Our Services - Treatment

Everyone experiences anxiety at times; it is part of life. However, sometimes anxiety becomes so great that it interferes with our ability to enjoy our lives, to pursue our studies, to participate in social activities, to enjoy sexual relations, or to drive a vehicle. Anxiety often interferes with sleep, and thus reduces our ability to perform effectively at home, work, or school. Sometimes, it is expressed through nightmares that frighten us, while at other times, it may take the extreme form of panic attacks, reactions so frightening that the individual fears that he or she is having a heart attack.

Psychologically, in order to overcome debilitating anxiety, the individual needs to learn first how his or her thoughts, perceptions and actions serve to elicit and maintain the anxiety reaction, and then how to change that process so as to initially control and then eliminate the anxiety response. That is the goal of psychological treatment. 

Clinicians at FVB Psychologists are well-trained in the treatment of anxiety, whether it be generalized anxiety, school anxiety, panic attacks or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) produced by trauma such as motor vehicle accidents, assaults, or the sudden, violent death of a loved one. Treatment involves relaxation training, cognitive-behavioural techniques (designed to assist the individual in identifying and changing faulty perceptions and interpretations, as well as overcoming negative thought patterns that serve to perseverate the anxiety), and systematic desensitization of the anxiety response to stimuli that trigger it. 

Please go to mindovermood.com, a mental health resource for the public featuring the established principles of Aaron T. Beck's Cognitive Behavior Therapy.