Anxiety is a common experience, but it can become difficult when worry, fear or overthinking feels constant, overwhelming or hard to control. Generalised Anxiety Disorder, or GAD, often involves excessive worry across many areas of life, such as work, study, health, relationships, family or the future.
Psychologists consulting at The Victorian Psychology Clinic provide anxiety therapy for adolescents and adults in Essendon, Moonee Ponds and via telehealth. Support may be helpful for people experiencing ongoing worry, physical tension, difficulty relaxing, irritability, sleep difficulties, panic symptoms or feeling constantly on edge.
Anxiety can affect the mind and body, and it may begin to interfere with concentration, confidence, decision-making, relationships and day-to-day functioning. Therapy can help people better understand anxiety patterns, develop coping strategies and build confidence in responding to worry in more helpful ways.
Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety
Anxiety can affect thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and behaviour. For some people, anxiety is linked to specific situations, while for others it feels more constant or difficult to switch off.
Common signs may include:
- excessive worry that feels hard to control
- overthinking, rumination or imagining worst-case scenarios
- feeling restless, keyed up or constantly on edge
- difficulty concentrating or making decisions
- muscle tension, headaches, stomach discomfort or fatigue
- difficulty sleeping or waking with a busy mind
- irritability or feeling more easily frustrated than usual
- avoiding situations because of fear, worry or uncertainty
- seeking reassurance or repeatedly checking things
- panic-like symptoms, such as a racing heart, shortness of breath or dizziness
Treatment and Support for Anxiety
Anxiety is treatable, and many people experience improvement with the right support. Therapy can help people better understand the patterns that keep anxiety going, reduce avoidance and develop more effective ways of responding to worry, uncertainty and physical symptoms.
Treatment may focus on identifying anxious thoughts, challenging unhelpful worry patterns, building tolerance for uncertainty, reducing reassurance seeking or avoidance, and developing practical strategies for calming the body and mind.
Psychologists consulting at VPC may draw on evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, mindfulness-based strategies, relaxation techniques, exposure-based strategies and emotional regulation skills.
For some people, medication may also be part of a broader care plan. Psychologists do not prescribe medication, but where appropriate, psychologists consulting at VPC may work collaboratively with a GP, psychiatrist or other treating professionals involved in a person’s care.
How We Can Support You
Psychologists consulting at VPC provide evidence-based anxiety support tailored to each person’s needs, goals and circumstances. Therapy provides a supportive space to understand what is contributing to anxiety and develop strategies that feel realistic and manageable.
Therapy may help with:
- understanding anxiety triggers and worry patterns
- reducing overthinking, rumination and reassurance seeking
- managing physical symptoms of anxiety
- building tolerance for uncertainty
- improving sleep, concentration and daily functioning
- developing coping strategies for stressful situations
- increasing confidence in responding to anxiety over time
You can also learn more about anxiety on our Concerns We Work With page, or view psychologist profiles to find a psychologist consulting at VPC who works with anxiety, worry and stress-related concerns.
