Anxiety Therapist Jacksonville FL

About Anxiety Therapy in Jacksonville

Anxiety is the most common issue that people seek counseling for. Approximately 19% of the adult population has one of the many types of anxiety disorders. Generalized Anxiety disorder is the most one at 3.1%. As for panic attacks and what's called panic disorder, 4.7% of adults experience this at some point in their lives. However, it's important to remember that all of these numbers are likely much higher as many people never report their anxiety to a healthcare professional.

Anxiety Disorders include:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder

• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

• Social Anxiety Disorder

• Panic Disorder

• Separation Anxiety Disorder

• Selective Mutism

Anxiety can stem from a variety of things including trauma, your childhood, genetics, life events, life changes, relationship issues, grief and loss, family conflict, your environment, and more.

If you stop to think about it, we live in an extremely fast paced world. Daily life is filled with early wake-ups to late nights with full schedules in between. Our nervous systems were not made for the constant hustle and rat race. Plus, many of us spend most of our time sedentary and in doors. There is a lack of community where many live far from family and neighborhoods are not as close as they once were. All of these things and more contribute to anxiety being so common and anxiety disorders being the most common mental health issue.

Benefits of Anxiety Therapy

Seeking counseling services to help your anxiety is a huge step in the right direction. Through anxiety therapy, you have a safe place to talk about things that you want to talk about such as things that may be creating stress, worry, and anxiety. Going to anxiety therapy helps you increase your self-awareness, learn to identify your triggers, increase your emotional intelligence, and learn helpful anxiety coping skills. You can learn better stress management and anger management as well. In addition, anxiety therapy can help you resolve past traumatic events. Anxiety lives in the body, so learning ways to release it from your body allows you to feel more relaxed and healthier.

Finding the Right Anxiety Therapist in Jacksonville, FL

Qualifications to Look For

It is recommended that you seek a licensed mental health professional for anxiety treatment in order to help you decrease your anxiety. The therapeutic relationship is crucial. This is the relationship you have with your therapist where you, ideally, feel safe and have a solid level of trust with them. Some therapists specialize in anxiety and have pursued additional training in this area.

Questions to Ask Potential Anxiety Therapists

When you speak to a therapist that you are interested in working with, you may want to ask them any or all of the following questions to figure out if they're the right therapist for you:

• How many years of experience do they have as a therapist?

• How much of their practice involves anxiety therapy?

• Do they have experience with your specific form of anxiety such as panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder?

• How would they describe their approach to anxiety therapy?

• What approaches do they use in treatment such as EMDR therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

• Do they provide in-person or online therapy or both?

What to Expect During Anxiety Therapy

Duration and Frequency of Therapy

The frequency of anxiety therapy sessions may be weekly at first, but can move to every other week depending on your specific needs. The therapist and client will work together to decide on the best treatment approach for the client.

Your therapist may be trained in certain approaches that they will use to help your anxiety disorder such as a form of trauma therapy. Exposure therapy is one approach that some therapists use. In addition, there is Dialectical Behavioral therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I utilize Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy as needed with my client experiencing anxiety as this has been found to be an effective treatment for anxiety and more. Some clients just want traditional talk therapy, and that is okay.

How to Get Started with Anxiety Therapy in Jacksonville, FL

To get started, the first step is to fill out the form below. I’ll reach out to schedule your free consultation as the next step so I can make sure that I’m the best fit for you and your concerns.

Our first session is 90 minutes. After that, regular virtual sessions are 60/90/120 minutes depending on what you prefer. Our first few sessions are very much about building rapport and trust and getting to know your current situation and history. We discuss what you want to get out of therapy, including what your goals are, and create a simple treatment plan to guide our time together. I start where you want to start. You do not have to share anything that you are not yet ready to share. We always go at a pace that is comfortable with you.