Service Description

Understanding Anxiety Disorders

 Several major types of anxiety disorders can be treated using therapeutic approaches, including:2

• Panic disorder is a condition characterized by frequent, sudden panic attacks.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) involves obsessions and compulsions that create distress and interfere with daily life.
• Phobias are irrational fears of a situation or object.
• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is marked by constant worry and anxiety about a wide variety of concerns in the absence of a specific threat.
• Social anxiety disorder (SAD) involves an irrational fear of being observed, judged, or embarrassed that causes severe anxiety in social situations.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves anxiety symptoms following a traumatic experience.

Efficacy of Anxiety Therapy

Anxiety is highly treatable. Psychotherapy can be very effective, but medications, lifestyle changes, and relaxation strategies can also help.

One meta-analysis found that several types of therapy were effective in treating anxiety symptoms, including individual and group CBT, mindfulness therapies, and psychodynamic therapy.9 Online therapy, eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR), and interpersonal therapy also demonstrated efficacy. 

The study found that the treatment option with the highest efficacy combined individual CBT with medication.

What to Expect From Anxiety Therapy

A common misunderstanding about therapy is that you'll immediately start to feel better. Sometimes this is the case. But much of the time, you feel worse before you start feeling better. Surprisingly, feeling worse is often a sign of progress. And if you think about it, that makes sense.

When you make the decision to enter into therapy, it's often because you haven't been able to work through your anxiety on your own. Therapy involves exploring your anxiety and the reasons behind it in a deeper, more meaningful way. This can cause a temporary spike in your anxiety.

How to Make the Most of Therapy

Here are a few ways to make the most of your therapy—and actually see some results:

• Don't pretend to be OK
• Tell your therapist anything and everything
• Do the work outside your sessions
• Focus on your goals
• Practice healthy lifestyle choices
• Make sure you have a social support system
• Reduce stress in your life that makes your anxiety worse

What are the benefits of anxiety counselling?

There are many benefits when it comes to anxiety counselling.
It's different from other types of psychological therapies. In these sessions, a therapist aims to reach two goals.
Firstly, the person knows what their anxiety symptoms are. And secondly, they'll know how to regain control when they do feel anxious.
Let's look at the benefits for these talking therapies:

• Understand what causes anxiety.
• Know what their triggers and symptoms are.
• Overcome anxious thoughts and panic attacks.
• Regain control through prevention methods.