Relief from Anxiety and Depression
Counseling in Delray Beach, Florida
If you are suffering from anxiety:
Intense fear, terror, panic, or dread may leave you feeling physically and emotionally drained to the point where even normal activities may be avoided or curtailed, but you don’t have to live in this state of dread and misery forever.
You may experience a number of distressing or debilitating symptoms including, but not limited to, tightness in the chest, racing heart, difficulty breathing, trembling hands or limbs, racing thoughts or being in a mental fog, or feeling detached from your body. You may have obsessive thoughts and excessive worry, and self-medicate or engage in other behaviors to calm your nerves.
Feeling anxious and depressed at times is normal. The loss of a loved one, getting terminated from a job, breakups, divorces, or other trying circumstances can invoke feelings of sadness, fear, loneliness, or anxiety. While these feelings can be normal reactions to life stressors when they occur on a daily basis for a long period of time they can interfere with normal, everyday functioning.
Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is one of the most researched and effective treatments for anxiety disorders. It is based on the premise that if you are afraid of something, you must face that fear in order to learn that you can handle it. Avoiding what you fear maintains or increases your anxiety and often generalizes to other situations which lead to new fears, anxieties, and avoidance.
Exposure and Response Prevention is based on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The concept behind CBT is that there are three contributing factors: the way you think, the way you feel, and the way you behave. While many therapies will focus “only on the way you think and feel,” with Exposure and Response Prevention the behavior becomes the main focus when it comes to an anxiety disorder because behavioral change is the true and most meaningful measure of whether or not a person is still anxious. It is through learning how to face your fears and practicing in real-life situations that your anxiety decreases and can eventually extinguish altogether.
In light of the concerns that have come from the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, The Counseling Center for Growth & Recovery offers remote video counseling or teletherapy for those who may be feeling ill or practicing Social Distancing. To schedule your first online counseling session, please call 561-404-1482 and we will be ready to assist you.
If you’re suffering from sadness or depression
You may find it difficult to find joy, meaning, and purpose in your life. You may feel alone or alienated from friends or family, or lacking in social connections. You may want to sleep for long periods of time or have great difficulty with sleep. You may overeat or have a loss of appetite. You may have difficulty concentrating or remembering things. You may go out of your way to avoid the outside world as much as possible and engage in self-medication or other behaviors to deal with the pain of living.
Read about why we find it hard to ask for help when suffering from depression.
As a therapist in Delray Beach, FL, my private counseling practice has over 25 years of experience helping clients break free from anxiety, sadness, or depression to live a happier, fuller, and more meaningful life.
Together, we will create a plan of care that most effectively addresses your specific needs and goals through time-tested treatments including, but not limited to:
- Interpersonal therapy focuses on one’s relationships
- Cognitive and behavioral therapies addressing thought patterns and behaviors that lead to distress
- Psychodynamic approaches which examine historical factors sustaining unhelpful emotions, behaviors, and poor coping
- Systematic desensitization, mindfulness, and meditative techniques for improved emotional regulation, mind-body integration, and stress relief