If you suspect anxiety, an anxiety therapist can offer techniques that may reduce its impact and lessen its severity when symptoms appear. Many anxiety disorders are treatable; those that cannot can often become manageable if addressed. Therapy often forms part of treatment plans. If interested in trying it yourself, continue reading to find the ideal therapist to treat anxiety.
Tips for Finding an Anxiety Therapist
In order to meet all of your counseling needs effectively, it’s vital that you know how to find appropriate services. Here are eight strategies when searching for a specialist treating anxiety disorders or treating anxiety-based conditions.
1. Research Local Mental Health Professionals
Not all mental health therapists provide identical services or experiences despite licensing or clinical hours; for instance, two anxiety specialists might specialize in CBT while only offering exposure therapy; therefore conducting extensive research about therapy modalities, specialties, and techniques before selecting one can be extremely valuable.
Many may perceive therapy to involve sitting comfortably on a couch and talking freely to their therapist about any emotions or thoughts, however this style is only one among over 400. Doing research into various forms of therapy you might like for specific symptoms can help narrow the options down further; consulting mental health providers who specialize in them is also invaluable. Contacting therapists who specialize specifically in anxiety could offer insight on which modality would suit them as the starting point.
2. Verify Each Professional’s Credentials
Before choosing a therapist or psychologist, it’s crucial that you verify their credentials. Each therapist requires certain education and licensing credentials before being qualified as an individualized therapist; each designation comes with additional responsibilities or abilities. Here’s an easy-to-read breakdown of their letters or terms behind their name:
MD: Medical Doctor stands for Medical Doctor. Psychologists with this designation include psychiatrists. An MD can write prescriptions, diagnose mental illnesses and offer medical testing services.
Ph.D. and PsyD: These professionals hold doctoral degrees in psychology. Usually employed as therapists, researchers, or professors. MA, MS, LGPC LCPC are all acronyms indicating someone with earned master’s degrees in psychology as well as state licenses (if relevant).
MSW, LCSW-C, LGSW & LSW: These acronyms refer to degrees or licenses in social work; only those holding licensed clinical social worker titles can offer counseling services. MA, MFT LFMT LCMFT are acronyms representing various forms of marriage and family therapy services provided; those ending in ‘L’ are licensed.
MA, CCPT, CpastC, NCPC and NCCA: These acronyms refer to pastoral counselors or those holding master’s degrees in pastoral counseling who practice therapy under state license.
MHC and LMHC: These represent those holding a master’s in mental health counseling with an L indicating they’re licensed practitioners.
3. Assess Experience Treating Anxiety Disorders
Experience does not always correlate to licensure and training in an area; an experienced therapist could use previous experiences from clients’ past sessions with anxiety to provide comprehensive support, while newcomers to the field might have greater supervision from more seasoned providers who may also know about modern techniques for anxiety treatment.
4. Check Your Insurance Coverage
Insurers now cover therapy sessions through most plans; to determine your mental health coverage and providers covered within it if applicable for you, call your insurer and find out who provides care – for instance if anxiety disorder diagnoses are made they could refer you directly to someone specialized in anxiety.
5. Evaluate Pricing Options
If you don’t have health insurance or it does not cover therapy services, take time to check rates between providers. Some professionals provide sliding scales, discounts or financial assistance plans depending on income; therefore it may be worthwhile enquiring into their rates before making your choice.
6. Research Alternative Meeting Options
Many mental health professionals only meet with clients face to face; however, many therapists now also or exclusively offer virtual meetings via phone or video – this may make therapy sessions easier on those living with anxiety as well as those in rural areas or having trouble finding suitable therapists locally. Compare pricing, availability and reviews when considering these different meeting formats for therapy services.
7. Create A List Of Questions To Evaluate Therapists
In order to gain more information about whether a certain therapist might be right for you, write out a short list of pertinent queries for them to address during an initial consultation before your first session begins. Possible topics might include: Do they specialize in anxiety treatment? What has your experience been treating my symptoms like mine? Which therapy modalities do you practice and which do you think would provide the most effective relief from anxiety?
8. Seek Recommendations
To obtain recommendations of mental health specialists, ask your primary care provider or friends with experience to refer. Getting someone else’s thoughts can be invaluable; but due to ethical restrictions they might not be available.
What to Do if Your Therapist Isn’t Right If, after selecting and beginning sessions with one therapist, it becomes clear they no longer suit you, it is always possible to change providers. Just because one was chosen doesn’t mean it must remain; if something feels unhelpful about these sessions it would be preferable for you to search out an alternative therapist instead of forcing through ineffective sessions with an existing provider.
Understanding Your Therapy Options
Gaining knowledge on various therapy types could assist with making an informed choice when selecting one to work on with a therapist for anxiety relief. Some common types include:
Anxiety Group Therapy
If you suffer from social anxiety disorder or another specific anxiety condition, one effective form of therapy might be group sessions–online or otherwise. Group therapy sessions tend to be cost-efficient than meeting one-on-one with a therapist and allow you to meet others who share similar experiences as you, learn together how best to cope with anxiety symptoms, and practice new coping mechanisms alongside one another. Look for support groups led by licensed therapists.
Cognitive-behavior Therapy (CBT)
CBT is best anxiety treatment, teaching clients to identify unhelpful thought patterns that impact behaviors or moods, then challenging and changing these thought processes with specific worksheets, techniques, role-playing or other exercises. CBT has become widely accepted as “gold standard” treatment of many anxiety disorders.
Discover Online Therapy for Anxiety
There are various treatments for anxiety. If finding one in person due to cost or transportation constraints is challenging, many therapists now provide online counselling support – this allows those suffering with anxiety to access support in an environment which best supports them – such as their home.
Disclaimer:
The information provided on this website is intended for general informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
