Anxiety Treatment Melbourne
Professional support for anxiety
Anxiety can be exhausting. The constant “what ifs”, racing thoughts at 2 am, and the way your body reacts before social situations, big events or decisions.
Perhaps these are symptoms you’ve been experiencing, or maybe it’s something you have managed for years, telling yourself “it’s just the way you are” – but it doesn’t have to be.
At Hargan Psychology, our psychologists in Melbourne work with adults, teenagers, and children to understand the underlying driver behind their anxiety. The team helps you work out what’s going on and develop ways to manage these symptoms day to day.
Whether you’re dealing with generalised anxiety, social anxiety, panic attacks, or something else, we’re here to help.
What does anxiety actually feel like?
Anxiety can show up in different ways for everyone. For some, it hangs around as a background noise worry that never quite switches off. For others, it can be sudden and often overwhelming, for example, in the form of a panic attack that comes out of nowhere.
You might recognise some of these:
- Worrying about things you can’t control, when you know that doesn’t help!
- Avoiding situations that may trigger anxiety such as social events, crowded places, phone calls, responding to messages or engaging in new experiences
- The constant feeling of being on edge, or restlessness for no reason
- Physical symptoms you may feel: a racing heart, chest tightness, difficulty breathing
- Waking up at random times of the night
- Struggling to get to sleep at all because your mind is racing around
- Replaying conversations you’ve had
- Worrying about what people thought of you after a certain engagement
If any of that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), more than one in six Australians have experienced anxiety in the last 12 months. This makes it the most common mental health condition in Australia. The good news is, it’s also one of the most treatable.
Types of anxiety and how anxiety shows up
Anxiety looks different for everyone. We discuss the common types of anxiety experienced below.
Panic attacks and panic disorder
Panic attacks feel terrifying because the physical symptoms, such as a racing heart, chest tightness, dizziness, shortness of breath, can mimic a medical emergency.
Panic disorder involves recurring attacks and the constant dread of having another one. Many people spend months or years managing this alone before getting help.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Generalised anxiety disorder can be in the form of a persistent, excessive worry about everyday life, work, health, relationships, and money. It’s not just occasional stress. Your mind keeps searching for a problem on a normal day, even when everything is going okay. This constant loop makes it hard to relax or be present in the moment or at work.
Social anxiety isn’t just about being shy in certain situations.
It can come about as a fear of being judged or embarrassed in social settings.
Some people stop themselves from speaking up or asking questions at work.
Often this makes it harder for you to engage with new people or your colleagues, and even do everyday things like making phone calls or eating in public spaces. If this resonates, our anxiety counselling sessions are a good starting point.
Health anxiety
Health anxiety means spending significant time worrying that you have, or might develop, a serious illness. You might constantly be checking your body for symptoms.
Have you ever caught yourself ‘Googling symptoms’ and asking for medical information, or seeking reassurance from doctors, only to feel a brief relief before the cycle starts again.
Why see a psychologist rather than managing it on your own?
There’s plenty of advice out there: breathe deeply, try meditation, exercise more often, cut back on caffeine and sugar. These things might help initially, but they don’t get to the root cause of what might actually be driving your anxiety.
Working with a psychologist who has experience treating anxiety gives you something self-help can’t: a trained professional who can help you identify specific patterns, understand what’s keeping the anxiety going, and advise you on what strategies and treatment would be best for you.
Not sure if it’s time to seek support? Read our guide on when to see a psychologist.
What does anxiety treatment in Melbourne involve?
Our Melbourne psychologists draw on approaches with strong research behind them, including:
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
This is one of the most researched treatments for anxiety. CBT can assist with pinpointing and challenging your thinking patterns that can trigger anxiety. With this approach you can, over time, change the behaviours that keep anxiety going.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
This kind of therapy can assist you with building a different relationship with your anxious thoughts.
Rather than fighting them, you can learn to make room for them without letting them run the show.
Exposure therapy
A structured, gradual approach to facing the situations or thoughts you’ve been avoiding, so anxiety loses its hold over time..
Treatment isn’t one-size-fits-all. Our psychologists will work with you to create a personalised plan after understanding your experiences and needs.
Can a confident person have anxiety?
Yes, it is quite common for even confident personalities to experience anxiety. Confidence and anxiety can sometimes go together. You can be a very capable person, who is highly regarded at work, and appear outwardly to be super confident, yet you still experience significant anxiety in other situations.
Many of the clients we see are exactly this: highly functioning, outwardly competent people, yet behind closed doors they are quite exhausted from managing it all together. Beyond Blue notes that different forms of anxiety can affect one in four Australians, and anyone for that matter, regardless of who you are or what you do.
Getting support doesn’t mean you are not coping. It can just mean you are ready for things to feel different, and start living.
Anxiety and self-doubt: understanding the connection
Anxiety and self-doubt often go hand in hand. A lot of people who are dealing with anxiety can also struggle with self-doubt. You could catch yourself second-guessing things, your worth or relationships, or that you don’t deserve the things you want.
If that sounds like how you have been feeling, it’s worth reading our blog on overcoming self-doubt and insecurity, which explores how therapy helps unravel these patterns.
Anxiety in the workplace
Unfortunately for most, anxiety doesn’t turn off like a switch when you leave the office for the day. For many, work is where it presents itself the most. Whether you keep silent in a meeting, avoid difficult conversations with your boss, issues with performance or never feeling like your work is good enough.
Over time this can impact your confidence, your relationships with colleagues at work. Not to mention, it can also take the fun out of your day job.
Our individual therapy sessions provide a safe space to talk about any challenges like this you may have, and we can help you with practical strategies for day-to-day life.
Anxiety and your early experiences
Sometimes anxiety makes a lot more sense when you start reflecting on past experiences.
If your home ever felt a bit unpredictable or tense growing up, your nervous system would have learned to stay on guard.
At the time, it was just doing its job. Yet the problem remains where you can’t switch off. This leads to feeling on high alert in adulthood even when there’s nothing to worry about.
Understanding where your anxiety might have started can be an important part of treating it. You can read more about how early childhood experiences shape adult behaviour and why these patterns don’t have to define you.
What to expect during a session at Hargan Psychology
It’s completely understandable to feel nervous about your first therapy session. So here’s what you can expect:
- Your first session is generally just a conversation, to learn more about you and get a feel for what has been going on in your life
- After that, we work together on a personalised plan to help you work through what you are hoping to get out of your sessions
- Think of the therapy sessions as practical, as you develop skills and coping mechanisms you begin using in everyday situations
- You’ll have regular check-ins with your psychologist to make sure you are on the right path, and adjust if needed
Most people can notice changes in themselves within a couple of sessions, however making a more long-term change requires more time. You don’t want to feel better temporarily, it needs to build over time.
In-person and online psychologist for anxiety Melbourne
At Hargan, we offer both in-person and telehealth appointments for clients in Melbourne.
Whether you’re local to the practice in Hawthorn or located elsewhere in Australia, we can work out what is best for you.
Ready to take the first step towards anxiety treatment in Melbourne?
If you think anxiety might be holding you back, professional support can start to make a real difference in your life.
At Hargan Psychology, we know that the first steps to getting started aren’t always easy. Our experienced psychologists in Melbourne can help you understand what's driving your anxiety and work through it together, so it stops getting in the way of you living your B.E.S.T life.
Contact Hargan Psychology today to book an appointment or have a confidential chat about how we can help
For other general information on anxiety, you can also view these resources healthdirect or Head to Health for Australian digital mental health resources.