Thinking Traps: Part 4

Welcome back to the Center Street Psychology blog! For the past few weeks, we have been discussing anxiety and how thinking traps contribute to anxiety and some anxiety management skills. Let’s discuss what we can do as therapists to reduce your chronic symptoms.

Often, one of the first line treatments for anxiety are medications that a physician or psychiatrist may prescribe (Hoge et al., 2023; Walter et al., 2020). This can be helpful when you experience anxiety that is significantly impacting your day-to-day functioning. While medication can be an effective intervention, counselling can provide a context for learning coping tools or dealing with the roots of the anxiety.

Research has shown that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is just as effective in treating anxiety as SSRI medication (Walter et al., 2020).  Its effects are often more permanent because you are learning and practicing how to challenge your thinking traps. There are several other CBT concepts and interventions including cognitive reframing, thought stopping, exposure-based interventions and cognitive restructuring to name a few.

While CBT has been regarded as one of the most efficacious evidence-based therapies for anxiety for many decades, there are other effective therapies.   Mindfulness-based stress reduction (which pairs some CBT techniques with relaxation and mindfulness) is another way to facilitate awareness. When people are more aligned with themselves, it is easier to navigate stress-inducing situations (Hoge et al., 2023). Therapies that involve guided eye movements such as EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) or ART (accelerated resolution therapy) can also be helpful in desensitizing specific triggers that cause us anxiety, such as phobias or past traumas that have manifested in anxiety (Yunitri et al., 2020). Solution-focused therapy can also be effective in working through anxiety, as it helps identify a client’s strengths in different situations and how those strengths can be used to overcome anxiety.

If you want to learn more about CBT and how it can be helpful in working with anxiety, check out this Ted Talk:

Jennifer Willis: What's Your Frame | TED Talk

Please reach out to us at Center Street Psychology if you would like to discuss more about our services and to reach out for anxiety support. We provide a collaborative approach and are happy to provide you with a complimentary consultation to help potential “fit” with one of our counsellors. We are an inclusive clinic, located in Calgary, Alberta, providing in-person, virtual or hybrid services within Alberta and across Canada. Please call 403-399-5120 to speak with our Director of Client Care, Amy, who will gently guide you through the counselling process.

Written by: Tyler Schamehorn

References

Hoge, E. A., Bui, E., Mete, M., Dutton, M.A., Baker, A.W., & Simon, N.M. (2023). Mindfulness-based stress reduction vs escitalopram for the treatment of adults with anxiety disorders. JAMA Psychiatry, 80(1), 13-21. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.3679

Walter, H.J., Bukstein, O. G., Abright, A.R., Keable, H., Ramtekkar, U., Ripperfer-Suhler, J., & Rockhill, C. (2020). Clinical practice guideline for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 59(10), 1107-1124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.05.005

Yunitri, N., Kao, C., Chu, H., Voss, J., Chiu, H., Liu, D., Shen, S. H., Chang, P., Kang, X., & Chou, K. (2020). The effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing toward anxiety disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 123, 102-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.01.005