CBT for Anxiety
Evidence-based, CBT for generalised anxiety (GAD), social anxiety (SAD), panic attacks and health anxiety (IAD).
CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) is considered the gold-standard, first-line psychological treatment for anxiety disorders, recommended by NICE for generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder. It works by helping you understand and change the thought patterns, physical responses, and behaviours (such as avoidance) that keep anxiety going, so you can respond to anxious thoughts and situations differently. Over time this help develops confidence in one's own ability to cope with situations.
Is this you?
Anxiety can show up as a constant, background worry that never switches off. A fear of being judged or embarrassed in front of others. Sudden panic that comes from nowhere, or a persistent worry about your health that never quite settles. If anxiety has started shaping your choices, what you do, where you go or what you avoid, accessing CBT is likely an effective approach to overcome these challenges.
Why CBT is the gold-standard treatment for anxiety?
CBT is recommended by NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) as the first treatment for generalised anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety and health anxiety. It's described as "gold-standard" because decades of research consistently show well-evidenced outcomes for anxiety-treatment compared to other approaches.
Why does CBT work well for anxiety specifically?
Whilst anxiety can develop in many different ways. It becomes maintained by a vicious cycle: where anxious thoughts trigger physical sensation and urges to avoid. Whilst avoidance brings short-term relief. This reinforces the sense that avoidance is necessary, undermines our trust in our ability to cope and further develops the anxiety in the long-term. CBT works directly on this cycle, helping test out anxious predictions, reduce unhelpful approaches and build a new pattern that deepens trust in our ability to cope.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
What is GAD?
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is persistent, excessive worry which shows up across life in areas including work, health, relationships and finances. Which is hard to control, and often comes with tension, restlessness or disrupted sleep.
How does CBT help with GAD?
CBT helps identify worry patterns and beliefs, develop confidence in managing uncertainty, find alternative ways of approaching challenges and re-considering our approach to worry. Treatment is tailored to individual needs through a process called formulation.
Social Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
What is SAD?
Social Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is an intense fear of being judged, embarrassed or being negatively seen by others in social / performance situations, often leading to avoidance of them or masking when in them.
How does CBT help with SAD?
CBT for social anxiety focuses on the the self-focused attention and hypervigilance that fuels fear of judgment, along with changing behaviours that unintentionally keep anxiety in place. Treatment builds confidence in social situations through a structured, paced approach.
Health Anxiety (IAD)
What is IAD?
Health anxiety (officially: "Illness Anxiety Disorder") is persistent, excessive worry about having or developing a serious illness, often involving frequently checking symptoms, seeking reassurance excessively (from family, friends and healthcare professionals) that don't fully settle the worry.
How does CBT help with Health Anxiety?
CBT for health anxiety focuses on how body sensations can be misinterpreted as signs of serious illness, where behaviours like checking or seeking reassurance feel helpful in the moment but feed into the worry long-term. The aim is to shift how we relate to physical sensations and health-related uncertainty in a more manageable way.
This approach doesn't invalidate that nothing is wrong, or that appropriate medical investigation shouldn't be accessed. Rather it focuses on turning down the dial on unhelpful anxiety where medical symptoms are being appropriately investigated.
FAQ's
Do I need a diagnosis to book a session?
No. You don't need a formal diagnosis of GAD, social anxiety, panic disorder, or health anxiety to book. Many people come with a general sense that anxiety is affecting their life, and we'd work from there.
Is CBT for anxiety the same regardless of which type I have?
No. While the core CBT approach is shared, treatment is tailored to the specific pattern maintaining your anxiety, the approach for panic attacks looks different in practice from the approach for social anxiety or health anxiety, even though both are grounded in the same evidence base.
How is this different from general stress management?
Anxiety disorders have specific, well-researched maintaining patterns: avoidance, safety behaviours, misinterpretation of physical sensations, that targeted CBT addresses directly. General stress management can help with day-to-day pressure, but if what you're experiencing matches one of the patterns above, a more targeted approach is likely to help more.
What if I'm not sure this is the right fit?
Book the free discovery call: a low-pressure conversation to see whether this feels right for you, with no obligation to book anything further.
Key References
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2011, last updated 2020) Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management [CG113]. Available at: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg113
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2013) Social anxiety disorder: recognition, assessment and treatment [CG159]. Available at: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg159