THERAPY FOR ANXIETY, PANIC + OCD

Feel like it’s too much, too fast, all the time? Is your mind stuck in an endless loop of worry and contant thoughts?

Anxiety can keep you stuck in a loop of endless worry and "what ifs." We can help.

You have a lot to worry about as a busy and successful person. But you can’t ever seem to relax and recover on the weekends.

You’re not sure if you’re experiencing typical stress, or if your symptoms mean there is something more serious.

ANXIETY DISORDERS ARE THE MOST COMMON MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE AMONG ADULT ENTREPRENEURS AND EXECUTIVES.

What’s in this Anxiety Therapy Article?

Click the link in the list below to jump to the section you’d like to see.

Signs of Anxiety

To some extent, a little anxiety is normal in certain situations. In, fact, it can actually be beneficial in protecting you from harm and can motivate you.

Yet, when it interferes with your ability to function, it’s a sign that you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder. Anxiety can be difficult to manage without appropriate therapeutic interventions. And, if left untreated, your anxiety can spiral out of control. For some, anxiety can affect your health and overall well-being. At Momentum Psychology, our anxiety therapists help you gain the skills to manage your anxiety successfully.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STRESS & ANXIETY

In general, stress is a person’s nervous system response to an external cause or event. A stress response typically includes an internal response to the signs and symptoms of stress. And that causes a physical reaction. These reactions might include things like a raised heart rate, trouble breathing, or sweaty palms.

Some examples of events that cause stress include:

a tight deadline at work,
a stressful email from a supervisor
an argument with your partner

A stress response can also be generated when we perform. Think of activities like preparing for a marathon, riding our bike down a trail, or playing a video game. In those situations, some level of stress is necessary to be activated enough to perform.

Your reactions to these events should subside as soon as the situation has been resolved. Also, things like deep breathing, or exercise can help you move through typical stress reactions.

Managing stress is all about completing the cycle. If stress becomes persistent or chronic, and there’s no relief, it can lead to professional burnout.

Anxiety, on the other hand, leaves you with a persistent feeling of dread.

Like stress, anxiety includes an internal response to your environment. However, unlike stress, anxiety continues after the stressor or threat has passed. It creates a “persistent feeling of apprehension or dread.” Even in situations that are not actually threatening.

Anxiety keeps you focused on your possible future. It constantly pulls you out of the present moment. And the present moment is the only place you can truly act in your life.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorder in the U.S. In fact, 40 million American adults have an anxiety disorder.

TYPES OF ANXIETY DISORDERS

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Excessive worry and anxiety about a variety of things. These things may include worrying about personal matters, health, work, social interactions, etc.

Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior Problems

Impulse control problems cause a person to compulsively damage their physical appearance. It may also cause physical injury. This includes trichotillomania or hair pulling, skin picking, etc.

Panic Disorder

Recurrent unexpected panic attacks that can occur unexpectedly. or they can be triggered by something.

Phobias

An intense fear or aversion to specific objects or situations that is out of proportion to the actual threat or danger.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Recurrent, unwanted thoughts, ideas, or sensations (obsessions) that make a person feel driven to do something repetitively. These are compulsions and include things like hand washing, etc.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Fearing social interactions and avoiding situations where people may judge, evaluate, or humiliate you. Performance anxiety is a specific type of social anxiety disorder that occurs in performance situations like public speaking.

Health Anxiety or Illness Anxiety Disorder

Excessive worry and anxiety that you are or may become seriously ill. This type of anxiety has become extremely common in healthcare workers. That includes physicians, pharmacists, dentists, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, therapists, and others since COVID-19.

OUT OF 40 MILLION ADULTS SUFFERING FROM ANXIETY,

ONLY 36.9% RECEIVE TREATMENT.

