Anxiety Treatment

Is Anxiety Disrupting Your Life Or Your Teen’s Well-Being?

Are you pursued by a constant, paralyzing sense of fear and dread that prevents you from relaxing or feeling safe—even in ordinary situations? Do you wish you could stop worrying and mentally preparing yourself to bolt just in case the worst were to happen? Does it feel like every step you take is on a floor of glass that is in danger of breaking through?

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Maybe you’re avoiding friends or social situations because it’s stressful being around people who don’t understand your needs or what you are going through. Or perhaps you are angry at yourself for not being able to ‘go with the flow’ so you end up lashing out at others or turning to food, alcohol, or drugs for relief.

Alternatively, you may be the parent of an adolescent or teen who is demonstrating signs of anxiety. For instance, is your child suddenly isolating themselves, being indecisive, refusing to do homework, or no longer playing with friends? Are they hanging out with someone they admire but who may not be the best influence on them? Conversely, perhaps your teen is so involved with academics, extracurricular activities, and work that you are concerned about the amount of stress they are taking on.

Whether as an adult, a teenager, or an adolescent, anxiety has a way of interrupting nearly every aspect of a person’s life and proper development. But you can learn how to manage anxiety and tolerate stressors in healthy, productive ways. With our help, you can begin to breathe easier, relax, and gain the emotional flexibility to take on any challenges in your life. 

Anxiety Affects More People Than You Might Think

Stress and anxiety disorders are extremely common in the US, affecting over 18 percent of the total adult population and an incredible 25 percent of all children.* And while current events, political unrest, and information overload create a lot of uncertainty, there are many less obvious causes of and contributors to anxiety. 

Social media, celebrities, and even society itself send distorted messages about what it means to be happy and successful. As a result, both kids and adults end up comparing themselves to others or setting unrealistic goals that make them feel inadequate when they don’t meet those expectations. We also fixate on beauty and success to such a degree that it prevents us from appreciating and finding validation in our own uniqueness. Personal trauma or adverse experiences as a child can contribute to anxiety as well. Anxiety can also be handed down from parent to child—from generation to generation, or it may simply be a part of a person’s genetic makeup. 

For parents who are trying to understand what their child is going through, anxiety can be particularly confusing. In fact, many parents and teachers often mistake anxiety issues for ADHD, learning disorders, and behavioral problems because some of the signs can overlap. Even adults who wake throughout the night or have a hard time falling asleep can often write it off as insomnia. 

And although the inclination may be to just grin and bear it or hope that it will pass, anxiety has a way of developing into bigger issues down the road. This is especially true for teens whose brains are particularly vulnerable to intense feelings of anxiety, which impact their brain development and, if left untreated, can lead to the use of drugs and/or alcohol as an escape mechanism, laying the groundwork for addiction later in life.

Whether you are a parent trying to eliminate those potential hazards for your child or you are searching for peace yourself, you are not alone. With our help, you can identify and understand the origins of your pain while learning effective skills and strategies for calming yourself and managing the symptoms of anxiety.

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Anxiety Treatment Can Help Anyone Find Peace Regardless Of Age

What you are going through is very real and likely confusing, but working with a therapist gives you the opportunity to understand your emotions and where your anxiety comes from. Identifying the origins of anxiety empowers you to take control of your body, retrain your mind, and handle day-to-day stressors without being reactive or overwhelmed. 

For young people, the idea is similar, but we also take into account the whole family dynamic. In therapy, your teenager can find relief from anxiety while you, as a parent, gain the skills and knowledge to help them accomplish that.  

Anxiety therapy involves a lot of trust—especially for teens. And you can only get that by truly connecting with a person. That’s why we offer a free, 45-minute initial consultation to see if we resonate with each other. Once we feel like we are a good fit, we can start with an assessment that will give us an idea of where you are coming from, what you are experiencing, and how anxiety is impacting you daily. As a parent, we can also look at how anxiety is affecting your life as well as the family’s dynamic as a whole. Together, we’ll work on establishing goals for therapy and how you want to feel at the end of the day while collaborating on ways to get there. 

We’ll also help you understand the powerful influence that anxiety has on the mind and body while giving you the tools to recognize and cope with it rather than react to it. And we will teach you how to help your brain develop a different set of “muscles” that will open up new perspectives and responses to stressors. 

At Alpenglow, we offer an individualized approach to anxiety treatment that enables us to simultaneously tackle pressing issues and focus on achieving long-term goals. To do that, we use multiple tools, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Relational Therapy, and grounding exercises. 

CBT is effective for reframing negative thoughts and beliefs from the past into positive and validating perspectives. Because counseling is naturally relationship-based, we can use Relational Therapy to help identify any early emotional bonds that may have created underlying pain or fear that is informing issues of low self-worth. And we offer mindfulness and emotional regulation strategies for staying grounded in the moment so you don’t get consumed by worrying about the future. 

No matter what you are going through, our goal is to help you—or your child—feel valued and seen while giving you a space to be vulnerable and heal the underlying causes of anxiety. Anxiety is just a natural part of life, especially given the world we live in, and with that comes uncertainty. However, therapy provides a stabilizing experience, ensuring that every step you take is on solid ground instead of fragile glass. With the skills and awareness we provide, you truly can feel happier and more at peace with yourself and the world around you.

Perhaps you are considering anxiety treatment but still have some concerns…

I’ve tried various forms of therapy with little success, so how will this be any different?

Outcomes always vary from person to person. However, we have over 18 years’ worth of experience working with clients and training with other mental health care professionals that helps inform our approach. We also provide a thorough and individualized system of support that measures your progress and minimizes your time in the office. That means, your therapist will periodically check in with you to see what is and what is not working so we can adjust our work together to maximize the effectiveness of our sessions.

I’m worried about the financial cost of anxiety therapy.

Depending on your out of network benefits and your insurance company’s reimbursement rates, the out-of-pocket costs for sessions can often be in line with co-pays for other claims. And because we know that working with insurance providers can be difficult, your therapist can personally help you navigate the reimbursement process. The important thing to remember is that therapy is a short-term investment in your overall health that will pay off indefinitely.

Anxiety is a physiological condition—does that mean I’ll have to take medication?

Admittedly, there is a significant physiological component to anxiety for which, under some circumstances, pharmaceutical intervention can be helpful. However, medication alone is not enough. It only suppresses the symptoms of anxiety, allowing you to sleep, function, or focus better. 

Counseling supports you in understanding the root cause of anxiety, how it is impacting the brain and body, and what you need to do to resolve that old pain. Whether you are currently taking medication or considering it, counseling is how we achieve a sustainable shift in power from anxiety having control over you to you having control over your experience with anxiety. 

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Anxiety Doesn’t Have To Be A Defining Aspect Of Your Life

If you’re dealing with anxiety or you feel your child may be showing symptoms, we can offer you answers and support. Please call 267 547 3596 for your free, 30-minute phone consultation or click here to schedule your complimentary in-person intake session to see how anxiety treatment can help you or your child be more calm, confident, and secure.

*https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics

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