Quite a few people struggling with anxiety take comfort in feeling prepared (to be sure, it is a great feeling). While I would like to help them let go of that need, I take it that they may not be quite ready for that step if they are here to see whether they should try therapy for the first time. Below, I have outlined the core modalities (or "types") of therapy that I use.
Exposure Response Prevention Therapy (ERP):
ERP is a type of therapy that involves repetitively and gradually exposing yourself to situations, objects, thoughts, or other things that bring about anxiety. This is different than another therapy called "flooding," in which you expose yourself to the worst fear that you have during the first session. Instead, your first sessions with ERP will be gentler and help you to build motivation to face greater challenges later in therapy.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):
The word "Cognitive" in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy means "thoughts." CBT works under the notion that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are highly interlinked and can influence one another. In this type of therapy, you and your therapist will work together to identify both thoughts and behaviors that leave you feeling caught in a cycle. Once identified, the work begins to change these behaviors so that they are more functional for you. Your therapist will also teach you how to manage your thoughts more effectively so that they do not reinforce patterns of behavior that initially caused you to seek help.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT):
When talking about this therapy in the field, we call it "ACT," as in "actor." ACT is a behavioral therapy that also has tools to help manage emotions and thoughts. One goal of the therapy is to help you move toward making behavioral changes that are centered around your values. It also helps you learn how to be "mindful" of your surroundings and engage in them meaningfully. The therapy does not insist that you are mindful at all times, but it asks that you try when you happen to be experiencing harmful disconnect from life around you. "Mindfulness" is an old concept; the idea is to be open to what is going on around you, and less tied to internal judgments of the experience. As both mindfulness and values are a large part of how the therapy would like for you to change your behavior, time is spent on learning about those concepts early on in treatment. Another goal of this therapy is to help you achieve a healthy balance in your life of acknowledging your emotions without being guided by them. One tool that it uses to do this is called "defusion." This is a technique that helps us separate ourselves from our thoughts and emotions.