Anxiety Therapy in Ottawa & Online Across Ontario
Specialized Support for High-Functioning Anxiety in Ottawa
If you are seeking anxiety therapy in Ottawa or virtual anxiety counselling across Ontario, you likely recognize that you need a way to heal the underlying patterns that keep you in survival mode. Anxiety is our body’s alarm system, designed to alert us of danger, but for many high-functioning adults, this alarm remains activated long after the threat has passed.
As an Ottawa-based psychotherapist, my approach to anxiety treatment is relational and attachment-based, focusing on why your system stays on high alert and how to cultivate a lasting sense of grounding and self-trust.
Whether you are navigating burnout, perfectionism, or the weight of early responsibilities, we work to quiet the inner critic and build a life aligned with your authentic self. By addressing these deep-seated patterns, we help your nervous system learn that it no longer needs to stay in a state of hyper-vigilance, allowing you to finally feel present and at ease.
The Roots of Chronic Anxiety: An Attachment-Based Perspective
Although anxiety is felt in the present, it often has roots in earlier experiences that shaped how your nervous system learned to respond to the world. If you grew up in an environment that felt emotionally unpredictable, critical, or unsafe, your system may have adapted by becoming more vigilant over time.
You might recognize patterns such as:
Fear of making mistakes or being judged
Difficulty saying no or setting boundaries
Overextending yourself in relationships to maintain connection
Feeling responsible for others’ emotions or learning early on that your needs came second
Anxiety can be understood as a learned response to emotional uncertainty or early responsibility. Your nervous system adapted in order to protect you — and now it may be working harder than it needs to.
Meet Gal Zohar, Psychotherapist Specializing in Anxiety in Ottawa
Helping clients recognize and heal emotional wounds that once served as survival strategies.
When anxiety is treated as a present-day symptom, the deeper patterns beneath it are often missed. In anxiety therapy with me, we focus on understanding how anxiety developed — not just how to cope with it in the moment.
My approach is relational, trauma-informed, and attachment-based. Together, we can explore how anxiety shows up in both your inner world and your relationships, including:
How anxiety lives in your body, thoughts, and emotional responses
The inner critical voice that fuels self-doubt and pressure
Early relational experiences that shaped how you learned to cope
What safety, grounding, and emotional connection actually feel like for you
While many therapeutic approaches focus on developing skills to manage symptoms, my work is centered on healing the underlying patterns that keep anxiety active. Anxiety is a learned response; one that once helped you adapt to your environment. By understanding the experiences that taught your nervous system to stay alert, we create space for it to learn something new.
Healing happens through processing these patterns and building an inner sense of safety. With consistency and safety, your nervous system learns it no longer needs to stay in survival mode. Therapy can help that alarm soften, so you can feel more present, grounded, and at ease.
Breaking the Cycle of High-Functioning Anxiety
Anxiety therapy in Ottawa may be especially supportive if you:
Feel anxious but also emotionally exhausted
Struggle with people-pleasing, guilt, or over-responsibility
Tend to intellectualize your feelings and feel disconnected from them
Have tried therapy before and are looking for deeper work
Online Anxiety Treatment for Residents Across Ontario
I offer secure online anxiety therapy to adults throughout Ontario. Virtual sessions provide privacy, consistency, and the ability to do meaningful relational work from your own space.
As a licensed psychotherapist in Ontario, I work with clients across the province using a trauma-informed, attachment-based approach.
Ready to Begin Anxiety Therapy?
If this resonates, you’re welcome to book a consultation to see whether anxiety therapy with me feels like a good fit.