© Westside Therapy Collective, LLC
Anxiety can present itself in a few different forms. Initially, I describe anxiety as negative, persistent, and emotionally-charged thoughts that affect our feelings and behaviors. Some of these thoughts might sound like:
“I am not good enough.”
“I always screw everything up.”
“Why are you such an idiot?”
“My life is worthless.”
These negative and persistent thoughts are very taxing on our emotional health. Just imagine, how would your mood be different if these thoughts decreased? I strive to help my clients challenge and provide evidence against these negative thoughts through techniques drawing from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
CBT is the most commonly used modality to treat anxiety disorders. It has been proven to be extremely effective and empowers the client to take control of their anxiety-provoking thought patterns. However, like most therapy models, CBT is only effective if the client puts in the work. CBT asks the client to take an in-depth look at where their negative thoughts originated from, how those thoughts affect their emotions, and how those emotions shape their behaviors.
In our sessions, I will spend time with you as we start to understand where the anxious thoughts originated from. Oftentimes they originate from past traumatic experiences, life stressors, or other life experiences. Once we find the source, it can help us understand how maladaptive that narrative or thought is. After we pinpoint how or where our anxious thoughts originated, we can tailor a treatment plan using CBT techniques. Clients can expect to see noticeable changes within the first month of CBT treatment.