Anxiety therapy

All of us are anxious at times, some of more than others.  Some of us don't like heights or bridges or snakes or spiders. Others fear large crowds or heaven forbid, public speaking.  Often folks have free floating general anxiety with no apparent cause. Others will not fly in an airplane but must drive or travel by train or bus.  Phobias and anxieties often go hand in hand. Panic attacks can appear with anxiety.

Some of us are just worried all the time. We can worry about if we will get a good night's sleep, if we will past the test in school tomorrow, if boyfriend will like the new hairdo or if mom will get drunk again tonight. Most of the time we have nothing to worry about, but we don't know that, so we do it anyway.

When anxiety starts to get in the way of our lives, we can usually successfully resolve them with therapy.  We find a good therapist like we find any other service. We can ask a friend, a family member, or even just check the internet for who is a Licensed Clinician in our area.

A good therapist will do an intake interview to assess your anxiety levels. Your honest input is the most important part of the interview.  It starts the process of dealing with your anxiety. It may result in a referral for medication depending on your anxiety levels and how much they are impeding your day to day living. If you are not forthcoming with your therapist, you can waste valuable time before you start resolving your anxieties.

No matter how you feel about what you are revealing to the therapist, remember everything you say is completely confidential and never be revealed unless you give consent. Your case record is protected by law. And also remember, your therapist can never be surprised. She has heard much worse than you can possibly tell her, so be honest, be complete and don’t keep secrets from her.

During the coming weeks, you and the therapist determine your treatment plan and begin your therapy.  You will talk about possible causes, the limits your anxieties place on your life and how you can overcome them. You will identify the triggers that start making your feel anxious. 

Anxiety therapy is not easy.  The therapist will not fix you. This is something the two of you do together and you do most of the work with assistance from the therapist.  But between you, perhaps medication, and the competent therapist you can become free of the distress anxiety causes and live more comfortably.