Can counselling help with anxiety?

Yes. Counselling and therapy can be highly effective ways of overcoming anxious thought patterns and physical symptoms. Professional support can make a significant difference to how you manage anxiety in everyday life.

What happens in a first therapy session for anxiety?

Your first session is a chance to get to know your therapist and for them to understand what has brought you to counselling. Your therapist will ask how you have been feeling, what has been going on recently, and what your therapy goals are. Therapists work to make clients feel as comfortable as possible and will always move at a pace you feel comfortable with.

Do I Have Anxiety Quiz: Our Counsellors' Guide

Q: What is the difference between anxiety and stress?

Anxiety and stress are not the same, although they can feel similar and often overlap. Stress is usually a response to a specific, identifiable pressure or situation. Anxiety can occur without an obvious trigger and may feel disproportionate to the situation or continue even after the source of stress has passed. While everyone experiences stress from time to time, anxiety can become more persistent, overwhelming or disruptive to everyday life.

Do I Have Anxiety?

Anxiety shows up differently in everyone. For some, it’s a background hum of worry, making daily tasks that little bit harder to manage. Or maybe it’s a voice in your head, critiquing every. thing. you. do. For others, physical symptoms like a racing heart beat, rapid breathing, sweats or shakes can appear when anxiety arises. These are all symptoms of anxiety and can make life feel challenging. Though only a GP, psychologist or psychiatrist can diagnose an anxiety disorder, if you’re wondering if what you’re feeling could be anxiety, this quiz is a great place to start.

Do I Have Anxiety? Our Quiz

Trudy Jacobsen

Trudy Jacobsen is a highly experienced counsellor with over 20 years of experience supporting individuals and couples with her warm, grounded and outcome-driven approach. She is available for new clients for in-person appointments in Booval, Brisbane as well as online video appointments.

https://lifesupportscounselling.com.au/counsellors/trudy-jacobsen/

Master of Social Work
Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)
Member of the AASW

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Email Us Call 1300 735 030

Open 8am to 8pm weekdays and 9am to 5:30pm weekends

Not Sure What Your Results Mean?

Wherever you landed, this quiz can't diagnose anxiety, only a GP, psychologist or psychiatrist can do that. But it can be a useful prompt to check in with yourself, whether things feel manageable right now or genuinely overwhelming.

How Anxiety Counselling Can Help

Anxiety is part of the body’s natural fight-or-flight response, designed to protect us from perceived danger - but sometimes that response can be triggered by situations that aren’t actually dangerous (meeting new people or public speaking, for example, which can feel terrifying to people with varying degrees of anxiety).

If you’re living with anxiety and are finding it’s disrupting your enjoyment of life, a counsellor can help you understand what is driving your symptoms, and work with you to build some helpful tools to reach for when experiencing symptoms. Whether that means spotting triggers before they arise, or calming the body when it’s in overdrive, there are many helpful strategies we can work on to make life feel easier to manage.

At Life Supports, we’ll match you with a therapist or counsellor best suited to your needs and preferences, helping you to live a more fulfilling life. If you’d like to organise a time to chat, call 1300 735 030 or leave us an email via our contact page.

FAQs

No, anxiety and stress aren’t the same, although they can feel similar and often overlap. Stress is usually a response to a specific, identifiable pressure or situation, such as work, relationships or a major life change. Anxiety can occur without an obvious trigger and may feel disproportionate to the situation or continue even after the source of stress has passed. While everyone experiences stress from time to time, anxiety can become more persistent, overwhelming or disruptive to everyday life.

If your anxiety symptoms are making it hard to manage the everyday stressors of life, your anxiety is likely to benefit from professional support. While everyone feels stress from time to time, not everyone experiences debilitating symptoms of anxiety. You don’t need to just grit your teeth and bear it; counselling and therapy can be highly effective ways of overcoming these thought patterns and physical symptoms.

Yes. Anxiety can cause a wide range of physical symptoms, including an elevated heart rate, increased blood pressure, sweating, shaking, muscle tension and changes in breathing. These symptoms can feel overwhelming and make everyday life challenging, but fortunately, they can often be managed and significantly improved with the right support and therapy.

Your first session is a chance to get to know your therapist and for your therapist to get to know you, and understand what has brought you to counselling. Your therapist will ask how you’ve been feeling, what has been going on for you recently, as well as your therapy goals. This initial session will help the therapist understand your situation a little more clearly, so they can plan a path forward. We know the initial session can feel daunting, but our therapists make clients feel as comfortable as possible and will always move at the pace you feel comfortable with.

Do I Have Anxiety? Our Quiz and Thoughts