Therapy

It is also one of the most treatable things we see. That is not a platitude. Anxiety responds well to structured therapy, often faster than people expect, and most of our clinicians work with it.

People often arrive apologising, convinced their problem is not serious enough. It usually is. Anxiety shows up as:

—  Worry that runs constantly in the background and speeds up when you slow down

—  Trouble falling asleep, or waking at the same time every night

—  Physical symptoms — jaw tension, stomach problems, headaches, a chest that will not loosen

—  Difficulty concentrating, reading the same paragraph three times

—  Irritability, particularly with the people closest to you

—  Avoiding places, people or tasks — and then feeling bad about avoiding them

—  Reassurance-seeking that helps for about ten minutes

If your anxiety comes in sudden overwhelming waves rather than as a constant hum, the page on panic attacks and panic disorder may fit better. If it centres on one specific thing — flying, needles, dogs, driving over the Blatnik Bridge — see phobias and specific fears. Anxiety and depression also travel together frequently; if both are present, that is normal and we treat them together.

There is no single method here, because there is no single kind of anxious person. What we do is start with a conversation about what your anxiety is protecting you from and what it is costing you, then build from there. In practice that usually draws on:

—  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) — identifying the thought patterns that keep the cycle running and testing them against reality. The most researched approach for anxiety and the most common starting point here.

—  Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills — practical tools for tolerating distress and regulating emotion in the moment, rather than only understanding it afterwards.

—  Mindfulness and somatic work — because anxiety lives in the body as much as the head, and thinking your way out of a nervous system response rarely works.

—  Motivational interviewing — for the part of you that wants to change and the part that is not sure, which is most people.

—  EMDR, ART and Brainspotting — where anxiety is rooted in something that happened, these can work faster than talk therapy alone.

—  Gradual exposure — carefully paced, at your speed, never sprung on you.

The first session is mostly you talking and your therapist listening and asking questions. You will cover what brought you in, what has been going on, some history, and what you want to be different. You will not be asked to relive anything you are not ready for. By the end you should have a rough sense of a plan and how often you will meet — usually weekly to start. If it turns out someone else on our team is a better fit, we will say so and arrange it.

We are downtown at 11 East Superior Street, Suite 415, with parking in the Technology Village ramp on East 1st. Appointments run Monday to Friday 8am–5pm and Saturday mornings until 2pm, which helps if you cannot get away during the working week. Everything we do in person we also do by video, which people often prefer for anxiety — the first appointment is easier from your own front room, and there is no waiting-room walk.

FAQ