STEP 1: SCHEUDLE CONSULTATION
Do you find yourself excessively worrying about everything?
How? Schedule a consultation with a therapist to begin treatment for anxiety.
STEP 1: SCHEUDLE CONSULTATION
STEP 2: COMPLETE ASSESSMENT
STEP 3: ATTEND SESSIONS
Anxiety disorders are terrible because they can limit your ability to enjoy life. They may cause you to feel constant stress for little to no reason, make you miss important life events, cause you to feel panic and make you doubt your ability to perform and impair your sense of self.
An untreated anxiety disorder may lead to poor performance, high stress,
medical problems and more however, it doesn't have to be that way.
Anxiety is a normal human experience. Moments of anxiety are generally brief, cause mild to moderate distress and are manageable. Anxiety looks different for each person but in general, anxiety happens when the predicted outcome of a situation is greater than a person's (percieved) ability to cope.
Anxiety disorders are different from the Day-to-Day anxiety experieced by many people. Anxiety disorders have cluster of symptopms that show up in a specific way. These symptoms cause a perosn significant impairment. Examples of anxiety disorders include:
There are many anxiety and stress related disorders with a similar symptopms. It is always best to speak with a qualified professional about you particular experience.
Each anxiety disorder has their own unique cluster of symptopms and must have psychological, physiological and occupational/social impairments. In general, a person may wish to look out for:
There are many other symptopms of anxiety disorders and you should speak with a qualified professional regarding you experiences.
The honest answer is that mental health professionals do not know why anxiety disorders happen. Some factors which contirbued to the development of anxiety disorders are:
As you can see, the list varies and there isn't one good answer for why anxiety disorders happen to people. What we can say is that treatment with therapy is effective.
There are a varity of free, self-assessment which you can do to help you determine if you may be dealing with an anxiety disorder. Examples are:
There are a varity of other assessment tools however, you should know that many of these tools are not intended to provide a diagnosis yet they are wonderful starting points.
Day-to-Day Anxiety | Anxiety Disorder |
---|---|
A mild, temporary worry about day-to-day stressors e.g. deadlines, paying bills etc. | Constant worry that causes significant distress often for no established reason. |
Embarrassment and self-consciousness in awkward situations is manageable. | Social situations are avoided because of an intense fear of being judged, harassed or even persecuted. |
Bodily symptoms such as sweating, shortness of breath etc. before important work/social events. | Feelings of panic that come out of no where accompanied by an intense fear of having a panic attack. |
Worries about situations, objects, places etc. are realistic and well-founded. | The level of fear felt regarding places, situations, objects etc. are our of proportion and not based in reality. |
Planning events is thought out, kept to a minimum, occupies little time and requires little energy. | Planning events requires substantial time and energy, it's never done and anxiety increases as a result. |
Everyone experiences stress and anxiety differently. Whatever your experience is, schedule a consultation below to get started.
Treatment Overview
The treatment of anxiety looks different for every person, while still sharing common elements of treatment across the board.
Treatment starts with an evaluation session where the therapist will collect important information about your experiences. Next, you and the therapist will build a treatment plan and then treatment sessions begin.
The content of treatment sessions vary depending on the treatment plan and what you bring to session. Moreover, There's no definitive length of time you can expect to be in therapy however, we like to tell our clients to anticipate 16-28 sessions.
If you'd like more information on the kinds of therapies you may see, how treatment planning works or even when therpay may be "completed" please visit the other tabs.
Types of Therapy
There are a varity of therapies for the treatment of anxiety disorders and you'll find that some tend to be more disorder specific e.g. ERP for OCD. The kind of therapy used in session ought to be a decision made between yourself and the therapist. Here are some example therapies you could be treated with:
Irrespective of the kind of therapy used you may also be taught various skills and concepts in sessions which are often useful for the treatment of anxiety. Some examples of those are:
There's a lot more we could share however, if you'd like to know how treatment is planned and set into motion, read the Planning tab.
Planning Treatment
The development of a treatment plan is how you and your therapist will know what direction to take therapy. There are a variety of ways that treatment planning can be done with some being fomalized and others more casual. Regardless of how treatment planning is conducted it's a good idea to ensure that you treatment plan will include several of the following:
The treatment plan, important as it is, is not set in stone. In fact, items on the plan can be added and removed. In fact, it is possible that a client terminates care even before the treatment plan is completed. The take away as that the treatment plan acts as a guide. To learn more about the outcome of therapy, please read the outcome tab.
Therapy Outcome
We hope that therapy ends because treatment was successful and appropriate outcomes were achieved. The outcomes of therapy are different for every person and when it comes to the treatment of anxiety, some examples are:
Certainly, there are many other positive outcomes, we understand that there are reasons therapy may end. Practice polcies may change, providers leave and the "therapist-client fit" is not the best and life just gets in the way sometimes.
We aim to help our clients achieve their therapy goals to the best extent possible and improve their life.
The first step is to schedule a free, 15-minute consultation to share what's going on and to decide if we're a good fit for you.
Step two is to attend your intake session. At this session, we will ask questions to learn more about your experiences.
The final step is to attend your regularly scheduled sessions so that you can begin to address what's happening in your life.
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Medical Disclaimer
The contents of this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.