Anxiety Disorders are Common

We frequently treat individuals who struggle with anxiety. Anxiety is an incredibly common feeling that most of us have experienced in one form or another. For example, we have all dealt with apprehension or worry. It can also appear in the form of physical symptoms such as muscle tension or gastrointestinal concerns. Anxiety disorders are not the same thing as everyday worrying, however, they are the most common mental health problem in the United States.

What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

Though there are a multitude of anxiety disorders, the one we most commonly treat is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). GAD is understood as the experience of excessive, uncontrollable worry occurring for at least six months.

GAD symptoms include sleep difficulties, trouble concentrating, restlessness, muscle tension and irritability.

Many people with GAD report that the onset has been gradual and that they have felt anxious since childhood. Some people who struggle with GAD and other anxiety disorders spend a lot of time dealing with their symptoms without pursuing therapeutic help.

While coming to therapy can be an overwhelming or daunting experience, we aim to make all of our patients comfortable, including those who are struggling with anxiety and beginning psychotherapy for the first time. 

How It Works

You don’t need to be unnecessarily worried all of the time about a number of different things to be seen in our practice. Many of our patients benefit from some support or help adjusting to life in the city.

While diagnoses are helpful to an extent as they do inform treatment, one could also argue that there is a trend of over-diagnosing patients and we believe in treating the individual. 

We approach treatment by exploring your current thoughts, behaviors and emotions and putting less of a focus on childhood experiences - though some people do want to talk about their childhood experiences, and that is okay!  

Our theoretical orientation is best described as cognitive behavioral, and we do employ CBT techniques when appropriate as some patients benefit from specific techniques such as challenging distorted thinking (i.e., perfectionistic beliefs). And while it is comforting for some patients to know that research has proven the efficacy of CBT for the treatment of anxiety disorders, we have found that each client is unique, and therefore treatment can look different from person to person. With our patient’s input, we can successfully create a personalized treatment plan that builds upon your strengths and is tailored to your anxiety-related concerns.