Seattle Anxiety Therapy
Anchor Light Therapy Collective is your compassionate partner on the journey to overcoming anxiety. In the heart of Seattle, we specialize in providing personalized and effective therapy services to individuals grappling with various forms of anxiety. Our team of dedicated therapists is committed to creating a supportive and safe environment where you can explore, understand, and heal. We believe in a holistic approach to mental health, combining evidence-based treatments with a deep understanding of individual experiences. We’re here to help you find your anchor in the stormy seas of anxiety and guide you toward a calmer, more fulfilling life.
Our Anxiety Therapists
Intern Therapists
Learn about discounted therapy options offered by our Graduate Intern Therapists
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a natural and common response to perceived threats or stressful situations, characterized by feelings of worry, nervousness, or unease, often about an immediate event or something uncertain. It is a biological warning system that alerts us to potential dangers and prepares our bodies to react, often called the “fight or flight” response.
Anxiety disorders and anxiety symptoms
While fleeting experiences of anxiety are a normal biological reaction, anxiety disorders are characterized by excessive and persistent worry, fear, or nervousness. These disorders can significantly impact our Seattle clients’ daily functioning and quality of life. Here are the primary types of anxiety disorders:
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Involves chronic, exaggerated worry and tension about everyday events for no apparent reason. Individuals with GAD anticipate disaster and are overly concerned about things like their health, money, family, work, or other issues.
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Panic Disorder: Involves repeated episodes of sudden intense anxiety, fear, or terror that reach a peak within minutes, also known as panic attacks, that usually involve symptoms such as chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress.
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Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia): People with this disorder are overly concerned about being judged or scrutinized by others in social or performance situations, including significant anxiety about being embarrassed, humiliated, rejected, or looked down upon in social interactions.
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A type of anxiety disorder arising from exposure to traumatic events marked by symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts about the event.
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Specific Phobias: Characterized by significant fear or anxiety about particular objects or situations, such as flying, heights, animals, receiving an injection, or seeing blood out of proportion to the actual danger posed.
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Agoraphobia: Intense fear or anxiety triggered by actual or anticipated exposure to situations such as using public transportation, being in open or enclosed spaces, standing in line, or being in a crowd.
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Separation Anxiety Disorder: Characterized by excessive fear or anxiety about separation from those to whom the individual is attached.
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Selective Mutism: A complex childhood anxiety disorder characterized by a child’s inability to speak and communicate effectively in certain social settings while speaking in others.
Types of treatment we use to relieve your anxiety
Our Seattle anxiety therapy offers personalized care and evidence-based treatments tailored to the needs of each client. Understanding your personal anxiety experience or the specific type of anxiety disorder you’re suffering from is the first part of the healing process and crucial in devising an effective treatment plan. Once we have a clear understanding of your situation, here are the types of treatment your therapist could suggest to treat and manage anxiety:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is one of the most widely used and effective treatments for anxiety disorders. It focuses on identifying, understanding, and changing thinking and behavior patterns. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps individuals challenge and replace irrational beliefs and negative thought patterns with more realistic and positive ones, thereby reducing anxious symptoms.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy technique that helps individuals process and integrate traumatic memories, which are often at the root of anxiety disorders. Through bilateral stimulation, such as side-to-side eye movements, EMDR reduces the emotional impact of these memories, thereby alleviating anxiety symptoms. This therapy is particularly effective for those whose anxiety is linked to past traumatic experiences and are seeking trauma-informed counseling.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
This therapy combines mindfulness meditation and yoga to help individuals focus on the present moment, enabling them to become more aware of their anxious feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations in a nonjudgmental way. This can be particularly helpful in managing the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT helps individuals accept their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them. It emphasizes mindfulness and behavioral changes aligned with personal values and goals, fostering a more flexible and accepting approach to challenging emotions.
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy involves guiding individuals into a deeply relaxed state, where they are more open to suggestions and exploration of subconscious thoughts and feelings. This technique can help identify and modify underlying thought patterns and beliefs that contribute to anxiety. Through hypnotherapy, individuals can learn to control their anxiety responses and develop healthier coping mechanisms, leading to a reduction in overall anxiety levels.
We take an individualized approach to your anxiety therapy
Our anxiety therapy is not a one-size-fits-all approach. We find that each client responds to different approaches better than others, so we are committed to offering a variety of modalities and staying current on the most effective interventions. It is impossible to avoid all stress, but you do not need to feel anxious all the time. Every session is individualized to your needs because nobody benefits from a cookie-cutter approach to therapy. We will focus on the strategies that best apply to your situation. And when something does not work, we toss it out and try something new.
Our goal goes beyond treating anxiety symptoms; we want you to leave with a stronger sense of preparation and self-confidence in your ability to tackle life’s challenges. The tools and skills you learn will be available to help you well beyond the end of our time together.
Anxiety Therapy pricing
Therapy creates a space for you to experience healing and progress in a way that can change your life. But of course, it’s also an investment of time and finances. When you’re ready to commit to healing and transformation, here is what you can expect.
Standard individual session
(50 minutes) $190
Insurance
We do not participate with any insurance panels. Anchor Light Therapy Collective is considered an out-of-network provider.
As a courtesy to any individual clients who wish to utilize their insurance benefits, We are happy to verify your out-of-network plan benefits to tell you what portion, if any, may be covered by your health insurance provider.
Anxiety therapy FAQs
Can you treat social anxiety?
Yes. Social Anxiety treatments depend upon the individual and the severity of the symptoms. Physical issues or diseases may contribute to the development or worsening of symptoms.
Counseling, such as Group Therapy or Talk Therapy, is usually the first step in the treatment of social anxiety. Behavioral therapies are the most common way to treat Social Anxiety Disorder because they teach one how to think, behave, and react differently to stress-inducing situations.
How long does it take to treat anxiety disorders?
Therapy is an investment in your well-being. Much like exercise, seeing the best results takes a bit of effort. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. The goal is to help you achieve results and see progress.
However, we all have varied life experiences. Some can be addressed with a short-term intervention, while some require longer-term therapy. On average, most clients see an anxiety/stress therapist for 10-15 sessions.
What’s the difference between anxiety support groups vs. individual counseling?
Support groups for anxiety in Seattle can be beneficial as they go over valuable tools and skills to help people deal with stress and anxiety. The difference between a group setting and individual counseling/therapy for anxiety or stress is that individual sessions are personalized and move at your pace vs the group’s pace. Treatment is personalized.
Is stress management counseling different than stress counseling?
An effective stress management plan includes stress counseling. We can help you identify and manage life stressors using a variety of counseling interventions that will support you in reaching your stress management goals.