Anxiety Therapy
Overcome anxiety. Enjoy your life again.
At ECC, we provide personalized therapy to help you manage anxiety, reduce stress, and find peace of mind.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is an emotion characterized by acute feelings of tension, worry, and fear that can interfere with daily life and cause physical symptoms.
Anxiety and fear are similar, but not the same. While fear is an appropriate, short-lived response to a specific threat, anxiety is a future-oriented, prolonged response to stress. (Source: American Psychiatric Association)
Physical symptoms of anxiety can include, but are not limited to, increased blood pressure and heart rate, difficulty breathing, insomnia, headaches, muscle tension, gastrointestinal distress, and more.
There are a few different types of anxiety disorders:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder - everything seems to make you anxious, or anxiety feels like your baseline for experiencing life day-to-day.
Panic Disorder - characterized by frequent and unexpected panic attacks.
Social Anxiety - persistent worry or fear of being judged and rejected by others.
Signs You May Need Anxiety Therapy
When anxiety begins to interfere with your everyday life, it’s time to seek professional help from a mental health provider. For example:
If you are frequently avoiding certain situations at work, school, or with friends and family
If you are unable to participate in activities you enjoy or want to do
If your anxiety is causing you to have trouble concentrating or sleeping
If you are struggling with maladaptive coping behaviors such as alcohol or drug abuse
If you have feelings of self-loathing or even suicidal thoughts because of your anxiety and isolation
If you experience physical distress such as panic attacks, headaches, chronic pain, or digestive issues when you are in a social setting, or anticipating a social event
You do not have to manage your anxiety alone. A trusted mental health professional can help you, in person or virtually.
How Therapy Helps with Anxiety
There may be times in life when your anxiety is higher than others; for example, if you're preparing for a job interview, or making a big life transition. If anxiety is interfering with your ability to enjoy life or take care of everyday responsibilities, therapy can help.
At ECC, a therapist can help you uncover the underlying causes of anxiety and help you find healthier ways to cope. Processing painful memories and trauma, or even just discussing your fears out loud with a nonjudgmental third party like a therapist, can help you regain a sense of confidence and control over your anxiety and find a path forward.
Our therapists may use one or a combination of these modalities to help treat your anxiety:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment that helps people learn new ways of thinking and behaving to reduce anxiety.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a form of therapy that uses mindfulness and goal-setting to help people cope with anxious thoughts.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a type of CBT that has been adapted for people who need help managing and regulating intense emotions such as anxiety.
Exposure Therapy is a form of treatment in which a therapist creates a safe environment for a client to confront their fears in order to help break the cycle of avoidance and fear, and learn that their anxiety can decrease over time.
At ECC Chicago, we’re committed to working with clients to find the right therapeutic method and therapist to suit your needs. Our diverse group of licensed therapists offer a multidisciplinary approach to social anxiety treatment, often combining different mindfulness, art therapy, and somatic practices, as well as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to suit our clients’ unique needs. We will also refer you to a psychiatrist for additional support if we think a medication prescription will be beneficial in treating a condition like social anxiety disorder.
If you’re struggling with anxiety, ECC Chicago is here to help. Reach out to schedule an intake session today. Together we can help you connect meaningfully with your life.
Learn more about our approach to anxiety therapy by reading our blog:
