ANXIETY TREATMENT
Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions in the U.S.
Personalized Therapy
Experienced Therapists in New Orleans
Are you looking for marriage counseling or couples counseling in the New Orleans area? If you are, that’s OK. You are not alone.
Sometimes “happily ever after” doesn’t look like what you, your spouse, or your partner originally envisioned. And the truth is, there’s no wonder why there’s a difference between your initial expectations and your current reality!
During the wedding planning stage, you and your spouse were anticipating living the rest of your lives together at the height of excitement in your relationship. But after you said “I do” and the honeymoon phase ended, real life set in.
For example, you might be experiencing stress from work, be so busy raising children that you have a hard time focusing on your relationship, or be worried about your family’s finances.
While all of these marriage and relationship stressors are normal, they’re also a good reason to meet with one of our marriage counselors to help focus on your relationship with your spouse, reprioritize your lives together, and learn better communication skills. For some, marriage counseling is an absolute must after a marriage crisis, such as a spouse or partner who is dealing with an addiction or one who has been unfaithful.
Therapy for Anxiety in New Orleans
You Are Not Alone – Anxiety Disorders Among Louisiana Residents are Common
According to the National Institute of Mental Health:
- An estimated 31.1 percent of U.S. adults experience an anxiety disorder at some time in their lives, making it a common behavioral health condition.
- An estimated 19.1 percent of U.S. adults had an anxiety disorder in the past year.
- Anxiety disorders affect adult females at a higher rate (24.4 percent) than adult males (14.3 percent).
Anxiety disorders also affect children and are often more prevalent in teens.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 7.4 percent of U.S. children aged 2-17 years old (an estimated 4.5 million) have a diagnosed anxiety disorder. The CDC further estimates that 31.9 percent of U.S. adolescents (ages 13-18) are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder each year.
Considering these statistics, we want to emphasize again – you (or your child) are not alone. There is a path to regaining improved mental wellness, and with the help of our counseling services, you can feel better!
Anxiety Therapists in New Orleans
Our Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Clinical Social Workers, and Other Counselors Are Here to Help You
Assisting Engaged Couples with Pre-Marital Counseling
If you’re getting ready to walk down the aisle, you definitely need to add pre-marital counseling to your wedding to-do list! In fact, according to statistics, nearly 44% of couples seek pre-marital counseling before tying the knot.
Pre-marriage counseling is extremely helpful for engaged couples and sometimes required if you’re getting married in a church. This type of couples therapy often helps brides-to-be and grooms-to-be think about and discuss potential issues that may arise during a marriage and how they plan to deal with them
Reasons New Orleans Residents Seek Us Out for Counseling
There are a variety of reasons that New Orleans residents come to us for regular counseling sessions. These include:
Symptoms of Anxiety Disorder
It’s normal to be anxious sometimes. You might feel nervous about public speaking, waiting on a medical test result, or over a big event, for example. These feelings often improve with self-care and you’ll continue to thrive in your daily life.
However, feeling anxious all the time and experiencing frequent emotional and physical anxiety symptoms might indicate the deeper problem of a disorder that is best treated with an anxiety treatment plan such as counseling services and learning coping skills.
Common Symptoms
Here are the most common anxiety symptoms to look out for:
- Often feeling apprehensive or a sense of dread.
- Frequent tenseness and jumpiness.
- Frequent restlessness or irritability.
- Frequently anticipating the worst and being watchful for signs of danger.
- Experiencing a pounding or racing heart or feeling short of breath.
- Sweating often, feeling tremors, or experiencing twitches.
- Frequent upset stomachs, urination, or diarrhea.
- Experiencing frequent headaches, fatigue, and insomnia.
Each of the 6 major anxiety disorders has one overarching symptom in common – a persistent and excessive fear or worry experienced in situations that are not threatening.
Treatment Plan
When your feelings of worry or fear bring on significant stress in your life to the point where you have trouble keeping up, you might need a little help. Fortunately, anxiety is very treatable and you regain improved behavioral health and mental wellness through counseling services, practicing self-care, and learning coping skills!
