Our therapists provide anxiety therapy in Colorado Springs, CO

My go-to approach for treating anxiety is an eclectic approach to individualizing care for what my client needs. I find the best benefit in using a mixture of cognitive behavioral therapy, solution-focused techniques, and mindfulness, because the combination of these three therapies incorporates thoughts, emotions, and body awareness. I believe addressing therapeutic issues holistically can be quite effective and address a multitude of my clients' needs.

I teach the following tools in anxiety therapy:

• Awareness: Without awareness, we can't change. How are your thoughts, emotions, and/or body cues affecting your anxiety? What are your triggers?
• Identifying cognitive distortions: What unhealthy repetitive thought patterns are happening subconsciously?
• Reframing: How we can reframe these negative thought patterns to empower you as the client?
• Curiosity with empowerment: Imagine a miracle happened overnight, and your problem has disappeared. How would you know? What would be different? How would you be different?
• Deep breathing: Breathing exercises to slow down an overworked nervous system and create more self-awareness and safety within your body.

I know a client is making meaningful progress in anxiety therapy when they are feeling more empowered, their symptoms have decreased in intensity/duration/frequency, and their coping skills have increased. I love when clients are able to celebrate their hard work and say “My panic attacks are happening less!” or “I was able to journal when I was feeling anxious this week instead of doom scrolling!”

Clients can supplement their time in anxiety therapy with journaling, mindful walks or other enjoyable forms of exercise, deep breathing practices at home, comforting hobbies, and social support, along with healthy social media use.

To prepare for your first anxiety therapy session, you can reflect on what goals you want to work on in therapy, what obstacles have gotten in your way, and what you might need from a therapist. Remember therapy is about YOU, so it is important that you find a therapist you connect with and feel empowered and comfortable enough to be vulnerable. It is also completely normal to feel nervous and/or anxious before starting therapy, so congratulations on being brave and showing up for yourself in a loving way!