Anxiety is a normal emotional response that humans use to prepare for potentially threatening situations. But people can experience unnecessary distress when they continue to feel anxious even after the threat has disappeared.
Anxiety therapy can help break up these maladaptive thinking and behavior patterns.The anxiety therapists at Thriveworks in Davie, FL offer a variety of evidence-based treatments to clients who seek help for their anxiety.
Thriveworks clients receive premium care that can be truly transformative. Anxiety disorders have a way of stealing joy from special activities, moments, and relationships. But anxiety is highly treatable—book your anxiety counseling session today.
What Is Anxiety Therapy?
Anxiety therapy (or anxiety counseling as it is sometimes referred to) is a set of therapeutic methods that help clients learn to control and regulate their symptoms. The symptoms of anxiety can vary depending on what type of anxiety a person is experiencing.
Common indications that someone may be suffering from anxiety includes the following:
- Restlessness
- Excessive, uncontrollable worries
- Muscle tension
- Irritability
- Agitation
- Racing thoughts
- Disturbed sleep
- Quality of being easily tired
- Attention or concentration difficulties
In addition, a person might experience physical symptoms like headaches or stomach aches/gastrointestinal issues. Someone with panic disorder may have a racing heart and shortness of breath that makes them feel as if they’re on the verge of a heart attack. They may sweat profusely or become nauseated.
How Does Anxiety Therapy Work?
The counselors at Thriveworks David, FL use a number of tools to assess and treat people with anxiety therapy. Each treatment plan is tailored to the client’s individual needs, but popular types of therapy include the following:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Exposure therapy, especially for specific phobias of objects or situations (also called systematic desensitization)
- Strength-based therapy
- Mindfulness
- Trauma informed therapy
- Anxiety medication like antidepressants, prescribed by a licensed Thriveworks psychiatrist
- Meditation
- Relaxation techniques like progressive muscle relaxation or deep breathing
- Supportive-expressive therapy
- Biofeedback
- Support groups
- Substance abuse counseling
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR)
- Nutrition and exercise recommendations
- Family therapy or couples counseling
Because anxiety and depression often occur together, therapists who specialize in anxiety counseling are also trained to recognize the symptoms of depression and potentially treat these conditions in tandem.
What Are the Differences Between the Anxiety Disorders?
Here’s a guide to the different types of anxiety that can be treated through anxiety counseling:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is extensive anxiety that causes significant distress and interferes in daily functioning.
- Panic disorder involves short periods of intense fear called panic attacks.
- Social anxiety disorder (social phobia) is when you feel considerable distress in social situations.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by mental fixations and repetitive behaviors.
- Separation anxiety is the acute fear of being separated from one’s attachment figures.
- Specific phobias comprise conditions like arachnophobia, the fear of spiders.
- Agoraphobia is characterized by a fear of one’s environment and the inability to escape.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a behavioral response to a traumatic event.
- Selective mutism is when a person becomes so anxious that they are unable to speak.
When it comes to anxiety therapy, mental health professionals pay close attention to the symptoms someone is experiencing. A diagnosis according to symptoms, but there is often considerable overlap between these conditions.
Many people have experienced these feelings to some degree, but only a mental health professional can give an accurate diagnosis and medical advice. Not everyone who has anxiety is suffering from a disorder—but can they still be treated via anxiety therapy.
Is There Anxiety Therapy Near Me?
If you’re wondering, “Is there anxiety therapy near me?”, the answer is yes. At Thriveworks in Davie, FL we can meet with our clients in-person at the office or virtually through secure, HIPAA-compliant online counseling sessions.
Both types of session are of the same premium quality. Online counseling may especially help clients experiencing acute symptoms of anxiety, which can sometimes make it difficult to leave the house.
And after booking your first session online, or over the phone with one of our specialists, you can enjoy access to benefits that most other providers might struggle to match, such as:
- In-network coverage with most insurance providers
- Help when and where you need it, with in-person and online counseling
- Instant scheduling for both in-person and online sessions
- Personalized mental health care for your unique needs
When you’re ready, we’ve made it easy to schedule your first anxiety therapy session. And with help from one of our experienced counselors, you can get the treatment you need to manage your symptoms. Start attending anxiety counseling with Thriveworks today.
