What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health conditions in Canada. One out of four Canadian adults will develop an anxiety disorder at some point in their lifetime. Included in the list of anxiety disorders are: generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, health anxiety, emetophobia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and specific phobias.
How Can CBT Help Me With Anxiety?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a structured, short-term (12 – 20 sessions) therapy. It is often recommended as a first-line treatment for anxiety. CBT focuses on the relationship between thoughts, behaviours and feelings and the roles they play in anxiety. In CBT, the goal is to have accurate, rational thoughts and behaviours.
If you choose to participate in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy you will be learning and practicing specific skills aimed at identifying and challenging unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. This therapy will provide a new way of understanding your anxiety. CBT will teach you skills and strategies to help reduce your symptoms. These skills/strategies, if practised, can be useful long after therapy is over. In a sense, CBT teaches you to be your own therapist.
Each therapy session will be 50 – 60 minutes in length. Because CBT is a structured form of therapy, it will be the therapist’s responsibility to keep the sessions on track in terms of staying on topic. However, it is also important to understand that CBT is a collaborative problem-solving approach, meaning that you will be working with the therapist to set goals. During therapy you may experience a temporary increase in feelings of anxiety. While this is normal, you should feel free to discuss any concerns you have with the therapist.
Homework is an important part of CBT. Each week you will learn specific skills that you will need to practise between sessions. You will work with the therapist to determine your homework for the following session. Research suggests that individuals who complete their CBT homework are more likely to benefit from the therapy.
How Much Will CBT Sessions Cost?
All clients must attend a consult appointment prior to therapy to determine if CBT is right for you. The consult is $75. The session fee for individual therapy is $100.