What Does An Anxiety Therapist Do?

dark blue rectangle banner with light green text saying the not-so-secret anxiety diary Laura Rippeon, LCSW, LCSW-C | mental health blog | anxiety therapist

Experiencing Anxiety? Therapy with an Anxiety Therapist Offers the Best Support

Have you ever wondered what exactly an anxiety therapist does? Some things may be similar to other therapists and then some things may be very different.

woman sitting across from female therapist | therapy session | anxiety therapist | anxiety Therapist Wilmington nc | therapist near me

Anxiety is one of the leading mental health diagnoses in the U.S. and typically impacts women more than men. This means there is a good amount of research and knowledge when it comes to anxiety itself and its effects of anxiety.

Knowing what to expect when you start therapy for anxiety and knowing what to expect from your anxiety therapist is important. 

In this blog, I’m sharing with you 10 things an anxiety therapist does and how you can find an anxiety therapist.

I am an online anxiety therapist in Wilmington, NC, and provide therapy for high-achieving women in Maryland and North Carolina. My practice is focused on anxiety treatment and other topics such as perfectionism and burnout. 

Ready to start therapy with me? Click the button below to schedule your free 15-minute consultation on the date and time of your choice.

Click the button below to get started in therapy with me.

Keep reading to learn about things an anxiety therapist does and how to find an anxiety therapist to fit your needs. 


10 Ways an Anxiety Therapist Can Help You

Anxiety therapists do a lot and provide a lot of services to their clients. Here is a short list, and in no particular order, of what an anxiety therapist does and how an anxiety therapist can benefit you.

#1 Learn about your anxiety symptoms 

An anxiety therapist is going to help you learn about your anxiety symptoms. Some of them can be obvious and other anxiety symptoms may not be as known or identifiable. 

#2 Assess for an anxiety disorder

A licensed anxiety therapist can easily assess you for an anxiety disorder after getting a good understanding of your symptoms, the frequency, intensity, and duration of your anxiety, and how your anxiety impacts your functioning.

#3 Provide anxiety-reducing coping skills

woman standing in woods | calming | nature | anxiety reducing

An anxiety therapist can teach and provide skills to help manage feelings of anxiety and respond to your anxious thoughts.

Sometimes these coping skills may look like calming skills for anxiety, relaxation skills, problem-solving skills, or skills to help improve how you communicate with others. 


#4 Provide support and validate you

An anxiety therapist will be able to provide support, validate, and normalize the thoughts and feelings you are experiencing. 

These anxious thoughts and feelings are not something everyone understands or can get.  Often having a professional who does get it and understands what you are experiencing can make a big impact.

#5 Give helpful referrals for other specialties

An anxiety therapist can help provide recommendations and referrals to other professionals in and outside of the therapy community.

As a provider, I recognize the therapy process or myself as the provider, is not going to fit everyone’s needs. Knowing about other types of therapies or practitioners in the area is important to my practice. This is because even if I am unable to provide the best service to my client and meet their needs, I know others may be a better fit and I want to make sure I can help you get what you need.

Anxiety therapists work with other specialties such as primary care doctors, nutritionists and dietitians, coaches, neurologists, and psychiatrists.

#6 Get an understanding of your medical history and make possible links to anxiety

Anxiety therapists also care about your medical history. Often there could be medical conditions in places that can impact and cause an increase in anxiety or be a big contributor to the anxiety.

Most often I will ask my clients when the last time they had a physical with their primary care doctor or bloodwork done. These things are important and can help rule out physical health issues we may not know could be causing anxiety.

#7 Help to recognize self-defeating behavior patterns and thoughts

An anxiety therapist can help you to recognize thoughts and behaviors that are occurring because of your anxiety or continuing to increase your anxiety. 

Once you start to recognize these unhelpful behaviors or thought patterns, you can then take the steps to move forward and learn what to do about them.

#8 Help to understand and make connections about your history with anxiety

As an anxiety therapist, I want to know about my client’s history with anxiety. This is helpful for context purposes, establishing a timeline, and giving a good overview as to how it has impacted you. Some questions I ask my clients include:

When can you first remember feeling increased anxiety?

If you were anxious as a child, what are some of the things you did because of the anxiety?

