Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Lorton, VA.

In the fast-paced Northern Virginia area, high levels of stress and anxiety are common. I create an understanding, compassionate therapeutic environment. My approach is to address both anxious thinking and the body’s stress response. You will learn practical skills to help adjust the thought patterns that support anxiety. Because anxiety is also physical I use relaxation and mindfulness techniques to achieve a calmer, more focused state by slowing down racing thoughts. With these skills, we examine all areas of life, including any outside factors that contribute to stress. I never take a “one-size-fits-all” approach to my work. Therapy is a collaborative process, the best results coming from honoring the uniqueness of each person.

Anxiety can take on a variety of different forms depending on the individual. Oftentimes people who come into therapy for anxiety because they experience excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation) over a number of events in their life (work, children, relationships, finances, activities) and the source of the worry can change from day-to-day. People experiencing this kind of anxiety feel they cannot control or lessen the worry and that they are intruded upon by it on an hourly/daily basis. My recent book, Be Calm Proven Techniques to Stop Anxiety Now-offers strategies to reduce anxiety on the spot and I use these strategies in my client work.

Anxiety and stress is how our body and mind react to the compounding minor stresses of everyday life or major complications. The goal of therapy is to change how the body and mind respond to intense, overwhelming, or uncertain situations. First, you will develop an awareness of your reactions to stress. Next, we will develop and practice strategies that help you feel in control of the present and face the future with courage and strength.

Anxiety comes when the situations of life create negative ideas about people or things. Once these negative thoughts become frequent, they can prevent you from finding joy in life. In therapy, we work through the negativity, exploring its causes, and then find coping strategies to get around them. Once you know where the negative ideas come from, you can face the situations with a fresh outlook. And we act as a team to create it.

Anxiety and stress often get in the way of a fulfilling life and I believe therapy can help. I am a marriage and family therapist (MFT), so I have been trained to help clients think about the stress in their lives in the context of their relationships. This type of 'systems thinking' is unique to Licensed MFTs. Clients benefit from this approach because it brings your stress outside of your own self and into the world of your relationships. This is very freeing! We work together to achieve your goals, always reaching toward a more peaceful life.

In today's world, we are stressed as never before. Multitasking has become a way of life for many people, and we are all juggling more balls than ever before.Therapy for anxiety and stress can help you to live and enjoy the life you have chosen. You will learn to be an "actor," rather than a "reactor" in your life. I will help you to discern what is within your control and what is not. Then you will be able to make changes, a step at a time, to live anxiety and stress-free.

Robyn E. Brickel, M.A., LMFT, LLC uses counseling methods in her therapy practice that are based on research evidence that can help facilitate the rapid resolution of symptoms of anxiety and mood instability, including stress and depression. Robyn incorporates techniques for mind-body integration so insights gained in psychotherapy are internalized and sustained.

A lot of people experience anxiety when they feel stressed out. In fact, stress and anxiety go hand by hand. Hence, learning to deal with stress can also help you to manage anxiety in a better way. Anxiety is not really a bad thing as anxiety can motivate us to do things better, but anxiety can become a problem when it gets too much. Hence, how to keep “good” anxiety and get rid of “bad anxiety” and this is something that we can work on together.