SHIFT Cognitive Therapy

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The Treatment of Anxiety
Research clearly shows that Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for anxiety and is as or more effective than medication. Treatment recipients frequently prefer it over medication, perceiving it to have more durable and longer-lasting effects (2). At Shift Cognitive Therapy we use CBT to teach anxiety sufferers to overcome the thoughts and behaviours that maintain anxiety.

Two persistent cognitive errors fuel the anxiety reaction. Anxiety sufferers:
1. overestimate the dangerousness of potential threats
2. underestimate their own ability to cope with those threats.

Together, those errors activate their bodily defenses unnecessarily. Perceiving the resulting arousal as dangerous, anxiety sufferers then attempt to reduce their contact with any person, place, thought or thing that might re-activate those frightening feelings. Although intended to reduce anxious discomfort, that strategy of avoidance actually maintains symptoms by preventing the anxious person from learning that their erroneous beliefs are untrue.

CBT for anxiety often begins with education about the the body’s defence systems and the power of thinking errors. By increasing a person’s understanding of the types of triggers that cause anxiety clients learn to experience anxious arousal from a more logical perspective and with less fear. They then begin the process of correcting thinking errors and building confidence by gradually facing their fears through individually tailored treatment plans. CBT treatments usually last between 10 and 20 one-hour sessions, often held at weekly intervals. Services are covered by extended health benefit plans and are tax deductible.

In addition to providing CBT treatment to adults, adolescents and children, Shift Cognitive Therapy also offers a lower-cost alternative of group CBT treatments, which allow for additional benefits like the chance to receive direct and unbiased feedback from others with the same struggles. Groups are also more affordable for those without insurance coverage.

References:

Marciniak, M, Lage, MJ, et al. (2004). Medical and productivity costs of anxiety disorders: Case control study. Depression and Anxiety, 19, pp. 112-120.
Deacon, B, & Abramowitz, JS. (2005). Patients’ perceptions of pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral treatments for anxiety disorders. Behavior Therapy, 36, pp.139-145.

Check this link monthly for new information from Shift Cognitive Therapy.

Shift Cognitive Therapy, Dr. Ian Shulman, Psychologist
466 Speers Road, 3rd Floor Oakville, Ontario L6K 3W9
Tel: 905. 849. 1288 Fax: 905. 849. 1589