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1,219 people sought anxiety therapy help at Gainesville in the last year

Discover how starting therapy with a anxiety can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.

Meet with a provider as soon as this week

Good news! We have 74 therapists in Florida available for an online or in-person session.
Karen Allen

Hear from Karen Allen, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)

View Karen Allen's profile

What is your go-to approach for anxiety therapy?

I use two approaches in treating anxiety. I use accelerated resolution therapy to treat the initial activating event, and a nonavoidant approach to treat learned anxious responses by combining “mini-experiments” with rational self-talk while focusing on keeping the body calm. Pairing calmness and rational thoughts with the feared stimulus helps the brain learn the feared situation is not a threat to survival. The goal of counseling is to “unlearn” unhelpful responses to situations that do not threaten safety and survival.

What tools do you teach in anxiety therapy?

I teach the following tools in anxiety therapy:

  • Thought stopping: A tool to break runaway spiraling thoughts and refocus on a rational thought.
  • Challenging and reframing anxious thoughts: Identifying thoughts influencing emotions and concomitant biological responses, challenging the inaccuracies of the thoughts, and restructuring the thought so it is accurate. This skill involves learning various types of inaccurate thought patterns found to negatively influence feelings and behaviors.
  • Rational self-talk: Becoming aware of the running conversation inside your head and intentionally changing from emotional self-talk to rational self-talk.
  • Physiological relaxation: Learning to regulate breathing and heart rate while relaxing muscles. This skill differs from body relaxation as a soothing skill.
  • SUDS (subjective units of distress scale): Assessing the intensity of anxious situations using the client’s subjective scale.
  • Designing mini-experiments: A skill helpful for future management of anxiety stimuli.
  • Prevention: Information on how to prevent unmanaged anxiety.

How do you know when a client is making meaningful progress in anxiety therapy?

I know a client is making meaningful progress in therapy when they report a reduction in symptoms and greater tolerance of the feared situation/object. Sometimes the client comes in reporting they tried the experiment and did not achieve the full measure of results they had hoped. The client has overlooked they were successful in not completely avoiding the feared stimulus. Trying is a success, even when results are less than what was desired. With perseverance, results tend to improve. During office sessions, I know progress is occurring when I see muscles are relaxed, facial expressions soften, and nonverbal gestures are smoother.

What can clients do in their personal time to supplement anxiety therapy?

Clients can supplement anxiety therapy by consistently practicing the mini-experiments as instructed in sessions. Every mini-experiment is one step closer to desensitizing the targeted anxiety. Trying counts because anxiety thrives on avoidance. Trying involves not avoiding the fear, even if the full experiment is not completed.

What should someone do to prepare for starting anxiety therapy?

To prepare for your first anxiety therapy session, purchase a composition book or journal solely for use with anxiety therapy. Bring the composition book to each session so you can take notes about anxiety, record your specific anxious situations, and design your experiments. Be prepared to practice skills and mini-experiments between appointments. This is essential to successful treatment.

Starting Anxiety therapy

What is anxiety therapy?

Anxiety therapy helps people better understand and manage their anxiety. Anxiety therapists at Thriveworks in Gainesville, FL can develop a treatment plan that will help you better manage your day-to-day anxiety or your anxiety disorder.

How does anxiety therapy work?

Anxiety therapy involves talking to a therapist about symptoms, potential causes, and more. Thriveworks Gainesville therapists will then work with you to determine where your anxiety might stem from and teach you effective coping mechanisms.

How to deal with anxiety?

One of the best ways to deal with anxiety is to learn about your own anxiety: your symptoms, what triggers it, and what coping mechanisms have been effective in the past. When you learn what your anxiety is tied to, it can help you be mindful of what’s really happening as well as prevent and mitigate symptoms by processing and working through the issue in therapy. Other strategies that have been shown to help manage anxiety are meditation, challenging anxious thoughts, exercising, and journaling.

Symptoms of anxiety

Common symptoms of anxiety include:

  • Sense of impending danger
  • Nervousness/restlessness
  • Trouble focusing
  • Excessive sweating
  • Shaking
  • Headaches
  • Stomach issues
  • Fatigue
  • Panic attacks
  • Increased heart rate

What is the best therapy for anxiety?

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be incredibly effective in treating anxiety and anxiety disorders. Other effective techniques include exposure therapy, Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and EMDR therapy.

Is anxiety therapy conducted in person or online?

Anxiety therapy is conducted both in person and online, depending on the individual’s preferences and their therapist’s availability. We suggest choosing the option that best suits your needs.

How long does anxiety therapy last?

On average, people can tend to attend 15 to 20 session of anxiety therapy (five or more months). However, this number is heavily dependent on the type of anxiety that’s being treated and its severity, with many choosing to attend anxiety therapy for a longer period of time to ensure its effectiveness long-term.

Is therapy worth it for anxiety?

Yes, it is worth going to therapy for anxiety. If you are struggling with regular anxious thoughts and feelings that are affecting your day-to-day life or you suspect that you have an anxiety disorder, you should seek expert anxiety help.

Need more help deciding?

Quincy has always considered herself to be an anxious person—in fact, for as long as she can remember, she’s been plagued by overthinking, stress, and imaginary scenarios that distract her from her daily life. It’s not been an enjoyable experience, but it’s one that she’s learned how to manage. Yet after spending so long guarding herself against unwanted thoughts that may spring up at any moment, she’s growing weary. 

That’s why she’s decided that it’s time that she talks with a mental health professional—someone she can receive anxiety therapy or counseling from. Quincy is looking forward to having her needs addressed by a provider, and is ready to learn new ways to cope with her anxiety, too. With a therapist or counselor’s help, Quincy hopes that she’ll be able to improve her mental health and remove unnecessary stress from her daily life. 

