Anxiety Counselling
Anxiety counselling with Rimsha Qureshi, MACP, RCC provides practical cognitive and somatic strategies to quiet an overactive nervous system, interrupt chronic worry spirals, and manage panic attacks without feeling overwhelmed. Sessions are 100% virtual across British Columbia.
Is This Support Right for You?
You might resonate with this counselling focus if you are navigating:
- You experience racing thoughts, chronic worry, or constant anticipation of worst-case scenarios.
- Physical anxiety symptoms — tight chest, shallow breathing, stomach distress, or difficulty sleeping — interrupt your day.
- You experience sudden surges of panic or avoid situations due to fear of losing control.
- Intellectual logic doesn’t quiet the alarm bells in your body.
- You want concrete, practical tools to ground yourself in the moment.
Understanding Anxiety as a Nervous System Alarm
Anxiety is one of the most common reasons individuals reach out for clinical support in British Columbia. Often, clients tell us: “I know logically that I’m safe, but my body feels like it’s in constant danger.”
When your sympathetic nervous system is continually activated, your body pumps adrenaline and cortisol, quickening your pulse, tightening your muscles, and narrowing your cognitive focus to scan for threats. In our modern lives, this ancient survival response is often triggered by workplace demands, relationship uncertainty, health concerns, or financial pressures.
How Rimsha Works With Anxiety
Rimsha Qureshi, MACP, RCC combines practical, evidence-informed modalities tailored to your unique temperament:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Identifying automatic catastrophic thoughts, examining thinking traps (such as catastrophizing or mind-reading), and developing balanced cognitive perspectives.
- Somatic Grounding & Regulation: Learning physical self-soothing tools — including breath pacing, muscle relaxation, and sensory orientation — to steady physical arousal.
- Mindfulness-Based Strategies: Learning to observe anxious sensations with curiosity rather than panic, reducing secondary anxiety (the fear of being anxious).
- Solution-Focused Coping: Developing clear, actionable routines for sleep hygiene, work boundaries, and social stress.
What Virtual Anxiety Sessions Look Like
Sessions take place in 50-minute virtual appointments from the comfort of your private space anywhere in British Columbia. We establish a gentle, unhurried pace where you are never forced to talk about distressing topics before you feel ready. In each session, we balance reflective processing with concrete skill-building so you leave with tangible practices to integrate into your week.
Fees, Extended Health & Direct Billing
Clinical sessions are $160 / 50 min. Most British Columbia extended health insurance plans cover sessions with a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC).
We provide direct billing for participating extended health plans via TELUS eClaims and Provider Connect (e.g. Pacific Blue Cross, Sun Life, Canada Life, Manulife), as well as direct billing for eligible ICBC Enhanced Care claims. Official receipts containing Rimsha Qureshi's BCACC registration (#29320) are issued immediately following every session for seamless submission.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does anxiety therapy differ from simply trying to think positive?
Anxiety is not a character flaw or a failure of willpower; it is an active physiological threat alarm. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and somatic grounding help you recognize when your nervous system is sounding false alarms, allowing you to regulate physical arousal first rather than attempting to debate your thoughts while in panic.
What techniques do we practice for acute panic attacks?
We practice bottom-up somatic tools such as physiological sighs, sensory 5-4-3-2-1 grounding, paced diaphragmatic breathing, and gradual exposure to feared sensations. These tools help signal safety to your nervous system so your logical reasoning can return.
How many sessions are typically needed for anxiety?
Every individual is unique. Many clients begin noticing improved emotional coping and self-soothing tools within 6 to 10 sessions, while others benefit from ongoing relational support. Outcomes cannot be guaranteed, and pacing is always collaborative.
Are anxiety sessions covered by extended health insurance in BC?
Yes, most Canadian extended health insurance plans cover services provided by a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC). Direct billing is available for select participating plans, or official receipts with RCC #29320 are provided for immediate reimbursement.
Related Clinical Services
Immediate Crisis Support (24/7): If you are experiencing an acute mental health emergency or immediate thoughts of suicide, please call 911 or visit your nearest hospital emergency department.
- • Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988 (Call or Text)
- • BC Crisis Centre: Call 1-800-784-2433 (1-800-SUICIDE)
- • BC Mental Health Support Line: Call
Individual experiences with counselling vary and outcomes cannot be guaranteed.