Anxiety Therapists Near Me

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FAQs:

What is an Anxiety Therapist?

An anxiety therapist is someone who has specialized training to treat anxiety disorders. When looking for a therapist for social anxiety disorder (SAD), you should seek someone who specializes in treating this specific mental health concern.

What Does an Anxiety Therapist Help With?

Anxiety can be a normal reaction to stress, but when it’s severe and persistent, it interferes with daily life. Patients often seek help from therapists for managing anxiety disorders, such as:

- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): Those with this disorder have excessive, chronic worry even when there’s no apparent reason for concern.

- Panic disorder: This disorder is characterized by sudden, intense fear that results in panic attacks. It can cause symptoms including shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and chest pain.

- Social anxiety disorder: Those with this disorder dread being criticized, judged, or embarrassed in front of others. Symptoms include nausea, sweating, rapid heart rate, and anxiety attacks. It can also result in individuals avoiding other people and self-isolating.

- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): This disorder can occur after experiencing a frightening, life-threatening event. It can cause nightmares, flashbacks, and depression.

- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): Those with OCD experience unwanted, disturbing, or frightening thoughts. They perform repetitive behaviors to try to control their anxious thoughts.

- Specific phobias: Some anxiety disorders are triggered by a specific fear, such as heights, spiders, storms, flying, or small spaces.

How Does Therapy Help with Anxiety?

Therapy is quite effective for people with anxiety because it helps you:

- identify and change negative thought patterns

- learn healthy coping skills

- address underlying issues

- receive support and guidance

How Effective is Anxiety Therapy?

Studies show that both exposure therapy and CBT not only relieve symptoms but improve quality of life. Most effective for many anxiety disorders is a treatment protocol that has elements of both exposure therapy and cognitive therapy. The evidence supports therapy as a first-line treatment across the lifespan and for all types of anxiety disorders. And while therapy is at least as effective as medication for the duration of treatment, its effects far outlast those of medication. In addition, it is better tolerated: Fewer patients drop out of psychotherapy for anxiety than programs of pharmacotherapy; there are few negative side effects to psychotherapy. What is more, the relapse rate for those who discontinue medication is far higher—up to 95 percent in some studies—than for patients who discontinue therapy. Recent studies show that CBT delivered electronically is as effective as CBT conducted face-to-face.

Why is Therapy Important for Treating Anxiety?

Therapy is important for treating anxiety because it transfers to patients the ability to allay their own distress any time it strikes. The skills that patients gain in therapy last far beyond the period of therapy, and endow patients with confidence that they do not have to be preoccupied with their own thoughts, they can cope with their feelings without being incapacitated by worry, they do not have to avoid situations or experiences that make them anxious, and they can develop more productive ways to manage their concerns and release the tension of anxiety. Those are skills typically acquired through the content of therapy.

Therapy also contributes to healing in ways no other treatment can. Because of the way the human nervous system is built, the presence of the therapist has a physiological effect that calms. Anxiety is a response to perceived danger. The presence of a friendly human being is possibly nature’s most powerful signal of safety; it activates a branch of the nervous system that slows down the heart rate and breathing, releases muscle tension, and mitigates alertness to danger.

How Long Will It Take to See Any Effect of Therapy?

Because CBT is present-focused and pragmatic, some people begin to feel relief from anxiety symptoms early in the course of treatment, which typically involves 12 to 20 sessions lasting up to an hour. They may be benefitting from the calming presence of a psychotherapist or the expectation of improvement, factors known to influence therapeutic response, but they also may be especially receptive to changing negative thought patterns.

Usually, the first few sessions are devoted to information-gathering about the nature of the patient’s anxieties, but patients may also be instructed to begin observing their own thought patterns as a prelude to altering them. For most people, studies show, the dysfunctional thinking habits that lead to the symptoms of anxiety are so deeply ingrained they feel automatic, and it takes a number of sessions as well as between-session homework to begin to get a grip on them.

Session-by-session progress—with regular decreases in threat sensitivity, anxiety sensitivity, subjective distress, avoidance, and interference with life activities—can occur. But improvement during therapy is not typically linear; in fact, setbacks can be a sign of progress. Patients may feel worse after an experience of exposure to a fear—say, giving a talk to a group of coworkers—but exploring the response may highlight the exact negative thoughts that need more work and open the door to a forward leap.

How Long Will Therapy Be Needed?

