Anxiety Therapy
in Central London

Frequently Asked Questions

What is anxiety therapy?

Anxiety therapy is talking therapy focused on understanding what is driving your anxiety and what may be keeping it going. Sessions look beyond the symptoms themselves, exploring the thoughts, feelings and physical responses you experience, the situations you may have started to avoid, and the experiences or patterns that may be contributing to how you feel.

Therapy takes place one-to-one with one of our Psychologists or Psychotherapists, all of whom have experience supporting people with anxiety.

When should I seek therapy for anxiety?

You don’t need to reach a certain level of anxiety before seeking support. What matters is the impact it is having on you, whether it is affecting your relationships, work, sleep or concentration, limiting what you feel able to do, or simply making everyday life harder than it needs to be.

Many people wait until anxiety has become difficult to manage before considering therapy. If it is affecting your quality of life, or the ways you have been managing it no longer seem to be helping, it may be a good time to talk to someone.

Does therapy work for anxiety?

There is strong evidence for the effectiveness of psychological therapy for anxiety, with approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) particularly well established. However, how well an approach works also depends on how closely it fits the person.

Finding an approach that suits your experience of anxiety matters, as does working with a therapist you feel comfortable with. Our initial call is free and gives us a chance to understand what you are looking for, answer any questions, and consider what kind of support may be the best fit.

What type of therapy is best for anxiety?

There is no single approach to anxiety therapy that is right for everyone. The most appropriate approach will depend on your experience of anxiety, the factors contributing to it, and what you hope to gain from therapy.

Our therapists work with a range of evidence-based approaches, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Schema Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). Rather than choosing an approach based on a diagnosis alone, your therapist will take time to understand you as an individual and consider which way of working is likely to be most helpful. This is something you explore together during your initial assessment, rather than something you need to decide in advance.

What do you talk about in anxiety therapy?

Early sessions are an opportunity to build a clearer picture of your anxiety: when it began, what tends to trigger it, how it affects you, and the ways you have tried to manage it. As therapy develops, you may begin to explore the patterns beneath the anxiety, including particular fears, situations you avoid, and the experiences or beliefs that may be contributing to how you feel.

You don’t need to arrive knowing exactly what is wrong or why you feel the way you do. Many people find it difficult to put their experience into words at first. Your therapist will help guide the conversation, asking questions and working with you to make sense of what is happening at a pace that feels manageable.

How long does anxiety therapy take?

It varies depending on what is being worked with. Focused work on a specific anxiety, such as a phobia or a defined pattern of panic, is often shorter. Anxiety that has been present for many years, or that sits alongside other difficulties, usually takes longer.

Rather than committing to a fixed number of sessions at the outset, your therapist will suggest an initial direction at assessment and review it with you as the work develops.

How much does anxiety therapy cost?

Fees vary depending on which therapist you work with, and an initial assessment is charged separately. Our current fees are listed in full on our fees page.

A free 15-minute telephone call with our Clinic Director, Dr Steven Mahan-Taylor, comes before any appointment is booked, and is a straightforward way to ask about both cost and fit.

Could my symptoms be anxiety or something physical?

Some symptoms of anxiety can also occur with physical health conditions or as a side effect of certain medications. If your symptoms are new, have changed, or you are unsure what may be causing them, it is important to speak with your GP or another healthcare professional.

Many people come to therapy after physical causes have been investigated, yet the symptoms they are experiencing remain very real and often distressing. Therapy can help you explore how anxiety may be contributing to these experiences and develop ways of understanding and responding to them differently.