Anxiety Treatment in Melbourne

It’s human to feel anxious, sometimes.

When anxiety gets out of hand, though, it drains you and your life. And it feels hard to shake.

When should you seek help to manage anxiety?

If anxiety gets in the way of work, relationships and everyday life, it might be time to get some support with how to manage anxiety. Even if there’s nothing major going on in your life, or you haven’t been through anything particularly stressful, anxiety can still creep into the picture sometimes.

Anxiety doesn’t have to rule your life though. Our anxiety psychologists can help.

Anxiety psychologist sitting across from woman holding a throw pillow to her chest during treatment

Anxiety is very treatable

There is a lot we can do to help.

With many effective anxiety treatment programs, tools and strategies available, you don’t need to do it alone. We can help you to find a path forward.

What are the signs and symptoms of anxiety?

Here are some of the ways that anxiety can impact your thinking:

  • Difficulty tolerating uncertainty
  • Constant worry that feels difficult to control
  • Obsessive or intrusive thoughts
  • Excessive fear
  • Assuming the worst
  • Catastrophising
  • Feeling critical of yourself and others
  • Jumping to conclusions
  • Underestimating how well you will cope

Here are some of the ways that anxiety can affect your body:

  • Shallow or rapid breathing
  • Racing heart
  • Feeling restless and on edge
  • Trouble winding down
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Sleep problems
  • Appetite and weight changes
  • Nausea
  • Dizziness
  • Physical health issues such as IBS, stomach issues and rashes
  • Hot or cold flushes
  • Muscle tension
  • Headaches

Here are some of the ways that anxiety can impact your behaviour:

  • Avoiding feared or new situations
  • Difficulty getting everyday tasks done
  • Needing to control people and situations
  • People-pleasing
  • Procrastinating
  • Withdrawing from others
  • Not speaking up
  • Engaging in rituals or compulsions to cope with anxiety
  • Using drugs, alcohol or eating to cope with anxiety
  • Sick days from work

So how common is anxiety?

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, anxiety is the most common mental health issue in Australia. In any 12-month period, 2 million Australian people will experience some type of anxiety. At some point in their life, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 5 men will experience anxiety.

According to Beyond Blue, in Australia, it’s estimated that 45% of people will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime.

Types of anxiety

Anxiety can come in lots of different shapes and forms including:

  • Generalised anxiety and perfectionism
  • Stress and burnout
  • Social anxiety or social phobia
  • Panic attacks and agoraphobia
  • Post-traumatic stress
  • Obsessions and compulsions
  • Phobias and fears
  • Health anxiety
  • Perinatal anxiety

Anxiety treatment options

Depending on their training and background, anxiety psychologists at Inner Melbourne Clinical Psychology will work with you to tailor an approach that draws on a variety of evidence-based treatments including:

  • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
  • Mindfulness
  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
  • Schema Therapy
  • Compassion based approaches
  • Solution Focused Therapy
  • Positive Psychology
  • Strengths based approaches
  • Psychodynamic approaches
  • Emotion Focused Therapy
  • Client Centred Therapy
  • Internal Family Systems Therapy principles
  • Cognitive Analytic Therapy
  • Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy
  • Narrative Exposure Therapy
  • Cognitive Processing Therapy
  • Trauma informed approaches
  • Metacognitive Therapy
  • Exposure Therapy
  • Behaviour Therapy
  • Motivational Interviewing

Questions people often have about anxiety

A psychologist can help you understand what is happening beneath your anxiety,why certain patterns keep repeating, and how to begin shifting those patterns over time.

Many people try very hard to manage anxiety on their own. Over time this can lead to cycles of worry, avoidance or self-criticism that actually keep anxiety going.

A psychologist can help you:

  • understand the patterns that drive your anxiety
  • develop practical tools to manage anxious thoughts and physical symptoms
  • gradually face situations that feel overwhelming
  • build confidence in your ability to cope

Therapy is not about “getting rid of anxiety completely”. Anxiety is a normal human emotion. The aim is to help you feel more steady, more in control and able to move through life without anxiety running the show.

Psychologists use several evidence-based therapies to treat anxiety, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), exposure-based approaches, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and other mindfulness-based approaches.

The approach used will depend on your experiences, personality and the type of anxiety you are dealing with.

Learn more about some of the most common therapies include:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT helps you identify unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviours that keep anxiety going, and develop more helpful ways of responding. It is one of the most widely researched treatments for anxiety.

Exposure-based approaches

Avoidance often keeps anxiety strong. Exposure-based approaches gradually and safely help you to face feared situations, helping your nervous system learn that these situations are manageable.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and other mindfulness-based approaches

ACT and other mindfulness based approaches focus on learning how to relate differently to anxious thoughts and feelings, so they have less power over your decisions and behaviour.

Many psychologists draw on a combination of approaches to tailor therapy to each person.

It can be helpful to speak with a psychologist if anxiety is starting to interfere with your daily life or wellbeing.

For example, you might notice:

  • constant worry or overthinking
  • difficulty relaxing or switching off
  • avoiding situations that once felt manageable
  • physical symptoms such as racing heart, nausea, restlessness or tension
  • trouble sleeping or concentrating.

You don’t need to wait until things feel overwhelming. Many people come to therapy simply because they want to understand themselves better or learn healthier ways to manage stress.

The first session is usually about getting to know you and understanding what has been going on in your life.