Research indicates that 50 percent of patients recover within 20 sessions, which commonly take place at weekly intervals. As with drug therapy, patients fare best when therapy is continued for a period beyond symptom remission. There are three goals of psychotherapy. The first is a response—an improvement in symptoms. Patients may begin to experience improvement within a few sessions. The second is remission—the disappearance of all symptoms and a return to healthy functioning in all domains of life. There may be a temptation to stop therapy at this point, but the consensus of experts is that treatment should continue at least six months after the disappearance of symptoms to ensure recovery (the third goal of treatment) and to maintain the ability to handle the stresses of daily life. Studies repeatedly show that completing a full course of therapy is critical for a full recovery.

How to Know If Anxiety Therapy Is Working?

Feeling calmer and safer or less preoccupied with worry is a good yardstick. So is feeling freer to engage in more activities. But those are by no means the only measure of therapeutic effectiveness. Mental health professionals regularly assess the progress of therapy and rely on two important tools to monitor patient gains. One is their own experienced judgment of the patient’s ability to engage in the therapeutic process. The other is a standardized symptom rating scale that assesses exactly where the patient stands on each of the many constellations of symptoms of anxiety, from fears to fidgeting to the frequency of urinating. Has difficulty concentrating persisted, abated slightly, significantly, or completely disappeared? Does the patient experience ringing in the ears frequently, occasionally, or not at all? The most widely used symptom checklist is the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, often called the Ham-A.

There are also anxiety scales that patients can use to gauge their own progress, the best known of which is the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale. Patients rate themselves by answering 20 questions relating to four clusters of psychological and physical symptoms.

How Long Do the Effects Of Therapy Last?

The effects of therapy for anxiety can last a lifetime, as it imparts skills that have everyday utility and can be put to use daily. Studies of therapy, however, tend to follow patients for months or; much more rarely do they follow patients for several years. Nevertheless, a few long-term studies exist and at least one has found patients to be symptom-free as long as 14 years after therapy ended. In such studies, patients who participated in earlier randomized studies of various treatments are contacted and interviewed about anxiety symptoms, measured on well-established symptom rating scales, by psychologists or nurses who did not know the nature of the original treatment the patient received. Such studies also show that, for many patients, the gains of therapy can erode over extended periods of time. Interim treatment extends the benefits of therapy.

Does Insurance Cover Therapy?

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans are required to provide coverage for mental health care. The ACA also requires that insurance plans cannot impose different rules on how they fund and treat mental health care. However, there are also important things to note:

- Not all therapists accept insurance or they may only accept certain types of insurance.

- Insurance may also only pay for certain types of treatment and they may only cover a certain number of sessions.

- Even when insurance does cover mental health care, you will usually be required to pay a copay, which is a portion of the therapist fee out of pocket. These copayments can vary in price often from around $10 per visit to up to $50 or more per visit.

While the ACA helped make mental health care more affordable and accessible, many still struggle to find the care they need at a price they can afford to pay.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It might cause you to sweat, feel restless and tense, and have a rapid heartbeat. It can be a normal reaction to stress. For example, you might feel anxious when faced with a difficult problem at work, before taking a test, or before making an important decision. It can help you to cope. The anxiety may give you a boost of energy or help you focus. But for people with anxiety disorders, the fear is not temporary and can be overwhelming.

What are Anxiety Disorders?

Anxiety disorders are conditions in which you have anxiety that does not go away and can get worse over time. The symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, schoolwork, and relationships.

Types of Anxiety Disorders

If you experience intense, persistent, and excessive anxiety, you may have a diagnosable anxiety disorder. The most common types of anxiety disorders include:

1. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): Individuals with GAD struggle with chronic anxiety, nervousness, and worry, even when there is little or nothing to provoke it.

2. Social anxiety disorder (social phobia): Those with social anxiety disorder experience excessive worry, low self-esteem, and excessive self-consciousness in social situations. In some cases, social phobia is limited to a specific type of situation. In more severe cases, social phobia can cause significant psychological distress in everyday social situations, leading to avoidant behavior.

3. Panic disorder: Unexpected and repeated panic attacks characterize panic disorder. For some people, the fear of experiencing a panic attack can make it difficult to function daily.

4. Phobias: Individuals with specific phobias struggle with severe anxiety toward a particular object or situation. In more severe cases, particular phobias can lead to avoidant behavior, causing individuals to avoid everyday circumstances. For example, agoraphobia, which involves an overwhelming fear of situations where there is no “escape,” can make it challenging to leave the house.

5. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): Those with OCD experience persistent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions), which lead to repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Individuals with OCD typically use compulsions such as counting or cleaning to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessions.

6. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): After exposure to a traumatic event, some individuals develop PTSD. Those with post-traumatic stress disorder experience intense anxiety symptoms after an adverse event ranging from nightmares to self-destructive behaviors, such as substance misuse.

