Is Anxiety Holding You Back From Fully Living Your Life?

Do you feel like you’re gradually losing control over your own life? Has anxiety left you feeling isolated and alone? Are you concerned that your child or teen is suffering from anxiety, and their symptoms are interfering with school and forming friendships?

If you’re struggling with anxiety, taking care of basic responsibilities can become overwhelming. You may feel guilty about withdrawing from relationships or finding it difficult to complete tasks at work. Anxiety symptoms can become debilitating, and it can be hard to find any relief.

Anxiety Symptoms Can Affect People Of All Ages

Children, teens, and adults can suffer from anxiety, and they often struggle with similar symptoms. Anxiety can affect your health, causing you to feel drained of all your energy and even lead to physical symptoms like headaches, stomach aches, and difficulties with sleep. At times, anxiety symptoms can overlap with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) symptoms, like intrusive thoughts and endless rumination.

Just as adults with anxiety might have trouble concentrating at work, children and teens with this condition often have difficulty focusing at school. Anxiety can also interfere with relationships. Children might fear being away from their parents and have trouble making friends, while adults might skip social gatherings and feel alienated from other people in their lives.
You do not have to continue living with the burden of anxiety. Therapy can be highly beneficial for kids, teenagers, and adults alike. Through counselling for anxiety, parents can help set their children up for brighter futures, and adults can learn to manage their symptoms and live life with ease again.

If you’re living with anxiety, it might seem like everyone else is confident and self-assured except for you. But in reality, millions of people are struggling with anxiety in silence. Today, anxiety is actually the most widespread mental health condition, affecting more than 20% of children and adolescents.

Everyone experiences mild anxiety from time to time. But when your symptoms start interfering with your relationships and your responsibilities at work and home, it can be difficult to cope. Sometimes, people begin developing anxiety symptoms after going through a major lifestyle change, like moving, adjusting to a new job, becoming a parent, or caring for a loved one. Unfortunately, it can be hard to overcome anxiety when our current societal conditions tend to worsen chronic stress.

Therapy Can Help You Address The Root Cause Of Your Anxiety

At Sherwood Psychology, we don’t just treat the symptoms of anxiety—we help you determine what’s causing these symptoms and address these core issues so that you can find lasting relief. In therapy, you can share your experiences with anxiety without fear of judgement and learn practical strategies for managing your symptoms that are tailored to your specific needs.

Depending on your symptoms and goals, we can integrate techniques from numerous therapeutic approaches to design your treatment plan. These techniques can be modified for adults, teens, and children.

Through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for anxiety, you’ll learn to identify, challenge and better cope with your anxious thought patterns during sessions and in your daily life. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) gives you the chance to examine your specific fears, let go of outcomes that are outside of your control and commit to action that enhances your life.

Furthermore, you can learn to improve your distress tolerance skills, integrate mindfulness to feel more calm and connected in your relationships through Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). You can apply these skills outside of sessions to ground yourself when your symptoms become intense and reduce panic attacks.

As some of our clients deal with OCD symptoms such as intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviours, our therapists can incorporate Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) into your anxiety treatment plan if necessary. Additionally, we offer age-appropriate play therapy for children with anxiety, which can help them communicate their feelings in a healthy way.

With support, people of all ages can overcome anxiety. Whether you’ve been dealing with anxiety for years or your child is currently struggling with their symptoms, healing is possible. Working with a therapist can help you build a life you truly love.

But You May Still Have Questions About Anxiety Therapy…

Anxiety Is The Most Common Mental Health Issue

Our Fast-Paced Culture Can Exacerbate Anxiety

Today, many people are working long hours, which can lead to burnout. Lots of people are trying to cope with stress in their professional lives while juggling parenting and caring for older relatives, leaving them with little time for self-care. If you have a hard time saying “No” to other people, you can end up with far too many responsibilities on your plate. Additionally, children, teens and adults are exposed to seemingly “perfect” lives on social media and end up putting more pressure on themselves to reach unrealistic standards .

Someone who is struggling with anxiety might try to lessen the severity of their symptoms by avoiding everything they fear. But this can actually increase your anxiety levels over time. Working with a therapist who can provide objective guidance can help you identify what’s really causing your anxiety symptoms and gradually work through your fears.

What To Expect In Anxiety Therapy

During your first session, at your own pace, you can talk to your therapist about topics like: your specific symptoms, how long you’ve been dealing with these symptoms, why you decided to reach out for help, and what you hope to gain from therapy. There is no need to prepare any information before attending your first session. We are here to guide you. Following your first session your therapist will guide you in exploring the potential root causes of your anxiety, and you’ll begin working towards your goals step-by-step.

If you’re a parent whose child under the age of 12 will be attending anxiety therapy sessions, we will keep you informed and involved throughout the process. The first appointment for children under the age of 12 is for parent(s) only, so that you can fill us in on the difficulties your child has been having and what you hope to gain from therapy. As therapy progresses, we’ll discuss the strategies you can practise at home so that you’ll be prepared to support your child and keep you up to date on what has been covered in sessions.

Youth ages 12 and up decide to what extent they would like their parent(s) involved. We encourage youth aged 12 to 15 to include their parent(s) in the first appointment to some capacity.

Anxiety Counselling Methods For Adults, Teens and Kids

I’m too anxious to talk to a therapist.

When you’re dealing with anxiety, the idea of talking to a therapist can be nerve-wracking, and you might hesitate to ask for help when you need it most. Our therapists understand that it takes courage to come to your first session, and they will go the extra mile to ensure you feel comfortable. The vast majority of our clients leave their first sessions feeling relieved and hopeful about the future.

I’m worried that other people will judge me for reaching out for help.

Despite the stigma around seeking therapy, reaching out for support when you’re struggling is not a sign of weakness—on the contrary, it actually demonstrates a deep strength. In counselling, you’ll be able to share your feelings with a caring, nonjudgmental therapist who does not dismiss or invalidate your experiences with anxiety. You can enjoy peace of mind knowing that our services are completely private and confidential.

Can therapy actually help me?

Anxiety is highly treatable. If you’ve been living with this condition for years, it can be hard to imagine yourself living a life free of anxiety. However, adults, teens, and children can benefit greatly from identifying the roots of their anxiety in therapy and learning valuable coping skills that they can apply outside of sessions.

With Support, You Can Find Relief From Anxiety

If you feel like you’ve been losing control over your own life due to anxiety, therapy can help you find your footing again. To learn more about our practice or schedule your first appointment, fill out the contact form on our website and book a free consultation call.