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Anxiety is a normal feeling we all experience as humans. Anxiety is feeling fear or apprehension about something bad happening. It can look and feel different for everyone, but usually comes with physical sensations like muscle tension, restlessness or increase in heart rate/blood pressure. People will often want to avoid and have lots of worry thoughts.
An Anxiety Disorder is when the anxiety is causing ongoing and significant distress and is impacting on your daily living. A registered psychologist can help you work out if you meet the formal criteria for an Anxiety Disorder. Whether you do or not, if you are experiencing anxiety it might be a good idea to see a psychologist and learn some strategies to manage these symptoms.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health condition in Australia and can make everyday life very tough for those who have them. They can also lead to low self esteem making life even more complicated.
These conditions come about from a combination of social and physiological risk factors and manifest in many different ways with different features and challenges to overcome.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Phobias
Panic attacks
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Social anxiety
The symptoms of anxiety disorders are many and varied but often include excessive worrying and emotional distress that lasts more than 6 months and an ongoing sense of fear or dread. Recognising anxiety and its impact is the first step to getting help.
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is when you worry excessively about everyday life. This level of worry can be distressing and interfere with your daily living or ability to enjoy living.
Persistent anxiety and worrying about many things – from your health and finances to work and relationships – are the hallmarks of generalised anxiety. Recognising these signs is the first step to getting the right help and support from psychologists who specialise in anxiety.
Panic disorder is when you have recurring episodes of intense anxiety and terror that can seem to come out of nowhere (although sometimes there is a trigger that is known to the individual). These panic attacks are accompanied by strong (and often painful) physical sensations like palpitations, sweating and difficulty breathing. Having a panic attack can be a scary experience and people will often avoid places or situations where they have had an attack before.
For people with panic disorder the fear of having another panic attack can be overwhelming. This fear can interfere with their daily living and require big changes to their lifestyle.
Social anxiety presents with many symptoms including intense worry and fear in various social situations in everyday life. This can stop you from doing everyday things like attending events or speaking in public. Often the individual feels a generalised fear of being judged, criticised or humiliated.
Recognising the triggers – like public speaking, approaching strangers or dating – is important for those with this type of anxiety. Recognising these signs is the first step to getting help such as anxiety counselling in Melbourne.
Intense and irrational fears of specific objects, situations or activities known as specific phobias can impact your life big time.
Examples of common specific phobias include:
Arachnophobia (spider fear)
Acrophobia (fear of heights)
Aviophobia (fear of flying)
Claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces)
These fears often come from traumatic events, hereditary or environmental factors.
Exposure therapy is a common treatment for these phobias. This therapy gradually exposes individuals to their feared stimulus in a controlled and safe environment to help them overcome their anxiety response.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is when you experience anxiety from persistent obsessions and compulsions. These intrusive thoughts and ritualistic behaviours can take up a lot of time and disrupt your daily living so getting the right treatment for this condition is important.
Treating anxiety disorders effectively is key to reducing symptoms and preventing relapse. Evidence based psychological therapies including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, Schema Therapy and EMDR are proven ways to address anxiety. These therapies help you understand and manage your anxiety and improve your mental health.
An integrative approach to treating anxiety means working with clients as individuals and taking into account their developmental stage to provide targeted and effective treatment. Targeted treatment will often include a combination of evidence based treatments such as:
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a therapy that helps people understand how their thoughts impact their emotions and actions. By learning to change unhelpful thought patterns people can reduce their anxiety. Cognitive behaviour therapy uses techniques like disputing negative beliefs and self-compassion as ways to manage anxiety.
By teaching people practical skills through CBT they have control over their mental health so they can manage anxiety and improve their overall well being for a better life.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) says to accept (or welcome) the anxious emotions rather than resist them because pushing emotions away only works in the short term. By accepting thoughts and emotions and doing behaviours that match your values ACT helps with anxiety management.
By accepting personal experiences and encouraging people to do helpful actions even when anxious ACT brings about big change.
Exposure therapy is most commonly used to treat specific phobias (fear of heights, spiders, sickness etc). This therapy involves gradually exposing people to situations that trigger fear with the goal of reducing their avoidance of those situations and the anxiety that comes with it. By facing those fears in a controlled environment people can learn to manage their anxiety response.
This therapy is to help people overcome phobias and reduce the impact of anxiety on their daily living.
