Anxiety
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety is a natural human response to stress or perceived danger, but when it becomes overwhelming, persistent, or starts to dictate how you live your life, it can be exhausting.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is widely recognised as the gold-standard psychological treatment for anxiety. It is a structured, collaborative, and evidence-based approach that helps you understand the links between your thoughts, physical sensations, and behaviours.
Together, we will map out the patterns that are keeping you stuck in cycles of anxiety, and develop practical strategies to help you break free and get off at the next stop. My approach is compassionate, non-judgemental, and practical. We won't just talk about the anxiety, we will actively work on giving you the skillset and confidence to navigate it differently and reach a calmer destination.
Problems I can help with
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
If you find yourself constantly worrying about a variety of everyday things, such as health, finances, work, or family, and feel a persistent sense of dread or physical tension, you may be experiencing GAD. CBT helps you manage chronic worry, tolerate uncertainty, and reduce the stress and fatigue of anxiety so you can find peace of mind.
Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder
Panic attacks can feel terrifying, often striking out of nowhere with intense physical symptoms like a racing heart, shortness of breath, or dizziness. Panic disorder develops when you become consumed by the fear of having another attack. Through CBT, we will demystify these physical sensations, dismantle the fear surrounding them, and help you regain a sense of safety and control.
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia often develops alongside panic disorder, causing you to avoid specific places or situations where you feel escape might be difficult or help unavailable, such as crowded spaces, public transport, or being far from home. CBT provides a supportive framework to gently face these fears, gradually rebuilding your confidence and expanding your world again.
Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is more than just shyness, it is an intense, persistent fear of being negatively judged, embarrassed, or scrutinised by others in social or performance situations. It often leads to severe self-consciousness and avoidance. CBT helps you challenge negative assumptions about how others perceive you, reduce self-focused attention, and navigate social interactions with greater ease.
Specific Phobias
A phobia is an intense, irrational fear of a specific object, animal, or situation, such as needles, dogs, heights or flying. These fears can lead to significant disruptions in daily life. Using proven CBT techniques, we will work together at a pace that feels manageable for you to reduce your fear response and eliminate the need for extreme precautions or avoidance.