7. Separation anxiety disorder: Individuals with separation anxiety experience excessive anxiety when separated from home or loved ones. Separation anxiety is a normal part of development, but extreme separation anxiety is one of the most common childhood anxiety disorders. In some cases, separation anxiety can occur during adolescence and adulthood.

Symptoms of Anxiety

For most people, anxiety involves a combination of psychological and physical symptoms. When the symptoms of anxiety interfere with your everyday life, they could be signs of an anxiety disorder. According to the American Psychiatric Association, the symptoms of anxiety include:

- Sleeping problems, such as fatigue and insomnia

- Unexplained aches, muscle tension, and headaches

- Digestive problems, such as nausea

- Excessive worry

- Low self-esteem

- Rapid heart rate

- Difficulty concentrating

- Irritability

Types of Anxiety Therapy

The goal of all therapeutic approaches is to help you understand why you feel the way you feel, what your triggers are, and how you might change your reaction to them. Some types of therapy even teach practical techniques to help reframe your negative thinking and change your behaviors.

Anxiety disorders differ considerably, so therapy is tailored to your specific symptoms and diagnosis. It can be conducted in an individual, family, couple, or group setting. How often you meet with your therapist and how long will depend on your specific symptoms and diagnosis.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most widely-used therapy for anxiety disorders. Research has found it to be effective in treating SAD, GAD, phobias, and panic disorders, among other conditions. The premise of CBT is that your thoughts—not your current situation—affect how you feel and subsequently behave. So, the goal of CBT is to identify and understand your negative thinking and ineffective behavior patterns and replace them with more realistic thoughts and effective actions, and coping mechanisms.

Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy is one of the most common CBT methods used to treat a variety of anxiety disorders, including specific phobias, SAD, and PTSD. The basic premise behind exposure therapy is that if you're afraid of something, the best way to conquer it is head-on.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a highly effective type of CBT. Originally used to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD), DBT is now used to treat a variety of conditions, including anxiety. DBT focuses on helping you develop what seems like a "dialectical" (opposite) outlook, acceptance, and change. During DBT treatment, you'll learn to accept your anxiety all the while actively working to change it. It's similar to the notion of loving yourself the way you are while still trying to change yourself for the better.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is another form of therapy that has been shown effective for a variety of anxiety disorders. ACT involves identifying your life values and acting in ways that match your values.

Art Therapy

Art therapy is a non-verbal, experience-oriented therapy. It involves either using visual art (such as painting, drawing, or sculpting) to express and process emotion or using art to practice mindfulness and relaxation. Although it can be provided as a standalone therapy, it's commonly used in combination with other treatment methods such as CBT.

Psychoanalytic Therapy

According to this Freudian model, anxiety symptoms reflect unconscious conflicts. The purpose of psychoanalytic therapy is to resolve them. In psychoanalysis, you and your therapist examine your thoughts, fears, and desires to better understand how you view yourself and to reduce your anxiety. This is one of the most intensive forms of treatment; it can take years to identify patterns in your way of thinking.

Interpersonal Therapy

Interpersonal therapy (IPT) focuses on social roles and relationships. In IPT, you'll work with your therapist to identify any interpersonal issues you may have, such as unresolved grief, conflicts with family or friends, changes in work or social roles, and problems relating to others. You'll then learn healthy ways to express emotions and ways to improve your communication with others.

Benefits of Hiring an Anxiety Therapist

Since knowledge is power, especially as it pertains to anxiety recovery, an anxiety therapist’s personal and professional insight can be a vital component of meaningful recovery. There are many advantages to working with a good anxiety therapist. For example:

An anxiety therapist can:

- Help you understand your condition, based on your unique situation and circumstances. Since anxiety affects each person differently, a therapist can help you understand your anxiety condition as it pertains to you specifically, and not generally.

- Help you to better understand your symptoms.

- Help you understand why your condition developed.

- Identify the underlying factors associated with your condition (the core issues and causes).

- Help you to understand how they developed and where they came from.

- Formulate a personalized recovery plan specifically for your unique situation and circumstances.

- Provide you with tools and strategies to bring about healthy change.

- Help you to remain on track with your recovery goals.

- Provide ongoing question-and-answer support.

- Provide ongoing emotional support and reassurance.

- Provide ongoing evaluation.

- Spot potential obstacles or barriers to recovery.

- Provide personalized assistance and insight based on their training and personal experience with anxiety.

- Help spouses, family members, and friends understand the validity of an anxiety condition, and offer them practical tips on how they can best help you during your recovery.

- Make sure that all troublesome areas are addressed so that your recovery is successful.

- Support you through the rough spots throughout the process of recovery.

