Most of the women I work with struggle with some level of anxiety whether they realize it yet or not. These women like to be prepared for any situation. If you relate to having anxiety you are probably the one studying menus online before going to a restaurant, looking up the address to a job interview well in advance so you know how to get there, and looking over all your assignments for the semester on your first day of class. Maybe that’s not you to a T but I do know you like to be prepared. If you’re going to start anxiety treatment you want to know what to expect and what it will be like. I’m here to give you a heads-up of what you can expect from the process so you aren’t caught off guard.
What is anxiety therapy?
You and I can talk about anything in these sessions. In fact, it’s pretty common to come into therapy and think we will only be focusing on anxiety but it ends up being directed at your relationships, past experiences, and beliefs about yourself. During your first session, I want to be able to get to know you and what you are struggling with. I will probably ask you a lot of questions about yourself and your anxiety. Looking at your history with anxiety is important in knowing how to treat it and help you get feeling better. A balance of helping you learn to cope with your anxiety, identify triggers, and what makes anxiety worse along with digging deep into your life experiences that may have contributed to your developing anxiety is important. Anxiety is often a symptom of something else. Yes, some of us are wired to be a bit more anxious than others because that’s part of our temperaments but when anxiety feels unmanageable, there’s more to it than we think. There are sessions where you may want to focus on something different entirely, and that’s great! We don’t only have to talk about your anxiety because there are other parts to you besides your anxiety, and this is something I want to help you understand in anxiety therapy.
Does anxiety therapy even help?
The goal for me as an anxiety therapist is to help my clients find relief from their anxiety and be able to function in their lives much better than they used to. I definitely wouldn’t be offering anxiety therapy if there wasn’t a wide range of evidence-based practices that work to improve anxiety. It absolutely does and will work but it’s also important to recognize some important aspects of anxiety treatment. It takes practicing the coping skills and approaches we talk about in our sessions outside of sessions. Finding relief from anxiety requires effort and work and the more you work for it the more results you will get. It’s also important to note that we can never make anxiety go away forever. You will feel anxiety again in your life no matter how much therapy you go to but the hope is that it will have much less power over you, won’t last as long, and you will be better able to cope with it when it happens. Anxiety treatment absolutely helps.
Will you ask me to take anxiety medication?
I am pretty neutral when it comes to whether my clients take medication for the most part. If you are against taking medication, I’m not here to force you to take it. I respect and want what you want. Medication can be a helpful tool and can help people get to a better place mentally. It doesn’t mean you have to take it. If I see you are struggling and feeling overwhelmed in the process, we might talk about medication as one of the tools to use in dealing with anxiety but whether you want to utilize it or not is totally up to you.
Online Anxiety Therapy in Utah
I love doing anxiety therapy through online therapy in Utah. People worry that if therapy is online that it’s not as effective as in-person therapy, but that’s a big fat myth. I was doing online therapy before the pandemic started, where it was common practice, and it’s always been effective. I love it for those that struggle with anxiety because they are often more comfortable in their own house. They don’t have to worry about finding my office or how they should dress etc. I want my clients to be as comfortable as possible doing therapy. If you are hesitant about going to therapy and have been putting it off, you should try online therapy. It’s just as good for anxiety treatment, I pinky promise.
Online counseling also means that wherever you are located in Utah, I am able to work with you. I work with clients in Logan, Salt Lake City, Heber, St. George, Cedar City, and more.
Start anxiety treatment near Provo, Utah
I promise you don’t have to feel anxious and overwhelmed constantly. You might not know anything different, but this Northern Utah counseling practice has an anxiety therapist specializing in treating anxiety that can help you. To begin therapy, follow these steps:
Complete online forms and schedule the first appointment with a therapist for anxiety
Begin anxiety therapy!
Other mental health services are provided near Provo, Utah
Anxiety therapy isn’t the only counseling service this Utah County counseling clinic provides. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include birth trauma therapy, body image therapy, trauma therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, and eating disorder therapy in Utah.
About the Author
Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker and owner of Maple Canyon Therapy near Provo, Utah. Ashlee has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a bachelor’s degree in family life and human development from Southern Utah University. She received her masters in social work from Utah State University. Ashlee has worked with women with anxiety in various treatment settings but loves working with women on an outpatient basis. She treats women with social anxiety, performance anxiety, dating anxiety, and high-functioning anxiety. When Ashlee isn’t doing therapy, she enjoys summers at Splash Summit Water Park in Provo.