What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is our body's natural response to a perceived threat. At times, anxiety can be an adaptive response, motivating us to take necessary action. However, sometimes anxiety that is too intense or prolonged can hinder our ability to act or to achieve our goals.
Symptoms of Anxiety:
When to Seek Treatment for Anxiety?
Clients typically seek treatment for anxiety when it is significantly interfering with their life functioning and preventing them from attaining their goals. It is human nature to avoid what makes us feel uncomfortable or anxious. However, often the way to overcome a fear is to face that fear. Exposure therapy is a research-based treatment found to be highly effective for the treatment of many anxiety disorders. An individualized treatment plan is developed for each client and modified as treatment progresses. In some cases, medication may be helpful and referrals to a psychiatrist are made as needed.
For more information about anxiety disorders and their diagnostic criteria, see the National Institutes of Mental Health pages on anxiety.
Exposure Therapy and Programmed Practice
In treating individuals with anxiety disorders, unlike most therapists, Dr. Bricker conducts imaginal and in-vivo exposure therapy, within her office and in real-world settings, providing empirically-supported treatment for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Phobia, Selective Mutism, and numerous specific phobias (e.g., fear of public speaking, flying, bridges, water, heights, elevators, animals, etc.). Exposure Therapy is a treatment which reduces anxiety by exposing an individual to a feared situation for a prolonged period of time. After repeated contact with the fearful situation, there is a reduction in anxiety and the fear loses its ability to elicit an anxious response.
Relaxation Training
When necessary, Dr. Bricker provides relaxation training to decrease general physical or cognitive arousal that often co-occurs with stress and anxiety disorders. There are many forms of relaxation training such as deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation (tensing and then relaxing various muscle groups such as the face, neck, shoulders, arms and legs).
SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING (CHILDREN, ADOLESCENTS & ADULTS)
Social Anxiety: Individuals who suffer from social anxiety tend to experience intense anxiety during ordinary forms of social interaction. For example, they may be very fearful when meeting new people, doing a presentation, or joining a group conversation or activity. They may also feel very embarrassed doing routine things in public, such as eating, asking a store clerk a question or ordering at a restaurant. Social anxiety in children may manifest behaviorally in the form of activity withdrawal, crying, temper tantrums, or obstinate behavior. Adults may also engage in avoidance behaviors or endure situations (e.g., work or social obligations) with significant distress. Group social skills training has been found to be a very effective treatment for social anxiety, and Dr. Bricker has had great success in treating this population with evidence-based group therapy programs called Social Effectiveness Therapy (SET) for adults and Social Effectivenss Therapy for Children (SET-C).
Group Therapy: The programs Dr. Bricker implements are research-based and include weekly social skills training sessions and community activities designed to enhance the transfer of social skills to "real-life" settings. Group training sessions teach specific skills necessary for effective social interaction (e.g., non-verbal social cues, initiating and maintaining conversations, joining groups, friendship establishment and maintenance, and assertion). Dr. Bricker employs traditional behavioral procedures such as modeling, behavior rehearsal, and feedback to enhance skill acquisition.
Anxiety is our body's natural response to a perceived threat. At times, anxiety can be an adaptive response, motivating us to take necessary action. However, sometimes anxiety that is too intense or prolonged can hinder our ability to act or to achieve our goals.
Symptoms of Anxiety:
- Worry
- Restlessness
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Difficulty concentrating
- Muscle tension
- Headaches
- Sleep difficulties
- Panicky feelings
- Obsessions/Compulsions
When to Seek Treatment for Anxiety?
Clients typically seek treatment for anxiety when it is significantly interfering with their life functioning and preventing them from attaining their goals. It is human nature to avoid what makes us feel uncomfortable or anxious. However, often the way to overcome a fear is to face that fear. Exposure therapy is a research-based treatment found to be highly effective for the treatment of many anxiety disorders. An individualized treatment plan is developed for each client and modified as treatment progresses. In some cases, medication may be helpful and referrals to a psychiatrist are made as needed.
For more information about anxiety disorders and their diagnostic criteria, see the National Institutes of Mental Health pages on anxiety.
Exposure Therapy and Programmed Practice
In treating individuals with anxiety disorders, unlike most therapists, Dr. Bricker conducts imaginal and in-vivo exposure therapy, within her office and in real-world settings, providing empirically-supported treatment for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Phobia, Selective Mutism, and numerous specific phobias (e.g., fear of public speaking, flying, bridges, water, heights, elevators, animals, etc.). Exposure Therapy is a treatment which reduces anxiety by exposing an individual to a feared situation for a prolonged period of time. After repeated contact with the fearful situation, there is a reduction in anxiety and the fear loses its ability to elicit an anxious response.
Relaxation Training
When necessary, Dr. Bricker provides relaxation training to decrease general physical or cognitive arousal that often co-occurs with stress and anxiety disorders. There are many forms of relaxation training such as deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation (tensing and then relaxing various muscle groups such as the face, neck, shoulders, arms and legs).
SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING (CHILDREN, ADOLESCENTS & ADULTS)
Social Anxiety: Individuals who suffer from social anxiety tend to experience intense anxiety during ordinary forms of social interaction. For example, they may be very fearful when meeting new people, doing a presentation, or joining a group conversation or activity. They may also feel very embarrassed doing routine things in public, such as eating, asking a store clerk a question or ordering at a restaurant. Social anxiety in children may manifest behaviorally in the form of activity withdrawal, crying, temper tantrums, or obstinate behavior. Adults may also engage in avoidance behaviors or endure situations (e.g., work or social obligations) with significant distress. Group social skills training has been found to be a very effective treatment for social anxiety, and Dr. Bricker has had great success in treating this population with evidence-based group therapy programs called Social Effectiveness Therapy (SET) for adults and Social Effectivenss Therapy for Children (SET-C).
Group Therapy: The programs Dr. Bricker implements are research-based and include weekly social skills training sessions and community activities designed to enhance the transfer of social skills to "real-life" settings. Group training sessions teach specific skills necessary for effective social interaction (e.g., non-verbal social cues, initiating and maintaining conversations, joining groups, friendship establishment and maintenance, and assertion). Dr. Bricker employs traditional behavioral procedures such as modeling, behavior rehearsal, and feedback to enhance skill acquisition.