Anxiety Treatment: Counseling
When To Seek Help
Some fear, nervousness, or worry is natural and common. If you experience this at expected times, your brain and body is working as designed! The human brain and body is programmed to sense potential danger in order to keep you safe.
What is "Normal"
Consider seeking help if the fear, nervousness, or worry:
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becomes overwhelming or unmanageable,
- begins occurring outside of real or anticipated danger,
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does not go away or gets worse over time,
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causes panic attacks,
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prevents you from doing things you would normally do or desire to do, or
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prevents you from performing at your best.
If any of the above is occurring, it is likely that the natural fear response is developing or has already developed into clinical anxiety. Read more about clinical anxiety disorders.
Treatment
Anxiety is very treatable! To best address clinical levels of anxiety, seek mental health counseling.
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Through therapy, we can work together to:
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determine the underlying causes of the anxiety,
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address the source(s),
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build skills to reduce anxiety-producing thoughts using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (an evidenced-based treatment), and
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learn stress management, relaxation, and mindfulness skills.
With effective counseling, you will achieve lasting effects rather than "quick fixes."
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Medication may be used as an adjunct to therapy and could be used short-term or longer-term. Medication can help reduce day-to-day anxiety or periods of heightened anxiety, such as during a panic attack. Medication could also help your counseling process be more effective, as it may allow you to make progress more quickly. If necessary and/or desired, I can refer you to local psychiatrists who can assess the appropriateness for anti-anxiety medication.