Anxiety and Panic
Anxiety is a normal and healthy reaction in many situations. A little anxiety can be motivating. It can also increase one’s level of alertness. However, when anxiety becomes overwhelming or chronic, it can interfere with daily functioning. There are different types of anxiety that may cause problems in one’s life. There is Social Anxiety, wherein an individual fears large crowds or crowded places. People experiencing social anxiety often feel that others are negatively evaluating them or that they will be humiliated or ridiculed. As a result, they often avoid social activities or restrict their outings. Another type of anxiety, referred to as Specific Phobia, is when an individual is afraid of one specific thing, place, or situation. Common phobias include: the fear of flying, public speaking, driving, heights, bridges, or closed in places, such as elevators. If anxiety is more diffuse, the worries takes up a lot of one’s time, and seem excessive, this is called Generalized Anxiety. People with anxiety disorders usually have problems functioning in areas of their lives, such as at work, at home, and/or at school. They may also experience symptoms such as tension, irritability, difficulty relaxing, restlessness, difficulty sleeping, difficulty concentrating, or being easily fatigued. If the anxiety is acute, in that the symptoms appear within ten minutes and include racing heart, sweating, shakiness, sensations of shortness of breath, chest pain, feeling dizzy, lightheaded, a fear of going crazy or fear of dying, this is referred to as a Panic Attack. Often times, individual who experience any significant anxiety report a reduction in the quality of their lives. The good news is that there are evidenced-based treatments available to help you, or someone you care about, overcome these problems. There are many counselors at Luminent or are highly trained in the area of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Professional counselors can teach you how to manage your anxiety and fears, face and overcome your fears, and provide you with psychoeducation about how and why your mind and body reacts the way it does to certain objects or situations. The counselors at Luminent will help you to conquer your fears and teach you how to manage your anxiety levels.
Reference:	http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/anxietymenu.cfm

What can you expect from telephone counseling?

Using the phone to talk with a counselor is not much different than what you could expect from an office visit. The therapy we offer at Luminent, by way of the telephone, can be as effective, or even more effective, than the traditional in-office visits.

You may have anxieties or concerns about office visits and may not be as willing to open up and truly express your feelings and thoughts because it seems too overwhelming or intimidating to sit down, face-to-face with a counselor. By using the telephone, you can discuss without the self-consciousness you may experience sitting across from a mental health professional.

One of the best features of telephone therapy is that it allows you to choose how long you want your session to last. A typical therapy session usually lasts 45-50 minutes, when using the more traditional office visits. However, with Luminent, you can work with your counselor to choose the amount of time you would like. Not only can you choose to have shorter or longer sessions, you can also work with your counselor to increase the frequency of your sessions if needed.

We have many professionals available to help you.

The first step to engaging in therapy is to select from our list of highly qualified professionals. You can do this by both choosing from the list of on this page, and reviewing the different the counselor's profile and listening to an audio introduction if available.

Start gradually with a free consultation.

We offer a free 10 minute screening to ensure that you would like to work with that counselor, as it is important that you feel that there is a good match. Once you choose your therapist, you can begin therapy in a way that feels most comfortable to you.

It all starts with learning about your needs.

Your therapist may initially ask you questions about your concerns; explore how your issues are impacting your life, and what are some of your goals. You can choose the pace at which you want to go. This means you can slowly address your issues, or you can choose to share your problems in your initial phone session.

You can expect your counselor to be a non-judgmental, supportive individual. He or she may ask you questions about your thoughts and feelings, and help guide you to exploring issues surrounding your concerns. The counselors at Luminent are invested in helping you to achieve the goals you would like. They can help provide knowledge and tools that enable you to deal more effectively with your problems.