CBT for anxiety, worry and panic

How anxiety can take hold

• Worry moves rapidly from one subject to another and is difficult to set aside.
• Physical sensations are interpreted as signs that something dangerous is about to happen.
• Places, conversations or responsibilities are avoided to reduce anxiety in the short term.
• Reassurance, checking or careful preparation bring relief, but the doubt soon returns.

How CBT approaches anxiety

CBT helps build a shared picture of the thoughts, feelings, physical responses and actions that keep a particular anxiety cycle going. The aim is not to eliminate every anxious feeling. It is to develop a different relationship with uncertainty and test practical ways of responding.

Depending on the difficulty, this may include gradually approaching situations that have been avoided, reconsidering predictions, reducing unhelpful checking or reassurance, and learning what happens when a familiar safety behaviour changes. Any work is agreed together and paced around your circumstances.

What we would consider together

An assessment explores the situations that trigger anxiety, how it affects your life, what you have already tried and what you hope will change. We can then discuss a possible CBT formulation and whether online work feels safe, useful and manageable.