Treatment for Anxiety and PTSD

Did you know anxiety is considered to be one of the most treatable conditions in therapy? 

Many clients present with concerns about anxiety.  Each person is unique and there are many ways anxiety can be experienced and expressed, ranging from mild stress responses in adjusting to new or difficult circumstances to extreme physiological patterned responses to earlier trauma(s).  

We take a trauma informed approach, assessing the nature of the concern thoroughly before making a therapy plan with you.  We are trained to understand how thoughts, emotion, physiology and neurobiology, and environment or systems interact to create issues people bring to therapy.  Maria, Chantel and Carolina work with trauma from different methods but with gentle and caring awareness. 

When anxiety is present there is some focus on a cognitive behavioral intervention to help alleviate distress, teach new coping responses to stress however we also pay attention to systemic or environmental issues, historic experiences and lifestyle variables that may be part of the problem or challenge a persons' efforts to change. Victoria takes a Cognitive Behavioral approach to reduce symptoms.  Chantel is trained in Yoga and Relaxation and also works on new coping to manage symptoms.  Maria is trauma trained and may use many methods including skill from DBT to help reduce symptoms.  Elissa might help understand how to be more assertive and self aware to identify and deal with interpersonal triggers. Audette may take a look at past learning, triggers and new ways of coping.  Ella might explore the early roots of distress and help a client heal through the relationship with the therapist.  Carolina, who worked in hospital settings as a Psychologist in Brasil, does a thorough assessment and may work with other professionals on your care team if needed, using herself both a CBT approach and integrating expressive therapies if helpful.  The method is not as important as feeling that the therapist is a good fit - please reach out to the Clinic Director to be matched.

A common form of anxiety that causes a lot of distress is Obsessional Anxiety.  Being obsessional can be a factor of personality, a response to traumatic events, or a diagnosable anxiety condition.  Being obsessional and hypervigilant can also be a symptom of trauma.  A good therapist can do a thorough intake and help a person determine this. Depending on the history/source and nature of the problem, treatment also varies.  When there is a genetic predisposition to diagnosable OCD people can often recall that their parent did a lot of what is called “checking behavior”.  While it may not have interfered directly with their lives, they may have been plagued with constant worry that led them to check and re-check things like locks, bank accounts, cleanliness, etc. 

The checking behavior provides some kind of short term relief of the fear but research shows that it also creates long term pain, in creating more and more obsessions and fears.  Sometimes avoidance is used to not feeling the anxiety, rather than washing or checking for example. When there is a genetic predisposition, sometimes medication can help along side therapy.  This is well known in the mental health field. 

If trauma triggers OCD type symptoms, then trauma needs to be delicately addressed before working on the symptoms that may be in place to cope with unbearable feelings.

Choose a therapist that you feel can really understand you when you are dealing with these kinds of repetitive thoughts, feelings and behaviors.  A few of our therapists can provide CBT or ACT to help, and one of our therapists Audette is also a nurse, well trained in a hospital setting with a good understanding of the impact and interaction of medication and therapy.  Please ask.  Email us by clicking here for an intake.