Therapy & Help for Anxiety in Vaughan

What is anxiety counselling?

If you find yourself struggling with worry, dread or panic you are not alone. The World Health Organization tracks this common mental health challenge and millions of people report feeling these emotions. There was also a huge increase in the diagnosis of this condition during COVID.
Anxiety therapy is not as easy to quantify because each one of those millions of individuals suffers for a unique set of causes. For instance, during the lockdowns some people really enjoyed being at home and this decreased their anxiety; whereas for others it caused a sense of being trapped.
One of the most recognized treatments for anxiety is cognitive behaviour therapy or CBT. This type of treatment always decreases symptoms in clinical trials so it is the most common treatment recommendation. There are other studies though that show the relationship with the therapist was the most powerful factor.
A good anxiety therapist will begin with a thorough assessment to determine the cause of your symptoms and to determine your personality type. They will then plan treatment accordingly.

How does counselling work for anxiety?

Anxiety counselling works differently depending on the individual and how the feelings and emotions are impacting their life. Some clients love the CBT approach which often includes working on assignments between appointments. Other clients want nothing to do with homework so a plan is created that involves more focused discussions during a session.
This is typical anxiety therapy but not all cases are typical. We have met with many individuals who are experiencing anxiety and even panic attacks, yet under further investigation it is discovered they are actually quite angry or overwhelmingly sad. In some cases, the person is immobilized because of a detrimental relationship with a family member, spouse or partner, or with an employer. These underlying issues are what is actually causing the feeling of dread.
You can imagine then that a treatment plan for anxiety varies extensively depending on the client’s circumstances and personality.

Why is anxiety counselling important?

It’s crucial to seek out anxiety counselling because it’s like any other illness in that it gets worse over time and it can spread. For instance, your anxiety might be associated with your job. You might be afraid to drive your car, leave your home or have constant thoughts about catastrophic events.
Psychological research has proven that each time you avoid a situation because of an unrealistic fear you strengthen that particular belief. This is called confirmation bias and it’s important to note that understanding it doesn’t always cure it. That’s where good anxiety therapy can be so helpful.
The decision to put off therapy for anxiety can cause it to spread in the sense that it leads to other mental health challenges. Many individuals start to use a substance for courage, or to make themselves feel calmer. At first the substance is like a good medication and the person gets the result they want but as time goes on, they build a dependence and now have an even worse mental health challenge. This can even lead to addiction.

Who uses anxiety counselling services?

According to the World Health Organization anxiety is the most common mental health problem next to depression. There was a significant increase during COVID and research shows this pattern continuing even though many nations have returned to life without lock downs.
As you can probably imagine, given anxiety is so prevalent, the profile of individuals who seek out and benefit from anxiety counselling is diverse. There are the extremely shy clients; but some of the seemingly most courageous and even aggressive people appear that way because underneath they are also struggling with so much ongoing dread and worry.
Some of our clients in anxiety therapy are high-functioning and others are afraid to leave their home. Anxiety is so ubiquitous there is no specific type of individual in psychotherapy for anxiety.