Individual Counselling for Anxiety

What is Anxiety?

“Anxiety” is a word we hear often nowadays. Although it is very common, each person may experience it in very different ways.

For some people, they may notice it in their bodies, such as:

a fast or loud heartbeat
restlessness or difficulty sitting still
shortness of breath
inability to go to sleep despite being very tired

For others, they might notice a difference in brain functioning:

a racing mind or inability to concentrate
cannot stop worrying

Alternatively, you might feel dominated by uncomfortable feelings such as:

irritability
a sense of doom (something bad is going to happen)
nervousness or being on edge

Anxiety can range from mild to severe. At times, it can feel crippling and affects your day-to-day functioning. In my clinical experience, counselling can be beneficial regardless of the level of severity of your anxiety.

Even in mild cases, it can be a very good opportunity to gain the skills you need to equip you for the future. Taking a proactive approach will help prevent minor stressors from becoming overwhelming.

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How I Work with Anxiety in Counselling

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an approach that can be very effective for anxiety. It centers on the idea that our thinking is a driver for the way we feel and respond to our situations. This approach relies on developing the skills to identify when an unhelpful thought occurs, and to assess how helpful and true the thought is in that context.

Eye-Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) is a model that uses eye-movements or cross-tapping to desensitize an overwhelming memory that is connected to your current anxiety.

Mindfulness helps us to notice our experience without being caught up in it. Mindfulness does not always mean meditation. Instead, it refers to “paying attention… in the present moment non-judgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). We learn to simply notice our experience without adding on extra fear or guilt which would add to our stress level.

Even if you don’t enjoy sitting still and meditating, you can still practice and benefit from mindfulness while walking, working, or doing your hobbies.

All of these approaches have been studied through research and shown to be effective in treating anxiety.

Anxiety can make you feel frustrated, discouraged or exhausted. Working on it in counselling can help you find the peace and freedom you once had.

Imagine your life where:

you are not worried all the time
you are happy with your work performance
you can sleep and feel energized
you don’t have to limit your activities or plan your life around your anxiety
you can go out into the world feeling confident

If you would like to learn more about how counselling can help with your anxiety symptoms, please contact me to schedule an appointment or book a free 15-minute consultation.

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