Can Therapy Help with Anxiety?
Anxiety can feel overwhelming, exhausting, and sometimes even never-ending. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re wondering if therapy can help. The short answer? Yes, absolutely. Therapy—especially Person-Centred Therapy—can be a powerful tool in understanding, managing, and easing anxiety in a way that feels right for you. Let's explore how.
What Causes Anxiety?
Anxiety can come from many places—stress, trauma, big life changes, or even just the pressures of daily life. Sometimes, it feels like it appears out of nowhere, making even simple tasks feel impossible. Whether it's triggered by a specific event or something more ongoing, anxiety isn’t just "in your head." It’s a real and valid experience and it sucks. Therapy can help you untangle where it’s coming from and what to do about it.
What Does Anxiety Feel Like?
Anxiety shows up differently for everyone. For some, it's a constant worry in the background. For others, it’s full-blown panic attacks that make your heart race and your mind spin. You might struggle to concentrate, have sweaty hands, sleep poorly, or feel a tightness in your chest (like a rock), that never seems to go away. No matter how it shows up for you, know this: you’re not alone, and you don’t have to figure it out by yourself.
How to Overcome Anxiety
There’s not just one solution that suits everyone, as we are all different. But here are some things that may help. Therapy, self-care, lifestyle changes, and even small mindset shifts can make a difference. The key is finding what’s best for you—and that’s where counselling can play a big role.
What is Anxiety Therapy?
Therapy for anxiety isn’t about someone telling you what to do or "fixing" you. It’s about having a space where you can be completely honest, without fear of judgment. It’s about understanding yourself better and learning ways to manage anxiety that feel natural and sustainable and authentic to you as an individual.
What is Counselling?
Counselling is a type of talking therapy that gives you a safe and confidential space to explore your thoughts and feelings. With a trained counsellor like me, Holly Ibbs, you may wish to unpack what’s been bothering you at your own pace. Person-Centred Therapy, the approach I work with, focuses on you as an individual—because no two people experience anxiety in the same way.
How Counselling Can Help with Anxiety
Talking things through with a therapist can help you:
Understand where your anxiety is coming from
Recognise thought patterns that might be making it worse
Learn coping strategies that fit your life
Feel heard and supported, rather than overwhelmed and alone
What is the Best Way to Cope with Anxiety?
Coping with anxiety is a personal journey, but some tried-and-tested approaches include:
Talking to someone – A therapist, a friend, or journaling can help release anxious thoughts.
Grounding techniques – Simple things like deep breathing or focusing on your senses can bring you back to the present.
Self-care routines – Getting enough sleep, movement, and downtime can make a big difference.
Challenging negative thoughts – Therapy can help you reframe unhelpful thinking patterns that may be attributing to your anxiety.
How Effective is Therapy for Anxiety?
Therapy doesn’t offer an instant cure, but it does provide long-term tools to manage anxiety in a healthy way. Many people find that after regular sessions, their anxiety becomes more manageable, their confidence grows, and they feel more in control of their lives.
What Kind of Therapy is Best for Anxiety?
There are different types of therapy for anxiety, but Person-Centred Therapy stands out because it’s completely tailored to you. Instead of following a rigid method, it focuses on what you need in the moment and helps you feel truly heard and understood.
Social Anxiety
If social situations make you anxious, therapy can help you unpack why and work on building confidence at your own pace. There’s no pressure—just a space to explore what’s holding you back.
Eco and Climate Anxiety
Worried about the state of the world? You’re not alone. Climate anxiety is real, and therapy can help you process those feelings without becoming overwhelmed.
Health Anxiety
Panicking about your health and constantly fearing the worst? With the rise of online health information (and doom-scrolling symptoms), more people are becoming hyper-aware of their bodies, which can fuel anxiety. Health anxiety is real, and therapy can help you manage your fears without letting them take over your life.
Can Anxiety Go Away with Therapy?
Anxiety may not disappear overnight, but therapy can help it feel less intense, less frequent, and more manageable. Over time, many people find that their anxious thoughts don’t control them as much as they used to.
How Long Does Therapy Take to Help Anxiety?
There’s no set timeline—it depends on you, your experiences, and your goals. Some people feel a shift after just a few sessions, while others benefit from longer-term support. The important thing is that therapy moves at your pace.
Can You Recover from Anxiety?
Yes! While anxiety might always be a part of your life, it doesn’t have to control you. Therapy helps you build resilience, confidence, and strategies that make anxiety much easier to handle.
How to Get Therapy
Getting started is simple. If you’re based in the UK or Portugal, I offer online therapy, so you can talk from the comfort of your own space. You don’t need to have everything figured out—just taking that first step can make a huge difference.
FAQ About Anxiety and Therapy
How does therapy help with anxiety?
Therapy provides a safe space to explore your thoughts, learn coping strategies, and feel genuinely supported.
What type of therapy is best for anxiety?
Person-Centred Therapy works well because it focuses on your individual needs rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach.
Can anxiety go away completely?
Anxiety can become much easier to manage with therapy, but everyone’s experience is different. The goal is to feel more in control of it, rather than it controlling you.
How often should I have therapy for anxiety?
It depends on you! Some people find weekly sessions helpful, while others prefer bi-weekly or monthly check-ins.
FAQ About Holly Ibbs - Therapy
Who is Holly Ibbs?
I’m a certified Person-Centred Therapist offering online therapy in the UK and Portugal, helping people work through anxiety, self-esteem struggles, life changes, and more.
What approach do you use in therapy?
I use Person-Centred Therapy, which means sessions are led by you and tailored to your needs—no pressure, no judgment.
How do I book a session?
You can easily book a 15-minute intro call through my website, HollyIbbs.com. There’s a big button directing you to book a session on Calendly, so it’s simple and stress-free.
Do you offer in-person sessions?
At the moment, I focus on online therapy, making it accessible no matter where you are. There will be some face-to-face sessions and walk-and-talk sessions coming soon.
If anxiety has been weighing you down, therapy might be the first step towards feeling lighter, calmer, and more in control. You don’t have to do this alone—if you’re ready to talk, I’m here to listen.