In our Greater New Orleans counseling practice that serves Orleans and Jefferson parishes, we have a variety of local mental health professionals who are experienced in helping patients navigate anxiety, decrease stress, and rediscover the joy in their day-to-day activities or big events. Whether you live close to Tulane or off Canal St, our Metairie counseling services offices, which are not too far off from Jefferson HWY, are close by.
Therapy for Anxiety Disorders in New Orleans
The 6 Major Anxiety Disorders
Healthcare experts have identified six major anxiety disorders that most commonly affect sufferers of the condition. These are:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) – GAD sufferers experience chronic and exaggerated worry over everyday life, making it hard to concentrate and finish daily tasks.
- Social Anxiety – Deeper than shyness, a social phobia refers to an intense fear over social interaction, often triggered by irrational worries concerning humiliation.
- Panic Disorder – Panic disorders or panic attacks involve feeling a sudden physical sense of terror sometimes repeatedly and without warning.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – OCD sufferers feel compelled to perform rituals or routines, also known as compulsions, to try and ease thoughts of anxiety.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – PTSD is an ever-growing condition that involves experiencing intense fear or becoming numb and easily irritable and avoiding specific places, people, or activities after experiencing a traumatic or life-threatening event. PTSD is common among people who were victims of an accident, a crime, or who are combat veterans. Here in Louisiana, PTSD is common after hurricanes and floods, too.
- Specific Phobias – While avoiding a fair amount of situations that are uncomfortable is normal, having a specific phobia takes it a step further by triggering an intense, irrational fear for a specific object or situation, such as a fear of an animal or a fear of flying.
Anxiety disorders aren’t limited to the major six defined in the DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Sufferers can experience different conditions in the realm of each disorder.
For example, separation anxiety, selective mutism, and agoraphobia all fall into the above group and there may even be other anxiety-fueled conditions you might experience that treatment can help.
The most important coping strategy is to take the first baby step and reach out to someone who can help. That’s where our Orleans and Jefferson parish area mental health professionals come in. We help you through our outpatient counseling services and by providing you with tips for improving your self-care practice and learning and using coping skills.
Anxiety Therapists in New Orleans
Types of Anxiety Treatment
At our counseling center, we find that psychotherapy isn’t always a necessary form of counseling to treat an anxiety disorder. Many of our clients find wellness and successful treatment when we use a combination of proven approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal talk therapy, visualization therapy, and family counseling, to help you face your symptoms.
You can learn more about our therapy approach here.
While most of our patients choose us as their first type of anxiety treatment, we also work with local residents who are stepping down from inpatient anxiety treatment and seeking outpatient counselors like us.
A combination of medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy with a licensed professional counselor or licensed clinical social worker is sometimes the most effective outpatient anxiety treatment plan for those who experience this behavioral health issue. After working with us, you may decide that adding medication is a good next step in your anxiety treatment journey. Whatever decision you make, we are here to support you on your path to improved wellness.
We’re happy to provide you with referrals to a variety of Kenner, Metairie, and New Orleans-area behavioral health professionals such as Louisiana psychiatry practices who can prescribe medication and who work with us to monitor your progress in your anxiety treatment program. Our referral connections include general practitioners, OB-GYNs (for pregnancy-related or postpartum mood disorders), and psychiatrists.
Therapy for Anxiety Disorders in New Orleans
Need Anxiety Treatment in the New Orleans area? Here’s How To Get Started With a Behavioral Health Plan
We know that one of the hardest steps towards improving your overall mental health wellness and self-care practice is taking the first step toward seeking anxiety treatment. As mental health professionals, we know that even researching anxiety disorders and finding this webpage took courage. If you’re considering working with a licensed professional counselor as a way to cope with anxiety – or you just don’t feel like yourself – we encourage you to reach out to our Greater New Orleans area behavioral health counseling services for help.
You can fill out our online contact form or call us at (504) 302-7771 to discuss our Louisiana mental health services. In talking with you, we’ll match you with a trained and experienced counselor who specializes in treating anxiety disorders and can help get you on the path to recovery. Improving your overall wellness is our goal! From New Orleans to Kenner, the West Bank to the Louisiana Northshore, Chalmette to Gretna, Orleans Parish, Jefferson Parish, and everywhere in between – we’re here to serve you.