WHAT IS AN ANXIETY DISORDER?
Occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. A person may feel anxious when faced with a problem or before making an important decision. In these situations, the feeling of nervousness or anxiety is usually short-lived and does not significantly impair a person’s daily activities.
For a person with an anxiety disorder, however, the anxiety does not simply go away and can get worse over time. There are often sudden feelings of intense worry or fear that can peak within minutes. The symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as work, school, social interactions and relationships.
COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a short-term specialized therapy that helps people suffering from anxiety and other difficulties. CBT is an evidence-based treatment with research supporting its effectiveness. It involves collaboration with both client and therapist. CBT involves learning new ways of thinking and behaving in order to improve your emotional health and overall well-being.
Dr. Spiegel specializes in the use of CBT in helping clients meet their goals. He tailors his approach and treatment to match each client’s individual experience so that they can learn how to effectively cope with strong negative emotions and anxiety. He helps clients develop new skills and tools to successfully cope with anxiety and distress. This can include behavioral exercises that expose you to your fears, mindfulness or relaxation strategies, and role-playing to improve communication skills, among others.
Dr. Spiegel is specialized in treating anxiety disorders, including:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by persistent and excessive worry about a number of different things. Individuals with GAD find it difficult to control their worry. They may worry more than seems warranted or may expect the worst even when there is no apparent reason for concern.
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is diagnosed in people who experience spontaneous, seemingly out-of-the-blue panic attacks and are very preoccupied with the fear of a recurring attack. This is typically combined with major changes in behavior.
- Panic Disorder
Separation Anxiety Disorder
Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is when a child becomes excessively anxious when separated from family members or other caregivers. Difficulty separating becomes a disorder if the fear and anxiety interfere with age-appropriate behavior.
- Separation Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder is when a person has a persistent fear of being watched or judged by others. People with social anxiety disorder appear uncomfortable and may choose to withdraw or not talk to prevent the risk of embarrassment. This fear can affect work, school, and other day-to-day activities.
- Social Anxiety Disorder
Specific Phobia
Specific phobias refer to a very strong fear of a particular thing (e.g., a fear of flying, vomiting, driving, flying, animals, needles, heights, etc.) Some people can have multiple phobias. When a person has a phobia, they will often shape their lives to avoid what they consider to be dangerous.
- Specific Phobia
TREATMENT OF CHILDREN WITH ANXIETY
Anxiety disorders can appear at any age. Dr. Spiegel is highly experienced in working with both children and adults with anxiety. Similar to adults, he has helped many children and teenagers learn to face their fears and handle their anxiety.
When working with child clients, Dr. Spiegel seeks to engage the entire family unit. This can either involve them attending the sessions and/or helping them implement the assigned therapy homework. Dr. Spiegel seeks to help parents learn new ways to respond to their child’s anxious behaviors, which allows them to make greater progress overall. Dr. Spiegel also provides routine check-ins with parents outside of session through phone calls in order to ensure effective progress in therapy.
SUPPORTING PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH ANXIETY
In some cases, children are unwilling to engage in treatment. This can be as a result of a child’s reluctance or severity of symptoms. This can leave parents feeling overwhelmed and that there is no way to move forward. Using the SPACE treatment model, Dr. Spiegel assists parents in learning skills and tools to help their child overcome anxiety. Parents will learn to respond more supportively to their child and how to reduce the accommodations they have been making to the child’s symptoms.
RESOURCES & MORE INFORMATION ON ANXIETY & RELATED DISORDERS
To learn more about anxiety disorders, as well effective treatment for this diagnosis, visit:
Recommended books:
Anxious Kids Anxious Parents by Reid Willson and Lynn Lyons
Stopping the Noise in your head: the new way to overcome anxiety and worry by Reid Wilson
What to do when you worry too much by Dawn Huebner