Core Elements of Anxiety Treatment:
- Psychoeducation: I explain how anxiety works, including the cycle of worry, avoidance, and relief that keeps anxiety going.
- Scales: I use the GAD-7 establish a baseline, track progress, and guide a personalized plan built around your goals.
- Cognitive restructuring: We identify anxious thoughts (overestimating danger, underestimating your ability to cope) and test them against evidence to develop more balanced perspectives.
- Exposure: Gradual, collaborative, repeated exposure to feared situations, sensations, or thoughts, starting with manageable steps. This reduces avoidance and teaches your brain that the feared outcome is tolerable. It happens at your pace.
- Relaxation and regulation skills: Breathing, muscle relaxation, and grounding.
- Relapse prevention: We review progress, plan for setbacks, and build a long-term maintenance plan.