My Friend Anxiety

a resource for some, not all.

Resources

For general information about anxiety, here is what is also on our ‘If you use this site’ page:

Insurance coverage

Many therapists and prescribers are members of insurance networks, but not all. Be sure you research what your health insurance benefits cover and do not cover before you incur any expenses: you don’t want to have a large personal bill surprise you if you have used someone out of network.

Fortunately, many employers have become very sensitized to the emotional and mental health of their employees and families. The COVID pandemic created many new challenges for people they had not had to deal with before, and your employer may have added resources and services you have not heard about; be sure and ask your Human Resources department what resources are available to you. Among them may be EAP that do not cost you anything.

Employee Assistance Programs

If you have employer-sponsored health insurance, your employer may have an EAP (Employee Assistance Program) service that offers additional benefits to those who are seeking therapists or physician prescribers. Call your Human Resources department or look on your employer’s website and search for ‘EAP’.

Choosing a Provider

Choosing which approach is right for you may require some experimentation, trial and error. Therapists tend to favor a primary type of approach, and you may find that it’s worth exploring more than one to see what works best for you. And any kind of ‘process’ therapy is likely going to require some time to understand if it is meeting your needs.

Medications

Whether medications are unneeded, helpful or required is a very personal decision that you need to make in consultation with a prescribing physician or other professional. If you are working with a process therapist, they certainly should know about any medications you are taking, for any condition or problem (not just anxiety).

Therapy options

Among the many therapeutic options, there are two approaches that, for some, have proven to be remarkably effective in processing a number of challenges that often have roots in trauma, including anxiety.

EMDR: ‘Eye Movement Densitization and Reprocessing’ technique utilizes the movement of the eyes to help access and process emotional challenges. More information is available here.

Brainspotting: Is built on some of the information EMDR uses, and offers a variation that, for many people, is very effective. More information is available from several places:

Scroll to top