Will counseling help with anxiety?

Counseling plays a huge role in treating anxiety and anxiety disorders. For many people, counseling is used successfully to treat anxiety, and for others, counseling and medication play a part in the successful treatment of anxiety. Counseling works well because it helps to provide you with the skills and tools to manage anxiety for yourself at present and in the future.

Some specific therapies have been developed and have been researching proven to be helpful with anxiety. Regardless of the specific approach, the goals for each are to help you understand your feelings, identify triggers, and manage and change reactions to them. Because anxiety disorders can vary in symptoms and from person to person, counseling will be tailored to your specific issues and diagnosis. The counselor will also work with you to determine the length of treatment and frequency of sessions.

Some therapies commonly used to treat anxiety are:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is widely used and is research supported in treating many types of anxiety and other issues. This therapy works to help you understand how thoughts influence feelings and behavior. By identifying and understanding thinking and behavior patterns and replacing them with more realistic thoughts and helpful behaviors and coping, change, and improvement are achieved.
• Exposure therapy. Exposure therapy is really a method of CBT. It works by slowly and incrementally introducing you to triggers to lessen their impact on you. This technique is accompanied by learning relaxation to use alongside exposure.
• Dialectical behavioral therapy. DBT is a form of CBT as well. It focuses on helping you learn to accept anxiety while working to change it. DBT utilizes and teaches helpful skills like mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal skills, and emotional regulation.
• There are other forms of research-supported anxiety interventions, and your therapist will work with you to determine the most helpful and best for your situation.

Counseling is a process that is unique to the individual. This means that progress varies from person to person. Therapy isn’t a quick fix, but it is a powerful and long-term one. Investing in yourself by starting counseling may be one of the best things you do for yourself!

To make the most out of your counseling experience, remember to:

• Ask questions
• Talk freely with your therapist
• Do homework and work recommended outside your sessions (your therapist sees you one hour per week, and there are 168 hours in a week!)
• Develop goals with your therapist that are important to you
• Discuss blocks for following through with your therapist
• Follow through with lifestyle and wellness recommendations
• Spend time finding a counselor you really ‘click’ with

If you’re experiencing anxiety and notice it has begun to impact your daily life, visit your medical provider or mental health professional.