When it is wise to turn to a Anxiety Specialist

What is an Anxiety Specialist?

An anxiety specialist is a professional who is trained to help people manage and overcome anxiety. They use a variety of evidence-based techniques and approaches tailored to individual needs. The focus is on helping clients understand their anxiety, develop coping mechanisms, and improve their overall quality of life. An anxiety specialist may work with clients who have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, or those who experience anxiety in certain situations.

Therapeutic Tools and Techniques Used by Anxiety Specialists

Anxiety specialists use a variety of tools and techniques. Here are some common approaches:

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

• ACT helps clients to accept difficult thoughts and feelings, rather than struggling to control or eliminate them.
• It emphasizes the importance of clarifying personal values and using these values to guide actions.
• ACT utilizes mindfulness to increase awareness of the present moment.
• The goal is to help people live a rich and meaningful life, despite the presence of anxiety.
• ACT is a process-oriented approach which can be more effective than disputing the content of anxious thoughts.
• ACT may use experiential exercises to help clients make contact with thoughts, feelings, memories and physical sensations.
• It encourages clients to view their anxiety as a facet of human experience and to change their response to it.
• ACT focuses on being willing to experience anxiety, choosing to experience it without trying to change it.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

• SFBT is a positive approach that focuses on solutions rather than problems.
• It helps clients to identify their strengths and resources, and to build on these.
• SFBT emphasizes what is working well and what might constitute progress towards a preferred future.
• It uses future-oriented techniques to help clients set goals and find solutions, asking questions such as ‘Suppose there is a solution, what would be different?’.
• SFBT can be more lighthearted than other types of therapy, reducing therapist burnout.
• SFBT is a transdiagnostic approach, suitable for a wide range of anxiety issues.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)

• NLP focuses on how we organize our thoughts and experiences.
• It is used for developing oneself and managing negative thought patterns, such as anxiety.
• NLP aims to understand how people interpret information and give it significance.
• NLP can help people to identify and reframe anxiety triggers, changing their response to them.
• NLP helps clients to access solutions and build positive thought habits.
• It involves techniques such as altering submodalities and using the ‘swish’ technique.
• NLP may be used to develop coping strategies and manage the habit of anxiety.
• NLP recognises that people think in different modes, for example visually, auditorily or kinesthetically.

Coaching

• Anxiety coaches help clients to gain control of their anxiety.
• They may use a solution-focused approach and draw on findings from neuroscience and psychology.
• Coaching can be used to help clients perform at their best under pressure, reduce stress and master anxiety.
• Coaches may use techniques based on their own experiences.

Mindfulness

• Mindfulness is a technique which focuses on paying attention in the present moment.
• It helps clients to experience their experiences fully, without judgement, and without needing to avoid anything.
• Mindfulness involves noticing the process of thinking, feeling, and remembering.
• It can be a tool to defuse from thoughts and feelings.
• Mindfulness practices can include mindful breathing and meditation.
• Mindfulness can lead to a more relaxed and calm state as a by-product.
• Mindfulness is a cortex-based technique to look at anxiety from a distance and accept it.

Self-Compassion

• Self-compassion involves treating oneself with kindness, especially when experiencing difficult emotions.
• It involves avoiding self-criticism and building self-acceptance.
• It may mean recognising the need for external help rather than forcing oneself to cope alone.
• Self compassion can help people to restore inner peace.

Conditions That Can Be Helped by an Anxiety Specialist

An anxiety specialist can help with a wide variety of anxiety-related conditions. These include:

• Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), where excessive worry is experienced regularly.
• Panic Disorder, which involves sudden and intense feelings of fear.
• Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), characterized by fear of social situations.
• Phobias, which involve extreme fear of specific objects or situations.
• Health Anxiety, which involves excessive worry about one’s health.
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), which involves recurring intrusive thoughts and compulsions.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which can develop after a traumatic event.
• Work-related anxiety, performance anxiety, stress management, and burnout.

How to Decide if You Should See an Anxiety Specialist

Consider seeing an anxiety specialist if:

• Your anxiety is interfering with your daily life, work, relationships or studies.
• You experience frequent and intense anxiety symptoms.
• You are avoiding situations that trigger anxiety.
• You feel overwhelmed or unable to manage your anxiety on your own.
• You want to develop new coping skills and strategies.
• You are interested in exploring a more positive and solution-focused approach to your anxiety.
• You are interested in alternative approaches to anxiety management such as acceptance or mindfulness.

It can be helpful to consult a professional if your anxiety feels unmanageable. It’s also important to seek professional advice if your anxiety does not improve, despite your best efforts at self-help.

Summary

Anxiety specialists use a range of therapeutic approaches to help individuals manage their anxiety, reduce suffering, and improve their overall well-being. Techniques such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, NLP, mindfulness, and self-compassion can be used to help people deal with a variety of conditions that involve anxiety. If anxiety is significantly impacting your life and you feel that you would like to explore the tools and techniques used by anxiety specialists, then it may be worth seeking their support.