Private counselling for anxiety involves a multifaceted approach tailored to the individual’s needs, with the goal of fostering psychological flexibility and a richer, more meaningful life. Someone seeking private counselling for anxiety can generally expect the following:
- Initial Assessment and Problem Discussion: The therapist will typically begin with an initial problem discussion to understand what primarily brought the client to therapy. This includes gathering information about the client’s history with anxiety, current symptoms, and how anxiety is impacting their life. The therapist may use lay descriptions of anxiety disorders rather than DSM labels.
- Ratings of Distress and Disablement: The therapist may ask the client to rate their distress and disablement related to different anxiety domains to understand the severity and impact of their anxiety.
- Psychoeducation: A significant part of early sessions may be devoted to helping clients understand the nature and function of normal anxiety and what can make it disordered. This may involve explaining the “triple-response mode” view of anxiety, which includes physiological sensations, cognitive aspects, and overt behaviour.
- Goal Setting and Therapist Commitment: The therapist will discuss treatment goals and make a commitment to the client, framing therapy as an opportunity to learn and practice new and more flexible ways of responding to anxiety.
- Experiential Exercises: Clients can expect to engage in experiential life enhancement exercises designed to help them experience their fears, worries, and anxiety for what they are, rather than what their mind tells them they are.
- Identifying Patterns of Avoidance: The therapist will work with the client to identify patterns of experiential avoidance and control efforts related to anxiety, as well as the life-constraining costs of these behaviours.
- Values Clarification: Sessions may involve exploring the client’s values and life goals to help them make contact with what they are giving up in the service of anxiety. This can involve exercises to clarify the direction of client values and assess barriers to achieving valued directions.
- Mindfulness and Acceptance Techniques: Clients can expect to be introduced to mindfulness and acceptance techniques to observe anxiety-related thoughts and feelings without judgment and to make space for these experiences. This can include practices such as the Acceptance of Anxiety exercise.
- Cognitive Defusion: The therapist may introduce cognitive defusion techniques to help clients change their relationship with their thoughts and rise above the traps created by the thinking process.
- Exposure Exercises: In later sessions, clients may engage in in-session experiential exposure exercises designed to let them practice mindful observation, acceptance, and cognitive defusion in the presence of anxiety-related responses.
- Homework and Practice: A significant component of private counselling for anxiety involves engaging in activities and exercises at home and elsewhere between sessions. This may include practicing mindfulness exercises, completing worksheets, and monitoring anxiety-related experiences using forms like the Living in Full Experience (LIFE) form.
- Relapse Prevention: Therapists will provide strategies for managing complexities in life, helping clients understand the roots of their difficulties and assisting in healing.
Therapeutic Approaches Used in Private Counselling for Anxiety:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): CBT helps address thinking patterns and behaviours that exacerbate anxiety. It can also help you to challenge and gradually face your fears.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): ACT assists clients in accepting their anxiety and choosing valued directions in life, using mindfulness and other techniques. ACT is not aimed at getting rid of anxiety, but rather to empower you to do the things that you have avoided.
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT): Combines Buddhist and behavioural approaches and emphasises awareness and mindfulness of emotions.
Summary: Private counselling for anxiety typically involves an initial assessment, psychoeducation, goal setting, and the use of various therapeutic techniques such as CBT, ACT, and mindfulness. Clients can expect to explore their patterns of avoidance, clarify their values, and develop new ways of responding to anxiety that promote psychological flexibility and a more meaningful life.
Tags: private anxiety counselling, anxiety treatment, CBT, ACT, mindfulness, acceptance, values, exposure therapy