Virtual Health Anxiety Therapy in British Columbia & Ontario
Online CBT for health anxiety and illness-related fears, for teens and adults in BC and Ontario.
When every sensation feels like it might mean something serious, it's hard to trust that you're okay
Because let’s face it — our bodies can be noisy! Health anxiety just makes it exhausting to tell which signals actually matter and which don't. That's not a flaw in how you think — it's what health anxiety does.
A strange sensation sends you straight to Google. A doctor tells you the tests are clear, and for a day or two that helps — then the worry finds its way back in anyway. You've noticed yourself checking in on your body throughout the day, not because you want to, but because it feels like you have to, just to feel okay for a while.
You won't have to convince me that what you're experiencing is real — I get it, and I've seen it. Anxiety may be part of the picture, but I understand it starts with something real. Health anxiety (sometimes called illness anxiety, or health-related OCD) is genuinely hard to live with — and it's also one of the more treatable things I work with.
You might recognize some of this:
Checking body for symptoms, lumps, or changes, more than you'd like to
Googling symptoms, or being convinced its the worst case scenario
Asking a doctor, partner, or friend for reassurance, and still not feeling settled afterward
Avoiding medical appointments, health news, or even conversations about illness
Taking photos of a mole, rash, or symptom to track whether it's changed
For some people the worry stays fixed on one illness. For others it moves — one fear resolves and a new one takes its place a few weeks later. Both are common, and neither means something is "wrong" with how your mind works. Health anxiety can also overlap with more specific fears, like a fear of vomiting or contamination — if that sounds closer to your experience, you may find my emetophobia page speaks to it more directly.
One pattern worth naming: the checking and reassurance-seeking usually feel like the solution, but they tend to be part of what keeps the worry alive. Relief from a reassuring test result rarely lasts, because the mind learns that checking is what made things okay — so it wants to check again next time. Therapy isn't about arguing you out of your fear. It's about loosening that cycle so uncertainty stops feeling unbearable.
How therapy can help
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the evidence-based, gold-standard treatment for health anxiety. In our work together, I draw on the core components of the CBT protocol, tailored to what you need:
Psychoeducation — understanding the CBT model of health anxiety, and learning what's actually happening in your body when anxiety sensations show up
Cognitive restructuring — examining the thoughts and predictions driving the anxiety, and building more flexible, accurate ways of responding to them
Exposure with response prevention — gradually facing feared sensations, thoughts, or situations, while reducing the checking and reassurance-seeking that keep the anxiety going
While CBT is a structured treatment, I believe in a personalized, tailored approach — working with you to figure out which pieces you need, at what pace, and in what order, rather than running a one-size-fits-all protocol.
Most importantly, therapy will not ask you to “stop caring about your health,” but it may help you engage in health related behaviours in a more balanced way that interferes less with day-to-day life.
FAQs about Health Anxiety
How is health anxiety different from just being cautious about your health?
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Caution usually settles once you've gotten information. Health anxiety keeps circling even after reassurance, tests, or a doctor's clear answer — the worry itself doesn't let up and causes significant daily distress or interferes with functioning.
What if I don't want to do exposure?
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That's a completely normal reaction, and it doesn't mean you're not ready for therapy. Exposure isn't something I spring on you or push you into — we build it together, gradually, and always at a pace you help set. Often, even just understanding the "why" behind exposure (through the psychoeducation piece) makes it feel much less daunting by the time we get there. And if you're still not ready when we reach that stage, we talk about it. Most importantly, you always have choice. I follow your lead.
I actually have health problems — can therapy still help?
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Yes. Having a real diagnosis and struggling with health anxiety aren't mutually exclusive — in fact, it's incredibly common for anxiety to build up around a genuine medical condition. Therapy isn't about convincing you your health problems aren't real. It's about helping you find a more sustainable way to live alongside them, so the worry isn't taking up more space than it needs to.
Ready to Start?
If health worries have been taking up more room in your life than you'd like, I'd be glad to help you find steadier ground.
You're welcome to book a free consultation to see if this feels like a good fit.