Your psychologist may ask questions about:

  • the types of anxiety you have been experiencing
  • when the anxiety started
  • situations that make it better or worse
  • how it is affecting your life.

You will also have time to ask questions and get a sense of whether the therapist feels like a good fit for you.

By the end of the session, you and your psychologist will usually begin discussing what you would like to get out of therapy and how the work together might look.

The length of therapy varies depending on the type of anxiety and what you would like to work on.

Some people come for a relatively short period of time to learn specific strategies for managing anxiety. Others prefer to explore the deeper patterns that contribute to their anxiety, which can take some more time.

Many people notice improvements within the first few months of therapy, but progress tends to happen gradually. The pace of therapy is something you and your psychologist can talk about together.

You do not need a referral to see a psychologist about anxiety, but it does significantly reduce the cost. Many people choose to speak with their GP first and obtain a Mental Health Care Plan, which can provide Medicare rebates for a number of psychology sessions each year.

Others prefer to book privately without a referral. If you are unsure which option is best for you, our Support Team can talk you through the process and help you understand the different pathways available to you.

Many people feel confused by anxiety that appears to come “out of nowhere”.

In reality, anxiety is often linked to underlying patterns in the way we think, respond to stress or relate to uncertainty. Past experiences, personality traits and life pressures can all play a role.

Sometimes the trigger is not obvious. Therapy can help you understand what may be driving your anxiety and how those patterns developed, which often makes anxiety feel less mysterious and more manageable.

It is very common for people to feel unsure about whether they are experiencing anxiety or something else.

Symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, feeling overwhelmed, irritability, poor sleep or physical tension can sometimes be related to anxiety. However, they can also be connected to other experiences such as depression, ADHD, trauma, autism, burnout, grief or major life stress.

Many of these experiences can overlap, which is why it can sometimes feel confusing to make sense of what is going on.

A psychologist can help you explore what may be contributing to your experience and whether anxiety is playing a role. Often the first step in therapy is simply gaining a clearer understanding of the patterns that may be affecting you.

Many people worry that anxiety is simply part of their personality and cannot really change.

While some people may naturally be more sensitive to stress or uncertainty, anxiety patterns can shift significantly with the right support. Therapy often helps people develop new ways of responding to anxious thoughts and situations so that anxiety has much less influence over their life.

The aim is not to eliminate anxiety completely, but to help it feel more manageable and less restrictive.

Anxiety and ADHD can sometimes look similar on the surface because both can involve difficulty concentrating, restlessness or feeling overwhelmed.

However, the underlying causes are usually different.

With anxiety, concentration problems often occur because the mind is occupied by worry, fear or overthinking. When the anxiety reduces, focus may improve.

With ADHD, difficulties with attention, organisation and impulse control are usually long-standing and present across many areas of life, including work, study and relationships.

ADHD is relatively common in Australia. Research suggests it affects around 6–10 percent of children and adolescents and 2–6 percent of adults, meaning hundreds of thousands of Australians live with ADHD.

Anxiety and ADHD can also occur together, which can sometimes make it harder to recognise what is going on at first. A psychologist can help by exploring patterns over time, including childhood experiences, attention patterns and emotional responses, to build a clearer picture of what may be contributing and what kinds of support are likely to be most helpful.

Yes, anxiety and eating disorders can be closely connected for some people, but of course not always.

Many people who experience an eating disorder also experience anxiety, either at the same time or earlier in life. In some cases, anxiety can contribute to patterns such as perfectionism, a strong need for control or heightened worry about body image.

In Australia, it is estimated that around one million people are living with an eating disorder in any given year, or roughly 4 percent of the population.

Research also shows that about 64 percent of people with an eating disorder have a co-occurring anxiety disorder, highlighting the strong overlap between the two.

Because of this connection, treatment often focuses on both the eating behaviours and the underlying emotional patterns such as anxiety, perfectionism or distress. When these areas are understood and supported together, many people find that their relationship with food, their body and themselves gradually begins to feel more manageable and less overwhelming.

Some people worry that focusing on anxiety will make it feel stronger.

While talking about difficult experiences can sometimes feel uncomfortable at first, therapy is designed to help you approach anxiety in a gradual and supportive way. Many people actually feel relief once they begin putting words to what has been happening for them.

Over time, understanding anxiety often reduces the fear and confusion surrounding it.

Anxiety and depression are two of the most common mental health conditions, and they often occur together. In fact, research suggests that nearly half of people diagnosed with depression also experience an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety is usually centred around worry, fear or a sense of threat. People may feel constantly on edge, experience racing thoughts, struggle to relax, or notice physical symptoms such as muscle tension, sleep problems or a racing heart.

Depression, on the other hand, is more closely linked to persistent low mood, loss of interest or pleasure, low energy, feelings of hopelessness or difficulty concentrating.

Although they are different conditions, they frequently overlap. Someone might feel anxious about the future while also feeling flat, exhausted or unmotivated.

In Australia, anxiety disorders are the most common group of mental health conditions. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, around 17.2 percent of Australians experienced an anxiety disorder in the previous 12 months, compared with 7.5 percent who experienced an affective disorder such as depression.

Overall, about one in five Australians experience a mental disorder in any given year, highlighting how common these experiences are.

A psychologist can help you explore your symptoms and understand whether anxiety, depression or a combination of factors may be contributing.

Explore anxiety treatment options in Melbourne

Anxiety doesn’t have to rule your life. There is a lot we can do to help.

Book an appointment with one of our experienced anxiety psychologists.