Schema Therapy is a comprehensive treatment that combines elements from various therapeutic models to address deeply ingrained patterns or themes in thoughts and behaviours called schemas. These schemas develop in childhood and can contribute to anxiety disorders. By identifying and changing these unhelpful schemas people can break free from the repetitive negative cycles that perpetuate anxiety. Schema Therapy uses techniques like cognitive restructuring, experiential exercises and behaviour pattern breaking to bring about deep emotional healing and overall mental health.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a specific therapy for people whose anxiety is trauma based. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation such as guided eye movements to reprocess and integrate distressing memories so they have less emotional charge. This allows people to confront and resolve traumatic events without feeling overwhelmed and therefore reduce anxiety symptoms. EMDR is known for its rapid and lasting results so if you want to get rid of anxiety from past traumas contact us at Cova Psychology for EMDR Melbourne options.
In Melbourne you have a range of options for anxiety counselling. These sessions help you get to the bottom of your emotions and life experiences and heal through self discovery. Experienced clinical psychologists provide a safe space for you to express yourself.
With individualised techniques Melbourne therapists work with different types of anxiety issues to bring about big and lasting change in their clients. Anxiety treatment is not just about managing symptoms but also about improving interpersonal skills and self compassion which leads to overall mental health.
Whether to choose online counselling or therapy in person depends on your personal preference and situation. Face to face therapy allows therapists to pick up on nonverbal cues and get a better understanding of the client’s emotions. In these sessions clients often feel a stronger connection with the therapist and can explore more complex feelings.
Telehealth or online counselling offers convenience and accessibility. You can have therapy sessions from the comfort of your own home which is especially helpful for those with physical limitations or busy schedules.
Your Melbourne psychologist will teach you the most effective coping skills for anxiety. These are often set as homework so you will practice coping skills between sessions.
By using slow breathing techniques which involves taking deeper and slower breaths you can calm anxiety feelings. By using progressive muscle relaxation which involves consciously tensing and then releasing muscles you can release physical tension that comes with anxious symptoms. Learning these skills is key to managing anxiety in daily life.
Counselling sessions will also work on identifying the underlying causes of anxiety and current triggers. By knowing what triggers stress and anxiety counselling clients can learn when to use their coping skills. As they master the skills especially when they are feeling anxious they can take control of their anxiety and improve their mental and emotional well being.
Treatment of an Anxiety Disorder with a psychologist often starts with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This type of therapy involves learning strategies to physically calm your body, to then be able to focus on the anxiety thoughts in order to create a more balanced perspective. Following this, your therapist will possibly look at ways to manage avoidance and how to handle yourself in anxiety-provoking situations. Sometimes your therapist may then shift treatment to the underlying causes of your anxiety. For this aspect of treatment, therapists may call on other therapies such as Schema Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR).
If this page was helpful, our comprehensive blog post about the treatment of anxiety disorders might also be of interest.
Knowing the symptoms of anxiety disorders which includes excessive worrying, feeling restless, fear and physical symptoms like sweating and heart palpitations is important to seek help and manage anxiety. These common symptoms are signs that you might need help with your anxiety.
Knowing the symptoms of anxiety disorders which includes excessive worrying, feeling restless, fear and physical symptoms like sweating and heart palpitations is important to seek help and manage anxiety. These common symptoms are signs that you might need help with your anxiety.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has a wealth of research to support its effectiveness for anxiety. CBT helps people identify and change negative thinking patterns and break down avoidance behaviours which can reduce overall anxiety.
Research shows for many people online counselling can be just as effective as in person therapy. It’s a legitimate option for anyone seeking help with their mental health.
To manage anxiety well you could practice slow deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness exercises, challenge unhelpful thoughts, and talk about your feelings. An anxiety therapist will help you learn and apply these skills, as well as tailor them to your needs.
If you or a loved one is experiencing anxiety our Melbourne psychologists and clinical psychologists are here to help. Get in touch with our friendly reception team to book an appointment. Contact us by:
We are available for both face to face and telehealth sessions.
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Let’s discuss your needs and match you with the right Melbourne psychologist.
Let’s discuss your needs and match you with the right Melbourne psychologist
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Cova Psychology acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where our Melbourne CBD practice is located—the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong/Boon Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation. We pay respect to their Elders, past and present, as well as the Elders of other Aboriginal communities in Melbourne and beyond.
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We would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the practice is located. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present, and the Aboriginal Elders of other communities who may be here today.
