On Anxiety and My Therapeutic Approach

When creating my website, I had the most difficulty with the services page. Particularly, the section in which I had to describe my specialties. It’s one thing to list these specialties in a few bullet points, but defining each one in detail was quite the challenge. That’s primarily because these issues can present in dramatically different ways for each individual. 

Take anxiety, for example: One of the most commonly known symptoms is excessive worrying. Worrying is something that everyone has experienced at some point or another, so the layperson may believe they have an understanding of what anxiety can feel like. However, those who have never been plagued with clinical anxiety may not know the full extent of the distress that can be caused by THIS kind of worrying. The incomprehensible need to triple or quadruple check your work for fear of making a mistake; the exhaustion that comes from a mind that’s almost always racing at a pace that you can’t possibly keep up with even if you tried; the harrowing frustration that arises when your thoughts quite literally wake you up in the middle of the night, & prevent you from falling back asleep until you’ve chewed the thoughts over so thoroughly that you’re not even tired anymore. 

That’s just ONE of the common symptoms for generalized anxiety disorder specifically. There are several disorders that fall under the umbrella of anxiety, an array of symptoms associated with each disorder, and some experiences that aren’t even formally listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (i.e. perfectionism, imposter syndrome, high functioning anxiety, etc.).   

I chose my specialties, because these are struggles that I am personally familiar with. For me, anxiety is an ever-changing disorder that seems to have a mind of its own. It has had the ability to adapt to my life circumstances, always finding new ways to dominate my mental capacity. At various points in time, I’ve experienced generalized anxiety, social anxiety, OCD, panic attacks, and postpartum anxiety. Each time I feel like I have a solid understanding of the disorder, and the ability to manage it, it evolves and throws me for another loop. Every single client that I’ve worked with has a different report of what anxiety looks & feels like for them.

How was I to define something so complex in a simple paragraph? Beyond that, how could I possibly do justice to my therapeutic style in just a few sentences? My approach isn’t a one size fits all situation; it’s intuitive, based on each individual's personal presentation, needs, and values. With that being said, I invite individuals that are curious about my specialties and therapeutic approach to schedule a complimentary consultation with me. It is only by hearing the specifics of a case that I can affirm my level of understanding, as well as my level of competency to support the individual through their struggles.