Anxiety and depression are often two key symptoms that bring a client into therapy. Although very common, fortunately these struggles are also very treatable.
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), “Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure.” Psychotherapy can be an effective way of breaking down the factors leading to the conscious and unconscious feelings. Used in combination with Cognitive-Behavioral techniques that offer methods to soothe emotions, psychotherapy can help clients change their relationship to anxiety.
“Depression is more than just sadness. People with depression may experience a lack of interest and pleasure in daily activities, significant weight loss or gain, insomnia or excessive sleeping, lack of energy, inability to concentrate, feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide ”
- American Psychological Association (APA).
Recent stressful events and interpersonal relationships are two of the common influential predictors for depression.
Therapy can help clients identify problems that contribute to the anxiety and depression while also building the relational tools necessary to deal with future stressors.