What Kind of Therapist Do I Need for Anxiety Relief?
Tightness in your chest, an upset stomach, nervousness, and restlessness. These can all be how anxiety manifests in your body.
And when you can’t find relief from your symptoms, therapy could be beneficial.
But in the pursuit to find the proper support in the battle against anxiety, the question often arises: what type of therapist do you need for anxiety relief? This is an excellent question because there are multiple routes you could take if you struggle with chronic anxiety.
First, let’s look at some of the symptoms that may warrant seeking support from a therapist.
Understanding Chronic Anxiety and Its Impacts
Some of the unrelenting signs and symptoms of anxiety could include persistent worry or fear, irritability, feeling on edge, or difficulty concentrating. When you cannot go about your day and fulfill your tasks, it’s time to seek help.
Types of Therapists and Their Specialties
Typically, when you struggle with chronic anxiety, you will want some combination of talk therapy paired with medication.
Here are the different types of therapists and how they would support you in getting anxiety relief:
Psychologists
A psychologist generally can’t prescribe anything, but this varies from state to state. In general, a psychologist can help you through talk therapy, creating coping mechanisms and addressing avoidance behaviors. The services they provide are similar to those of a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Professional Counselor.
Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW)
Licensed Clinical Social Workers can help you address your anxiety through talk therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (which is a type of talk therapy) while addressing any avoidance behaviors that could be triggering your anxiety.
Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC)
Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) have similar certification as LCSWs and psychologists in that they provide talk therapy, utilizing different modalities to help you overcome anxious thoughts and patterns. In many instances, LPCs can draw awareness to the root of your anxiety. Like both the LPC, LCSW, and Psychologist, they are unable to prescribe medicine.
Psychiatrists
Psychiatrists can prescribe medicine. However, they don’t always provide talk therapy. Usually, a combination of a psychiatrist and the therapists above will help you address all the variables affecting your anxiety.
Another factor that will help you decide which therapist to use will be the modality each therapist uses. Some specialize in specific modalities while others don’t. Deciding which modality you prefer will help you narrow down which therapist will be the best for your anxiety relief. Next, we will explore the different modalities and how that ties into choosing a therapist who will help you find anxiety relief.
Exploring Different Types of Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a type of talk therapy that helps you change unhelpful behaviors or thought patterns. It can help address anxiety and chronic worry.
Exposure Therapy
Suppose you struggle with anxiety due to certain parts of your life, like social outings and the like. In that case, exposure therapy might be the best approach for you, as a therapist will accompany you as you slowly expose yourself to what is causing you anxiety, like social situations, school, and more. Exposure therapy is a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, as it helps address negative patterns by slowing exposure to the trigger. However, exposure therapy typically doesn’t consist solely of talk therapy like cognitive behavioral therapy.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness-based therapy is talk therapy intended to bring awareness to emotions, thoughts, and feelings. It is different than CBT as the intent is to bring awareness to what you might be feeling in your body when you get anxiety. This could work for anxiety; however, if you are already aware that anxiety is causing issues for you, CBT may be a better modality for you to find anxiety relief.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
This mindfulness-based therapy helps people become aware of their thoughts and feelings and then accept them. While this allows for anxiety, if you suffer from chronic anxiety, CBT may be a better modality to find anxiety relief.
Identifying Your Needs
Everyone’s needs are different when it comes to finding anxiety relief. Before seeking a therapist, try to determine your therapy goals.
Here are a couple of questions that could help clarify your goals:
How does your anxiety negatively affect your life, and how do you want that to change?
If anxiety didn’t rule your life, what would be different?
What would change in your life if you didn’t have anxiety?
Resources for Finding the Right Therapist
Once you’ve clarified what you want out of therapy and the modality you may want to focus on, it’s time to start finding some candidates to be your therapist.
There are a lot of resources out there, but these tend to be the best:
Online Directories like Psychology Today will show you the therapists in your area.
Recommendations from healthcare providers will connect you to in-network therapists covered by your insurance.
Community Mental Health Centers are a great resource if proximity is essential.
Questions to Ask When Choosing a Therapist
Choosing a therapist can feel overwhelming. There are so many options. One look at Psychology Today might have you second-guess any choice you make.
So, what questions should you ask in a free consultation with a therapist?
Do you have experience with anxiety disorders?
What therapeutic approaches and techniques do you use?
What’s your availability and price per session?
Do you take insurance?
Do you do Telehealth or in-person therapy?
Can you help me achieve my goals?
Financial Considerations
Not all therapists accept insurance. If you want to use insurance, this will be a primary consideration when looking for a therapist. Insurance can be restrictive in your treatment as it requires the therapist to diagnose you. Many therapists today don’t use insurance because it restricts treatment and centers around diagnoses instead of treatment.
If the therapist doesn’t accept your insurance, inquire about sliding scales. Many therapists will take clients on a sliding scale, meaning they will reduce session costs if there is a financial need.
The Next Steps in Your Journey
Set up free consultations with a handful of therapists. Pick your favorite 5 and try to do a consultation with them. Ask all of your questions and narrow down the best fits. Your therapist must make you feel comfortable. Trust your gut and eliminate any therapist who, beyond credentials, doesn’t feel right.