Anxiety is a human response to stressful situations. However, the condition becomes a disorder when you cannot control your anxiety. Counselling is an effective way to manage your anxiety disorder. Read this excerpt to learn more about anxiety counselling services.
Finding a Counsellor
Your first step is to identify a counsellor specialising in anxiety counselling. Below are some tips to help you choose a counsellor.
- Ask the counsellor for his or her professional license. It ensures you work with a trained and experienced individual. Preferably, the counsellor should be affiliated with professional associations.
- Check the counsellor's reviews on social media. You may want to avoid counsellors accused of indecent conduct.
- What the counsellor's availability? People with a busy schedule may want counsellors that provide after-hours and weekend services.
- Your religious or cultural background may compel you to work with a specific therapist. For instance, you may be uncomfortable working with a person of the opposite gender.
- Check the therapist's pricing policy. Some professionals will provide discounted or free services to vulnerable groups.
Determining Your Therapy Options
During the first consultation, the therapist will want some background information to understand your condition. They will want to know the frequency of the anxiety attacks, how you react to the anxiety, whether you take any drugs to manage the condition and whether any of your family members experience anxiety.
The therapist will then formulate a counselling program. It describes when you should attend counselling sessions and the length of each session. There are several types of anxiety therapies. They include:
- Cognitive behavioural therapy aims to replace negative thoughts with realistic thoughts. For instance, if you suffer from social anxiety, your therapist will train you how to behave in public places.
- Exposure therapy introduces the client to anxiety-causing situations. The therapist will then train you on how to manage your fears.
- Dialectical behavioural therapy uses mindfulness, emotional regulation and distress tolerance to help you overcome the anxiety.
- Interpersonal therapy aims to understand the history of your anxiety. For instance, people with unresolved grief, those that have experienced war and violence may have anxiety issues.
Your therapist may use or more intervention to help you manage your anxiety. Patients should be honest with their therapist. For example, you should inform the therapist if the proposed mechanisms do not work. Ask as many questions as you can. Additionally, you should attempt the relaxation techniques when you are alone at home.
Anxiety counselling will help you manage your anxiety. As a rule, you should work with a specialised and experienced therapist. Besides, you must abide by the proposed treatment plan.