- Design a medication elimination strategy and suitable tapering regime, if applicable and desired.

- Provide insight on medication elimination expectations.

- Assist and support you through medication elimination.

- Assist and support you as you begin to live medication-free.

- Mentor you through the behavioral change process.

How to Make the Most Out of Anxiety Therapy

Trying to make a change can be a challenge. Anxiety therapy is no exception. However, if you are persistent, you should see improvement. Here are a few ways to make the most of your therapy—and actually see some results:

- Don't pretend to be OK

- Ask questions

- Tell your therapist anything and everything

- Do the work outside your sessions

- Focus on your goals

- Practice healthy lifestyle choices

- Make sure you have a social support system

- Reduce stress in your life that makes your anxiety worse

In this way, you can see that putting in an effort and being present throughout the therapy process will have the biggest impact on how well it works for you.

How to Find an Anxiety Therapist

Although the process of finding an anxiety therapist will not be easy, the benefits of entering into therapy with a qualified professional are great. Below are some steps to help you find an anxiety therapist in your area.

1. Contact Your Insurance Provider

If you plan to use your insurance to pay for therapy, you may need to select a therapist who is part of your insurance plan. The best first step is to contact your insurance provider for a list of therapists that are in your plan's network. Once you have the list, narrow it down to those who provide treatment specifically for anxiety disorders and SAD. If there are a lot of choices, see if your family doctor might be able to help by recommending a specific therapist on the list.

2. Pick up the Phone

If there is a large clinic in your area, they likely have therapists on staff that treat anxiety disorders. If you are comfortable, call their offices and ask whether anyone on staff treats SAD.

If you aren't comfortable making phone calls yourself to locate a therapist, enlist the help of a friend or family member to call on your behalf.

3. Search Online

There are a number of online directories to connect you with therapists near you. Sources like the American Psychological Association's ​Psychologist Locator or the Anxiety and Depression Association of America's Find a Therapist Directory are great because you can click on different filters to find therapists that meet your criteria. Both websites also provide resources for people living with anxiety.

4. Shop Around

Once you have located a therapist and gone to your first few sessions, remember that your treatment process is still unfolding. Even though a therapist may be trained to treat SAD, they may not be a good fit for you. If you are having trouble opening up to your therapist, or feel like your concerns aren't being addressed, you may need to re-evaluate. It's OK to shop around until you find a therapist who is the right fit for you.

Questions to Expect from an Anxiety Therapist

In order to gauge how you’re feeling and the severity of your symptoms, your doctor might ask any of the following questions:

1. What are your symptoms and how are they impacting day-to-day life?

2. When did your symptoms start and how long have they lasted?

3. Does anything trigger your anxiety or make it worse?

4. Do you have a family history of anxiety or other mental health conditions?

5. Are you currently taking any medications?

How to Find Affordable Therapy

Finding affordable therapy can be done if you know where to look. The steps you can take to find affordable therapy are:

- Check your insurance plan: If you have insurance coverage, find out how much you are covered for, which psychotherapy providers are approved, and how much your copay and deductibles are. This will give you a good starting point for knowing how much you will need to afford therapy sessions.

- Inquire about free or low-cost therapy: There may be free or low-cost clinics available. You can search for these mental healthcare providers by contacting your state’s public or community health department for a referral. Another option for free or low-cost therapy is going to a university health clinic. Many universities offer free or low-cost therapy led by therapists in training.

- Explore online therapy options: Online therapy is more cost-effective than in-person therapy, so it could be a good option for someone who does not have insurance or access to in-person treatment that falls within their budget.

Sliding Scale Therapy

Sliding-scale therapy is a fee structure that is used by therapists as a way to mitigate the costs for those who cannot afford it. The amount that is paid for each session is based on a person’s income. Many therapists do this, so if you find one that you like, you can ask about sliding scale fee options.

Local Mental Health Clinics

Some local mental health clinics, as mentioned above, may offer free or low-cost therapy. These clinics can include public health clinics and universities that offer care given by individuals that are training to become licensed therapists.

Support Groups

Support groups are another great way to participate in therapy without having to pay the full cost of a session. Group therapy or support groups may be completely free or cost as little as a third of what it would typically cost for individualized therapy.

Sources:

Very Well Mind

Online Therapy

Therapy Group of DC

Healthline

Psychology Today

Anxiety Centre

Psycom

Very Well Health

MedlinePlus

 

The content herein is provided for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Medical information changes constantly, and therefore the content on this website should not be assumed to be current, complete or exhaustive. Always seek the advice of your doctor before starting or changing treatment. If you think you may have a medical emergency, please call your doctor or 9-1-1 (in the United States) immediately.