Anxiety Treatments
Most people who start therapy for anxiety start feeling better within 2-3 sessions and keep improving from there. Anxiety therapy can be a real game-changer in helping you feel better and more in control. We work together to understand what’s causing your anxiety and how it’s affecting you. We’ll explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to discover patterns and triggers. The cool thing is, therapy gives you practical tools and techniques to manage your anxiety.
You might learn relaxation exercises to calm your mind. Some times we will practice deep breathing to ease body tension. Other times we will challenge negative thoughts that fuel your worries. Plus, you’ll gain insights and support to build resilience and face anxiety-provoking situations with more confidence. Therapy isn’t about magically making anxiety disappear overnight. It’s a journey where you’ll grow stronger, learn new skills, and feel empowered to live your life to the fullest.
Anxiety is not your fault
There are many things that can cause someone to have anxiety. If you have anxiety I know it’s not something that you want to keep having. Some people are born with a genetic disposition to anxiety. Their lives may look but perfect their brains are primed to worry. If you have been an anxious person your whole life you likely have some chemical reactions you can’t control. That makes it hard to not worry or panic. You also have learned behaviors and ways of thinking that maintain these cycles without even thinking about it.
Some people may not have been born with a tendency to be anxious but earned it the hard way. Living through trauma can create and worsen anxious cycles. If you have been through abuse, trauma, natural disasters, or toxic stress your brain starts to adjust to the world as a dangerous place even when you are safe. Trauma changes the brain and a natural response is to become more anxious. It doesn’t have to stay this way.
Anxiety is a mind/body connection
Understanding anxiety treatment involves recognizing the deep connection between our minds and bodies. When we feel anxious, it’s not just a mental experience – our bodies react too. Heart racing, tense muscles, upset stomachs – these are all signs of how anxiety affects us physically. But it works the other way around too. Physical discomfort or illness can trigger anxiety.
That’s why it’s essential to take care of both our mental and physical health. Simple practices like mindfulness, deep breathing, and exercise can help calm our minds and bodies, easing the grip of anxiety. By paying attention to this mind-body connection, we empower ourselves to manage anxiety more effectively. This lets you live with greater balance and peace of mind.
Therapy and Medication – Anxiety Treatment
When it comes to anxiety treatment, therapy offers helpful skills to help manage anxious feelings without relying only on medication. Therapy provides a toolkit of techniques made just for your needs. My goal is to empower you to manage your anxiety more effectively. I’m here to support you every step of the way, evaluating your symptoms and discussing whether consulting with a primary care provider or psychiatrist could help you. Let’s work together to find the best path forward for your journey towards peace of mind.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy – CBT
In anxiety treatment there are different techniques to try and I am trained in many of them. The gold standard treatment for anxiety is cognitive behavior therapy. You can learn more about the basic techniques of this here. In cognitive behavior therapy and mindfulness based cognitive behavior therapy you examine the thoughts that you have to see where faulty thinking might be making your anxiety worse. In CBT you get to be the driver of what we discuss in session and will go home with homework on thinking exercises and self care.
Trauma Focused Anxiety Treatment
There are many ways of treating trauma based anxiety but no matter what method is used the good relationship between client and therapist is key. This is a large focus for me in your treatment so that you feel safe and supported. We may do some trauma narrative work which is a fancy way of saying tell your story and reinterpret what it means about you and your life.
You might prefer EMDR where you reprocess emotions using dual attention and desensitization techniques. You also might do well with internal family systems where we help you better connect to all of your parts, or need traditional trauma focused CBT. I explain every step of the way what I recommend and make it work for you.
Anxiety Treatment – Exposure and Response Prevention – ERP
CBT does not work for OCD and many compulsive thoughts. People with agoraphobia and panic disorder often also need this kind of treatment. Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is about building a hierarchy of things that cause fear and anxiety and making a plan to tackle these triggers one at a time. This helps your brain and body learn that even if you are anxious you are safe and can take on more triggering tasks. ERP is done with guidance from your therapist so that you are not taking on majorly overwhelming triggers without a game plan to cope.
Anxiety Treatment – Non Traditional Therapy
Some people with anxiety benefit from non-traditional therapies that tap into their strengths. In my experience working with both children and adults who have experienced trauma, many find it hard to communicate their anxieties verbally or even access certain thoughts. That’s where therapies like art therapy, sandtray therapy, internal family systems therapy, and somatic methods can be incredibly helpful. Using these tools help to soothe the survival part of the brain and reconnect individuals with their healing potential.
In art therapy, for example, you’re given prompts to express yourself creatively, without worrying about right or wrong answers. Sandtray therapy allows your unconscious thoughts to surface, providing insight into your current perceptions of safety and security. These non-verbal techniques can be powerful tools for navigating through anxiety and trauma, offering a unique pathway to healing and self-discovery.
Child Based Anxiety Treatment
Anxiety with kids looks different. They need a mix of education, talking, play, art, and connection to find ways to cope and feel like themselves again. Anxiety can look like outbursts. I help you as a parent stay connected to treatment and get your questions answered. The kids I treat like coming to therapy where they get to feel safe, have fun, and feel understood.
As a mom of four I understand the importance of caring for every child as carefully as if they are my own and still live the promise from my time as a therapist at Cook Children’s that every child’s life is sacred.
Coping Skill Development
Anxiety will not respond to coping skills alone. But no one goes from the start to the finish line so I help you find ways to cope along the way. In session we will work together to build a coping plan to help you feel more safe and secure when you are anxious. You will likely get homework on trying some different ways of relaxing your mind and body. This is especially important if you are one of the many people who often feel angry when they are anxious so that you can keep one problem from turning in to two.
Healing is possible but hope is not a plan. Call or email me today so that we can talk about how my skills can complement your strength and find hope again.
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