Anxiety Treatment

Anxiety can look different for everyone. Common symptoms of anxiety are: 

• Nervousness 
• Restlessness 
• Feeling tense 
• Heightened sense of danger 
• Sense of dread 
• Rapid breathing 
• Muscle twitching 
• Weakness 
• Difficulty focusing or thinking clearly 
• Lack of sleep 
• Focus on certain ideas or things 
• Anxiety surrounding a particular life event or experience that occurred in the past

We offer a different type of support than friends or family can. As mental health professionals, therapists have the training and experience to therapeutically help you. Further, a trained therapist can help you approach your situation in a new way. 

Working with a therapist for anxiety treatment will… 

• Teach you new skills 
• Help you gain different perspectives 
• Listen to you without judgment or expectations 
• Show you how to listen to yourself 

Furthermore, counseling is completely confidential. If your situation provokes a great deal of negative emotion and you’ve been confiding in a friend or family member, there is the risk that once you are feeling better, you could start avoiding that person so you aren’t reminded of this difficult time in your life. With counseling, these barriers are removed. You have the time and space to focus on your wellness with someone outside of your usual circle who can really provide perspective. 

Medication can be very effective. But, medication alone cannot solve all of your concerns. Sometimes, medication is needed in conjunction with counseling. Further, anxiety treatment is designed to explore and unpack the problems you are experiencing. This helps you expand on your strengths, in turn, helping you accomplish your personal goals. 

It can be helpful to think of medication like a life jacket. For some swimmers, a life jacket is not needed. Likewise, for others, a life jacket is absolutely necessary. Working with an anxiety therapist is similar to receiving swim lessons. They teach you how to swim, just like a therapist can share coping strategies. Therefore, a life jacket (medication) can help you improve your swimming by buoying you up, allowing you the time and space to breathe without drowning. Sometimes, medication is needed long-term. Other times, medication can be used short term to give you the room to breathe, and then be decreased and even removed completely as you make progress toward your goals.

At RAFT Counseling, we can recommend prescribers we trust and work with often. 

Therapy timelines look different for everyone. Together, we can customize a plan that fits your challenges and goals. Most often, individuals start with a session once per week. Then, they decrease the frequency as things start to feel better. So, some clients see us for a few sessions and feel so much better that they choose not to continue therapy. Likewise, other clients see us for several months in order to address underlying concerns, build strategies, and achieve identified goals. 

Our hope is that the relationship we establish as counselor and client will feel helpful and supportive as you reach your goals. Often, clients return to us months or years later for support when life happens and some additional support might be helpful again. If we’re no longer a good fit, we aim to connect you with someone that is. We want to be an important piece of your support network. 

We are so glad you are dedicated to getting the most out of your sessions. Our therapists will suggest strategies, offer additional resources, and recommend activities to complete between sessions. In order to achieve the best results, we recommend you actively participate and follow through with agreed-upon strategies. We are always open to what is realistic for you. To ensure you get the most out of counseling, show up willing to share. This will help us know where to start, what areas to focus on, and what strategies fit best for your life.