Anxiety Treatment: for generalised Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Phobias etc.

Anxiety is one of the common problems experienced by an individual seeking support from a psychologist in Melbourne. Anxiety can present in various forms: it might be generalised, affecting all aspects of a person's life, or specific, related to particular situations or objects, as seen in social anxiety or specific phobias.

You will notice that treatments for anxiety often overlap with those for Depression. These conditions can often co-exist, making it important to address both if they are present. This co-occurrence (comorbidity) is commonly seen, and is a process that is well understood by  Psychologists experienced in treatment of anxiety.

In addition to general counselling approaches, specific psychological treatments for anxiety include:

  • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), which helps us identify patterns of unhelpful thoughts and beliefs, such that our emotions and behaviours can be changed or managed in an effective way by adopting different and more helpful thinking styles.  Importantly, CBT can also include relaxation techniques, which can be used along with managing anxiety. 

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which helps us change our relationship with our emotions and psychological challenges. ACT helps to improve psychological flexibility through building skills such as Mindfulness, Acceptance, Defusion, making value-based actions etc.

  • Behaviour Therapy, which focuses on changing behaviour or our choice of activity via healthy rewards and reducing unhelpful behaviour, such as avoidance. Avoidance is one of the main problematic factors in anxiety. Avoidant behaviours might initially appear to help but can indeed amplify anxiety in the long term. 

  • Exposure Therapies are a group of treatments designed to assist individuals with panic disorder, phobias, social anxiety disorder, Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Exposure Therapies generally involve a gradual increase in exposure to the trigger causing anxiety in a supported manner, which allows the person and their body to process and reduce the associated fear. The aim is to reduce avoidance and to achieve a less restricted life. Exposure therapies are also sometimes used by Psychologists to treat Trauma. 

 

The specific type of appropriate therapy appropriate for you should be discussed with a trained profession after a period of assessment and consultation.

 

Several leading Australian non-profit organisations have produced online resources for individuals and their support network.  For example:

  • BeyondBlue

  • The WA Centre for Clinical Intervention has information sheets and extensive self-guided modules for general anxiety, panic symptoms and social anxiety. You can find them here.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • There are many ways to address anxiety with a Psychologist. Some of the common modalities include CBT, ACT, Schema Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy, mindfulness‑based strategies, DBT skills, and many more. Your psychologist will make an assessment and discuss with you your individual treatment plan that is suitable for your current needs.

  • It is important to acknowledge that anxiety is a natural human response when we experience something (e.g., a situation, a person etc.) that we perceive as “dangerous”. It is a response that helps protect us and keeps us safe.
    When anxiety becomes problematic, it begins to significantly interfere with daily life. In these instances, our perception of potential threats becomes heightened, leading us to interpret situations as more dangerous or frightening than they realistically are. In these circumstances, one might start to find anxiety distressing, overwhelming, unmangable, and impacting their everyday functioning.

  • Everyone starts their therapeutic journey at different stages. Some people start seeing a psychologist when they’ve developed insights into the importance of emotional health and building some “muscles” for the mind. This is similar to when you start going to the gym with the aim to improve your physical health.
    On the other hand, some people would connect with a psychologist only after a significant event, or when they notice their anxiety becomes problematic (see above). This is similar to seeing a physiotherapist following an injury or noticing pain in your muscles.
    There is no right or wrong starting point. Understably, if we start building tools and strategies, and having regular support to improve our emotional wellbeing, we can develop resilience gradually and navigate meaningful changes in our lives effectively.

  • Yes. Some psychologists in the team are trained to provide treatment of anxiety in children and teenagers. Therapeutic modalities, such as CBT and ACT, are usually adapted to suit the age of the clients. Play Therapy and collaboration with family members are also widely used.