Like Quincy, you may also be looking to connect with a mental health professional for support in dealing with your recurrent anxiety. If so, look to Thriveworks in Gainesville, FL for guidance and empathy as you learn to manage your mental health in new and beneficial ways. For more information about how our services could positively impact you, call our office, or book online to get started. 

Do I Have Anxiety? Do I Need to Connect With a Thriveworks Therapist or Psychiatrist? 

Before you start to diagnose yourself with anxiety, keep in mind that a licensed mental health professional—like our team in Gainesville, FL can offer you an accurate diagnosis. But that’s okay, because someone from our expert team of providers can help determine what your mental health issues are, and partner with you to create a personalized treatment plan that addresses your anxiety. 

Still, if you haven’t seen a provider yet, it is nonetheless important to be able to recognize common signs or symptoms of anxiety, especially if you’ve been feeling excess stress or worries. The signs of a clinical form of anxiety may include, but aren’t limited to: 

  • Insomnia
  • Rapid heartbeat, sweating
  • Stomach or digestive issues
  • Constantly feeling stressed 
  • Desire to avoid social encounters
  • Racing thoughts, inability to focus on daily tasks 
  • Constant fatigue
  • Reliving traumatic experiences in dreams or flashbacks

Don’t be worried if one of your concerns isn’t listed above; these are just a few of the many different issues that could manifest when someone develops anxiety. That’s why talking with a provider about what’s bothering you will help to give you a more accurate diagnosis. Plus, talking with one of our counselors or therapists will offer you a professional’s insight into a mental health condition that they’re qualified to treat. Unlike the rest of us, providers aren’t playing a guessing game when it comes to mental health. 

The Different Types of Anxiety

Though it might surprise some people, anxiety isn’t just one condition, but many. Anxiety is often used in psychology and psychiatry to refer to an umbrella of closely related disorders. Some of the most common that our providers help people with include: 

  • Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): GAD causes anxiety in different scenarios, whether real or imagined. This disorder can be difficult to identify because it isn’t triggered by any single source of anxiety. 
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): This disorder often induces irrational thought loops, or impulses to perform random physical actions in repetition. 
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): PTSD, can occur in anyone that has been through a psychologically or physically painful event. Those who suffer from it are often privy to flashbacks to traumatic events, nightmares, and antisocial behavior.
  • Social anxiety disorder: Social anxiety induces distress while engaging with other people. Everything from grocery runs to birthday parties can be cumbersome, fear-filled events.
  • Panic disorder: Panic disorder can cause panic attacks. These physical episodes might result in dizziness, chest pain, vertigo, and nausea. 

Schedule Therapy or Psychiatry for Your Anxiety Today 

Anxiety can be a frustrating mental health condition that may offer sufferers little respite—don’t let anxiety prevent you from enjoying your life. If connecting with one of our providers to get the mental health resources could offer you relief from your unwanted thoughts, we hope you’ll contact our office in Gainesville, FL. You can schedule online quickly and conveniently, or you can give us a call. 

When you pick up the phone to get started, you’ll be assisted by our scheduling specialists. From your first conversation, our specialists can help with everything from setting up your insurance to finding the right session time. Plus, you can look forward to the following benefits upon becoming a Thriveworks client:

  • The digital edition of “Leaving Anxiety Behind” and other electronic mental health resources 
  • Evening and weekend scheduling availability
  • Our Therapy Buddy app—a great way to measure your progress as you advance through therapy or psychiatric care 
  • Email access to your provider outside of sessions as needed 

Today could be the day that you take the first steps in your journey towards better mental health. If you’re ready to begin with help from one of our providers, call or go online to partner with Thriveworks in Gainesville, FL. 

Pricing & insurance

Our therapists accept most major insurances. We accept 585+ insurance plans, and offer self-pay options, too.
Learn more about pricing for therapy and counseling services at Thriveworks.

Our Gainesville therapists and counselors accept 23 insurance plans

  • Aetna

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield | Anthem (Blue Card)

  • Carelon

  • Cigna | Evernorth

  • Cigna | Evernorth EAP

  • Cigna | Evernorth Medicare Advantage

  • Compsych

  • First Health Network

  • Florida Blue | BCBS | Blue Cross Blue Shield

  • Humana Exchange

  • Humana HMO/POS

  • Humana Medicare Advantage

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Self-pay costs at Gainesville
Talk therapy

Talk therapy

Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy

First session

$1

Ongoing sessions

$1

Talk therapy

Psychiatry

Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management

First session

$1

Ongoing sessions

$1

Hear from our clients

5.0 Learn about verified reviews
★★★★★
I cannot sing the praises of Thriveworks any louder; I have three professionals guiding me through a really rough time in my life. I didn't know how much I "needed" therapy until they started helping me see myself an my situations in an honest light. I look forward to continued growth with the support and guidance of my amazing team.
Read more I cannot sing the praises of Thriveworks any louder; I have three professionals guiding me through a really rough time in my life. I didn't know how much I "needed" therapy until they started helping me see myself an my situations in an honest light. I look forward to continued growth with the support and guidance of my amazing team.
Robin Feb 2024
Thriveworks.com verified review

Where to find us

Getting here

Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Gainesville is at the corner of NW 39th Avenue and NW 43rd Street. We are across the street from Truist, and share an office building with Swift Creek Realty.

Phone number

(352) 469-4507

Languages spoken by FL providers

  • English
Sunday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Monday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Tuesday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Wednesday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Thursday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Friday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Saturday 8:00am - 9:00pm

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Sunday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Monday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Tuesday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Wednesday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Thursday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Friday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Saturday 7:00am - 6:00pm

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