop practical tools for managing anxiety in the moment, alongside deeper work on the patterns that keep it going. How long that takes varies with the nature and history of the anxiety, and we’ll check in with you about how things are going along the way.
Anxiety counselling is available in person at our Langley, BC office or via secure video for clients across British Columbia.
FAQs
Do I need a diagnosis to come for anxiety counselling?
No. You don’t need a formal diagnosis to benefit from counselling. If anxiety is affecting your quality of life, that’s enough reason to reach out, whether or not it meets clinical criteria for a disorder.
Will you just teach me breathing exercises?
Breathing and relaxation techniques can be useful tools, but they’re not the whole picture. We’re interested in understanding why your nervous system is dysregulated in the first place, and working at that level rather than just managing symptoms.
How long does anxiety counselling take?
It depends on the complexity of what you’re dealing with. Some people experience significant relief in 8–12 sessions. Others benefit from longer-term work, particularly when anxiety is connected to longer-standing patterns or past trauma.
Can anxiety be treated without medication?
Yes, for many people. Canada’s clinical guidelines recommend psychological therapy as a first-line treatment for anxiety disorders, on its own or in combination with medication. We don’t prescribe medication, but we can work collaboratively with your doctor or psychiatrist if that’s part of your care.
Is online anxiety counselling effective?
Research suggests that video counselling is as effective as in-person for most people. We offer secure video sessions for clients anywhere in BC who prefer or need a remote option.
What does a session cost?
Sessions are 50 minutes. The fee is $200 per session with Dr. Kevin Klassen and $165 per session with Roshni Vedamanikam. Many extended health plans cover counselling with a Registered Clinical Counsellor, so it’s worth confirming your coverage before your first session. Full details, including our cancellation policy, are on our FAQ page.