How are/were your social interactions?

Do you have any family members with mental health concerns?

#9 Make a plan specific to your needs

An anxiety therapist is going to make a plan specific to address your needs. Anxiety therapists receive specialized training, go through years of internships, and receive consultation.

This means we have a lot of knowledge and support to be able to give our client’s the help they need and deserve.

 

#10 Talk to you about your habits

Do you have a nervous habit such as nail-biting or nail picking? What about constantly moving your legs? Or what about others habits such as drinking a lot of caffeine or sugar intake?

As an anxiety therapist, I ask these questions and want to know these things. They could be impacting your anxiety or behavior resulting from your anxiety.

 

How Do I Find an Anxiety Therapist Near Me?

Okay, so now that you know how an anxiety therapist can help and some things that an anxiety therapist does, the next step is finding the best anxiety therapist near you so you can start anxiety therapy. Check out these helpful tips to find an anxiety therapist:

Tip #1 for finding an anxiety therapist near me: Ask a friend or family member

If you know someone that has been to therapy ask them about their therapist and who they saw. Your friend and family member are probably going to give you the best recommendations because they want the best for you.

So if they are open to the idea, get that anxiety therapist’s information and check them out.

Tip #2 for finding an anxiety therapist near me: Go to google

Google has all the answers, right?

More than likely, this is probably one of the first places you will start. Open up google and type in the search bar these two phrases:

Anxiety therapist near me 

Or

Best anxiety therapist near me

Chances are you are going to get a lot of options. Probably fewer options than if you were to type in:

Therapist near me

Tip #3 for finding an anxiety therapist near me: Use a therapist directory

Nowadays, there are a lot of online therapist directories out there. In some of them, you can get a quick and brief overview of that therapist, and narrow it down by zip code, insurance, and specialty. 

Tip #4 for finding an anxiety therapist near me: Social Media

Almost everyone uses social media these days. Admittedly, if I want to know about a business or product I almost search social media before I go to Google.

Check out a therapist's social media post to get a good understanding of the therapist's vibe or the issues they speak about. This can be a good indicator if you think you could work well with this anxiety therapist. 

Tip #5 for finding an anxiety therapist near me: Talk to your doctor

Talk with your doctors. Let them know you are interested in seeking therapy or finding a therapist for anxiety. Chances are your doctor knows of some therapists and can give you some referrals.


Begin Anxiety Treatment in Wilmington, NC at Calm Waters Counseling

You know you struggle with anxiety and you have a lot of questions about that next step of finding an anxiety therapist and what to expect from anxiety therapy. 

I think it is important to have some helpful information when you are going through the process of finding the best anxiety therapist for you. 

At Calm Waters Counseling, I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for anxiety treatment

Learn more about acceptance and commitment therapy and how it can be helpful for you.

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Get started in therapy at Calm Waters Counseling by following these 4 simple steps:

  1. Click the button below to schedule your free 15-minute consultation

  2. Complete the brief questionnaire sent to your email before the consultation

  3. Meet with your anxiety therapist

  4. Start living your life feeling more in control

 

Therapy for High Achievers in Wilmington, NC at Calm Waters Counseling

Interested in starting therapy with me? 

Learn more about me and my Wilmington, NC virtual counseling practice.

I love to work with anxious go-getter women that need a space just for them and from someone who gets it! 

Check out all services at Calm Waters Counseling, listed below:

Anxiety treatment in Wilmington, NC

Treatment for Perfectionism in Maryland

Burnout Counseling in Wilmington, NC

Therapy for Imposter Syndrome in Wilmington, NC

 

Online Therapy for Anxiety in North Carolina

The busy woman that is on top of all the things can still make time to take care of herself without leaving the office or her home by using online therapy. 

Online therapy has many benefits and provides a lot of flexibility to meet your needs. Online therapy is effective and over time online therapy has become more accepted and a normal part of treatment.

Online therapy can be used with acceptance and commitment therapy.

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Click the links below to learn about online therapy where you live.

online therapy for anxiety in North Carolina

online anxiety therapy in Maryland

 

Still, have questions? Click the buttons below to get some answers.

 

Written by: Laura Rippeon, LCSW, LCSW-C

Updated 3/17/23