Sima Kulshreshtha (she/her)

Change can be hard and can increase anxiety and discomfort, even when a change has been planned, and is positive, such as launching a new business or starting school. Fear of failure is common, and often groundless. When change is not in your control, it can be traumatic. Seeking help and support is crucial early on to limit the impact this has on your life. I use a combination of talk therapy and Problem Solving Therapy. This is usually coupled with bio-feedback.

Getting a new diagnosis or trying to manage a chronic illness is stressful. It is not uncommon to experience grief or anger while you adjust to the new limitations put on your body. It may be helpful to talk to someone about the fear, anger and struggle as you adjust to your new reality.

Supporting a loved one going through mental health or physical illness can be overwhelming. Caregiver burnout is real, and can happen when the roles you have taken on to support a loved one's recovery has become too much. I have worked with patients and families going through chronic and terminal illnesses, and have seen the pain that caregivers bear to make sure their loved one is all right, ranging from feelings overwhelmed to physical injuries when the physical care becomes to high.

I include mindfulness exercises in my sessions if I sense that you are getting to overwhelmed. I also send people links to exercises they can do on their own to help self-regulate their emotions.

CBT is useful in identifying and changing unhealthy thought patterns and behaviors. I use a number of CBT worksheets and tools in my sessions to walk clients through identifying cognitive distortions and other unhealthy behaviors. Together, we work on understanding and possibly changing automatic reactions.

I was raised in Canada to parents who immigrated from India. I understand the experience of having a different culture/social rules within my family system, and having to learn and navigate a completely different set of rules in North American Culture. I also understand that a lot of patterns that are expected in communal cultures are often labeled as unhealthy in Western Culture. We can work through tensions that you are feeling between these opposing view points to live a more authentic life.