COMMON ANXIETY SYMPTOMS

If any of these anxiety symptoms sound familiar, you may have an anxiety disorder:

Panic attacks
Excessive worry
Rumination (worrying about things for long periods of time)
Avoiding tasks or activities that could cause failure, rejection, or embarrassment
Avoidance of social situations
Perfectionism and hyperfocus
Needing constant reassurance
Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
Picking or pulling hair, skin, or cuticles

Performance anxiety or fears judgement by others
Excessive fear about personal health and safety of self or others
Lack of self-confidence
Intense fears of certain objects or situations (e.g., spiders, needles, going to the doctor, or being sick)
Unwanted or intrusive thoughts
Repetitive behaviors such as hand-washing, counting objects, etc.
Tics like frequent head jerking, winking, shoulder shrugging, throat clearing
Social isolation due to fears about what other people think

CURRENT RESEARCH SHOWS ANXIETY THERAPY IS GENERALLY MORE EFFECTIVE IN TREATING MOST ANXIETY DISORDERS THAN MEDICATION.

HOW CAN ONLINE ANXIETY THERAPY IN HELP?

According to the APA, cognitive-behavioral therapy and medications are both helpful in treating anxiety disorders. But, research generally shows that psychotherapy is more effective than medicine to treat anxiety.

Anxiety can be a learned behavior.

This may be because anxiety is often a learned behavior. But, the good news is, anything that has been learned can be unlearned with the right approach and context. As human beings, most of us would rather avoid discomfort. This is our evolutionary default, and it makes sense of course. And, part of overcoming anxiety is learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Overcoming your problems with anxiety IS possible. You can learn tools and strategies to cope with your anxiety. These tools allow you to overcome fears that have been holding you back from living the life you want.

SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF ONLINE ANXIETY THERAPY INCLUDE:

Learning how to handle difficult thoughts and feelings effectively and strategically
Leveraging your stress response to pivot toward meaningful action
Practicing techniques to handle your mind instead of letting it handle you
Troubleshoot and break self-destructive habits
Increase your sense of confidence and competence
Improving your attention and focus. This lets you target what matters most to you and push through those worries we all have
Encouragement to pursue activities, hobbies, situations, and/or relationships you’ve always wanted, but avoided due to anxiety

Our Approach to Therapy for Anxiety, panic, and ocd for executives and entrepreneurs

Our therapists have helped many highly successful and high-achieving students and professionals overcome anxiety. We use effective treatments that can be more effective than medication alone.

Specifically, our anxiety therapists use evidence-based treatments. Our treatments include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a more recently developed form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

Our anxiety therapists also use behavioral techniques such as exposure and response prevention (ERP). Habit reversal training (HRT) is frequently used for body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) and tic disorders.

Work with Your Anxiety Therapist to Determine Your Best Treatment Option

Licensed therapists have years of education and training in behavioral science. And now they use approaches with high-performing adults, struggling with anxiety all over the United States. Your anxiety therapist will evaluate your specific situation. Then, together, we decide on the therapeutic approach that works best for you.

Our therapists will help you:

Understand and befriend your autonomic nervous system and your stress response
Learn practical tools to begin finding relief for anxiety, panic, and OCD
Identify direct and indirect antecedents, triggers, or cues for your fear or stress response
Learn how to create and sustain values-driven behavior change with meaning and purpose

Ultimately, our hope is that you will be able to manage your issues with anxiety. This will allow you to be more present in your day-to-day life. And that means, you can do more of what matters to you!

Ready to regain control of your life? Begin Online Anxiety Therapy Today!

In today’s fast-paced and demanding world, experiencing some level of anxiety is to be expected. However, when anxiety becomes a constant presence, negatively impacting your ability to function, you can reach out for help. Our team of skilled Anxiety Therapists at Momentum Psychology is here to help you overcome your anxiety. And we will work towards reaching your full potential professionally and personally. We utilize evidence-based treatment methods that include ACT, DBT, CBT, and Trauma-Informed Practices.

We currently offer online Therapy for Anxiety in North Carolina and all PSYPACT states including, but not limited to North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, and Georgia.

