Treatments for Anxiety
An anxiety disorder is more than feeling stressed or worried. While it is normal to experience symptoms of anxiety throughout our life, usually the difficult feelings and intrusive thoughts pass once a stressful situation has ended (e.g., after we've finished a presentation, once we've completed our exam, or when the relationship conflict is resolved).
Anxiety disorders occur when the normal symptoms of anxiety are ongoing and we begin to change our lives in order to avoid anxiety. Over time, our anxiety feels uncontrollable and many feel trapped. Recovery is possible with the right support and treatment. Our psychologists have helped many people learn how to get out of their mind and back into their life.
Types of Anxiety Disorder
Becoming caught up in our mind about our problems and changing our activities to avoid the feeling of anxiety can interfere with everyday life. The manner in which anxiety affects us can vary and here are some of the common issues:
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Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - often characterised by excessive worry about our work, relationships, finances, health, or other areas of life.
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - often characterised by intrusive, unwanted thoughts which are temporarily alleviated through engagement in rituals or repetitive behaviours.
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Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) - often characterised by excessive worry about others’ negative perceptions about our appearance, actions, or comments, and, a strong feeling of anxiety in public spaces.
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Panic Disorder - often characterised by avoidance of situations or actions that might result in sudden, scary and intense physical and emotional reactions (Panic Attacks) due to a constant fear of having another attack.
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Agoraphobia - often characterised by an intense fear of open spaces or a fear of leaving the home that may lead to social isolation or unemployment
How Treatment for Anxiety Works
Psychological counselling has been clinically proven as a successful way to treat the majority of anxiety problems with or without medication. Given that our treatments adhere to best practice and modern research, your treatment plan will involve the following key components:
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Psycho-education (e.g., the role and functions of anxiety, how anxiety is processed in the brain, how anxiety disorders develop, etc.)
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Changing behavioural and thinking patterns (e.g., learning to use relaxation/breathing skills, mindfulness skills, etc.)
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Gradual desensitisation to the experience of anxiety and triggers of anxiety (e.g., learning to continue important tasks while experiencing anxiety, identifying and responding to triggers in a constructive manner, etc.)
We understand that seeking psychological support can be an anxiety-provoking experience. As such, please feel welcome to contact us through any medium and our psychologists will be able to answer your questions.
We want to make your experience of counselling accessible, enjoyable, and, most importantly, effective.
