Anxiety Support | Safe Haven Counselling

Anxiety Counselling

Does your anxiety ever feel like it's ruling you?!

Are you taking medication for your anxiety and still struggling with it?

Does your world feel like it's shrinking because of how overwhelming your anxiety feels?

Here's the good news: There are actually many ways that counselling can help with your anxiety!

Here are some of the ways we might approach and address anxiety in therapy together:

1. Take the Time You Need

We will give you space to be heard around how anxiety affects you - moving quickly towards 'fixing the problem' or exploring 'coping tools' is not always the best approach for some.

2. Acceptance

We will discuss the importance of facing your anxiety and feelings with acceptance as opposed to avoidance, denial or rejection. We may draw from Barry McDonagh's book and approach called "DARE" https://dareresponse.com/ . When we learn to accept anxiety and steer away from fearing it, we can disarm it's energy and find more effective ways to move with and through it.

3. Mindfulness Practice

Some clients might be intimated by considering meditation or mindfulness practices - so we will always work within your comfort level. Mindfulness is a gentle compliment when applying CBT (next step) or other therapeutic modalities. It allows us to pause, notice, accept and take note of our thoughts so that we can start challenging and reframe the negative thoughts that are no longer serving you.

4. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

CBT is an evidence-based approach and likely the most popular approach used when treating depression and/or anxiety. CBT asks us to examine the way we talk to ourselves (our self-talk) to see how it affects how we feel and how we behave or act.

5. Supplementary Assignments At Home

Homework - yikes! This is only if you want it. The work that clients apply between sessions can help them progress, magnify their own insight and move towards a place of greater empowerment. Remember......it is all just practice! There is no grade, no right or wrong - practicing what you learn in session in your every day life is about exploration and seeing what works for you.