Are you ready to take control of your anxiety and your life? Do you want to build Momentum moving forward to a bright future, follow the steps below to get started.

Get to know more about our skilled team of anxiety therapists here.
Fill out our convenient online contact form.
Schedule an intake appointment with our available anxiety therapists.
Begin the journey to regaining control of your life

OTHER THERAPY SERVICES OFFERED BY MOMENTUM PSYCHOLOGY

As an online or virtual therapy practice, our mission is to offer various online therapy services to help you focus on your needs. We take the stress out of getting your desired treatment with our flexible, convenient, and easy-to-use therapy and assessment services. We offer online therapy in several states, including North Carolina, Alabama, Colorado, Washington DC, Georgia, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Utah, and all PSYPACT states.

We specialize in working with high-performing professionals, executives, lawyers, entrepreneurs, physicians, healthcare professionals, creatives, athletes, and students (college, graduate, and professional programs). We will soon be offering for high-achieving teens who want and are a good fit for online or virtual therapy. Our therapists are all doctoral-level psychologists. Depending on the therapist you see, we can offer help with stress and burnout, anxiety, trauma and PTSD, ADHD, and depression, as well as vicarious trauma, life transitions, and relationship problems. Learn more about the cost of online therapy on our investment page. Getting the best therapist for your needs no matter where you live and being able to fit it into your busy schedule might be the secret. Online therapy may be the answer you’ve been looking for!

We use evidence-based treatment methods, including ACT, DBT, RO-DBT, CBT, ERP, and trauma-informed therapies.

Please contact our office and request an appointment to learn about the many ways we can help you thrive and be successful in work and life, and hopefully, all around.

Who Do We Serve?

We work with high-achieving individuals including lawyers, entrepreneurs, students, and parents of high-achieving or anxious teens.

What Services Do We Offer?

stress and burnout therapy,
trauma and loss therapy,
ADHD therapy,
depression therapy,
and life transitions therapy.

We also offer SPACE, Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions. Our goal is to help you find success both professionally and personally so you can gain momentum to excel in a bright future.

RESOURCES OFFERED BY MOMENTUM PSYCHOLOGY IN NORTH CAROLINA

→ Anxiety Therapist Resource: Anxiety can lead to burnout. Read here about the 7 Strategies to Slay Stress and Banish Burnout

For more free resources please check out the rest of our blog and other resources including books, apps, talks, and recent press.

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ANXIETY THERAPY TESTIMONIALS

“After a lifetime of therapy, I have life-altering breakthroughs with Dr. Jan Newman. She has taught me to be aware of my thoughts, calm myself, understand and lead a values-based life and set boundaries with others. Often people have counseling and still have to negotiate daily with others who will not go to counseling or improve. I have learned from her how to change myself and my responses to move the ball down the field with these folks in correlation with my value system. This way, I have achieved more agency and feel calmer and in control. Now people notice this change in me and ask how I do it. Just yesterday, two people acknowledged the changes they see in me with admiration. She is a caring and special person who is committed to her clients and goes beyond the call of duty. . . She is a mind ninja.”

— CLIENT, CHARLOTTE, NC

“We are so grateful to Dr. Jan Newman for teaching our entire family how to manage our daughter’s anxiety. Our daughter previously worked with another therapist for a year but failed to make consistent progress. We were considering taking her to a psychiatrist but decided to try Dr. Jan Newman instead. Dr. Jan helped our daughter set and achieve specific goals related to her anxiety. She taught our daughter how to confront her fears and, most importantly, taught us as parents how to support our daughter without feeding her anxiety. Our daughter is developing greater independence and confidence thanks to Dr. Jan.”

– PARENT, CHARLOTTE, NC

(Parents involved in the SPACE program and children involved in individual therapy for anxiety and phobias)

References

American Psychological Association, Guidelines for Treatment of PTSD and Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety Disorders Association of America, Treating Anxiety