IN-PERSON COUNSELLING IN VANCOUVER & ONLINE ACROSS BC
Anxiety & Depression Counselling
Let’s put the inner-critic on mute, so life can feel like yours again.
Imagine trusting yourself and feeling confident — let’s help you get there.
You’re terrified of saying ‘no’ to anyone, even when you know you don’t have much left to give. Your reactions feel automatic, not because you truly want to. A part of you can't imagine letting anyone down, and you find yourself stuck, running in circles, constantly being the person taking care of others and keeping everyone's peace. Even as you quietly drown underneath all your obligations. And still nothing feels like enough.
No matter how much you achieve personally and professionally. You used to think fulfillment meant being the person everyone else depended on, but now you’re running on empty. Your efforts go unacknowledged, and you feel invisible. You wonder if you really matter to others, but feel guilty for thinking this way. Maybe, you wonder, if you could just figure something out or reach another goal, then things might change, because no one else seem to mind how things are going. All you want is for life to be a little less overwhelming, but you can’t seem to get there by yourself.
Maybe you’re…
Wishing you can say no, but it feels impossible
In a cycle of self-loathing, people-pleasing, and resentment
Overwhelmed by thoughts like “I don’t want to do this anymore”
No longer confident in your own decisions, and have let others decide for you
Stressed out and feel like you don’t have any time for yourself
Feeling stuck, no matter how hard you’ve tried to change
Persistently feeling sad, stressed, and worried
No longer feeling like you have the energy or joy for the things you used to love
Navigating what you’re feeling and making ways towards your goals is hard work, but you don’t have to do it alone. Counselling here isn’t about trying to manage stress — it’s about getting you to a place where making changes and saying ‘no’ feel less impossible. This means you get a comforting place that’s just for you, to sort through the chaos, put words to heavy feelings, and figure out what you actually need to feel less burnt out, so you don’t have to keep toughing it out on your own anymore.
You've spent a long time holding things together, and I want you to know that you aren't overreacting. Your feelings are real responses to all the challenges in your life and the constant pressure to be at your best. This is why you deserve a time and place just for you. You don't have to be alone in how you're feeling, and breaking out of the anxiety and depression you're feeling right now is possible.
What this work makes possible…
Nourish sustainable relationships
Break out of anxiety driven patterns. Cultivate healthy boundaries & communication patterns, move through your relationships with more ease and authenticity.
Build self-trust and confidence
Gain the confidence to make decisions and advocate for your needs with ease, without constantly needing to seek the approval of others.
Cultivate self-compassion
Perfectionism and anxiety counselling can help you with coming into greater self-acceptance and compassion, so you can say goodbye to your inner critic and step into authentic self-love.
Bloom into calm and resilience
You’ll not only find yourself less stressed out, but also have the tools to expand on the resilience you already have, so you can be in control and keep cool.
It’s time to stop pretending you’re fine and actually feel good for real…
frequently asked questions
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Anxiety is a common mental health condition and can show up as persistent feelings of worry, unease, or fear. Anxiety often stems from feeling overwhelmed by situations beyond your control, and can make you feel powerless, uncertain, or unable to cope. Anxiety can also be felt as physical symptoms.
Anxiety can feel like...
Persistent and severe worrying and overthinking
Prone to overwhelm and decision paralysis
Nervousness in social settings
More irritability
Persistent fear and doubt about your relationships
Obsessing over outcomes
Preference for avoiding conflicts due to fear
Sleep problems
Concentration problems
Muscle tension, chest tightness, more fatigue
Heart palpitations and shortness of breath
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Depression is typically experienced as low mood and loss of interest or motivation, but everyone can experience it in different ways. Depression can be felt as physical symptoms and chronic illnesses, in addition to changes in mood.
Feelings of sadness and hopelessness
Loss of interest in daily life activities
Trouble sleeping
Exhaustion
Feeling negatively about yourself
Decline in memory
Increased or decreased appetite
Unexplained physical pain or aches
Feeling like small tasks take extra effort
Having thoughts of self-harm or suicide
Feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem
Low mood
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Anxiety and depression have similar symptoms, including fatigue, overthinking, change in apetite, difficulty concentrating, irritability and restlessness.
Anxiety is typically future oriented, while depression is focused on past or present issues. Depression is more notably associated with low energy levels, while anxiety can provide bursts of energy.
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Yes. In fact, many people are diagnosed with both at the same time. Often it helps to put a name to your challenge, and I’m happy to explore that in our work together. However, you don’t need to meet a formal “diagnosis” to benefit from support.
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Perfectionism is the tendency to constantly strive for unrealistically goals while being highly critical of self and others. Perfectionism can be harmful because it can often cause stress, anxiety, and fear of failure. It has many causes, including societal or cultural pressure, and personal experiences leading to an underlying desire for control over the outcomes and feelings of fear surrounding judgement or rejection.
People-pleasing is the tendency to put the happiness of others ahead of their own. People pleasers are typically highly attuned to others and are agreeable, kind, and helpful, but have trouble fulfilling their own needs.
Similar to perfectionism, people-pleasing is concerned with earning and maintaining the approval of others, in order to reduce negative feelings associated with relationships, and to control feelings of fear related to social rejection.
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I mainly use Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP). Our sessions are tailored to your needs, and those frameworks offer the tools to help me understand where you’re at and offer you the care to help you go forward at your own pace. You can learn more about my approach on my about page.
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Schedule a free consultation with me. During the consultation, we can discuss the kind of help you are looking for and see if we will be a good fit going forward.
A consultation isn’t commitment, it’s a chance for you ask me questions and to get a sense if I’m the right person for you. My goal is to give you a sense of clarity, relief, and the confidence that change is possible.
If you choose to work with me, your sessions are personalized, and you can work on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, whichever feels the best for you.
Counselling With Wren
Specialized counselling services for anxiety & depression, neurodivergence, and trauma, available in-person in Vancouver and online across BC.
As an uninvited guest on stolen, ancestral territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), I commit myself to the continued work of assessing and responding to the ongoing impact of colonization.