Anxiety therapy in Fareham and online
Counselling, CBT, hypnotherapy and EMDR for anxiety, panic attacks and constant worry, calming the noise now and teaching your mind a steadier way to be.
Counselling, CBT, hypnotherapy & EMDR in Fareham, Hampshire, and online
Anxiety therapy to help you feel like yourself again
When worry takes hold and will not let go, it can reach into every part of life. It does not have to stay that way. In person in Fareham or online across the UK.
Fareham, Hampshire, plus online therapy UK wide
Free · Confidential · No obligation · You set the pace
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When does anxiety become something to treat?
Anxiety is a normal human response to stress, and in itself it is useful, alerting you to challenges and helping you cope. It becomes something worth treating when it is excessive or persistent, or when it starts to shrink your daily life.
At that point it may fit what is called an anxiety disorder, and the reassuring part is that anxiety responds well to therapy. Most people who come to us have been managing it alone for far longer than they needed to.
You also do not need to know which therapy you need, or to have a diagnosis. That is our job. Tell us roughly what has been happening and we will match you with the right therapist.
You may recognise yours here
The forms anxiety takes
Anxiety is not one thing. These are the ones we see most, and you do not need a label to get in touch.
- Generalised anxiety (GAD)
- Panic attacks and panic disorder
- Social anxiety
- Health anxiety
- Specific phobias
- Separation anxiety
- Performance and exam nerves
- Work and burnout related anxiety
- Anxiety after a difficult event
- Anxiety alongside low mood
You might recognise this
Common signs of anxiety
Anxiety shows up differently for everyone. You may notice a few of these, or many. Read them gently, and without alarm.
Excessive worry
Persistent, hard to control worry, often out of proportion to the situation in front of you.
Physical symptoms
A racing heart, sweating, trembling, dizziness, muscle tension or an unsettled stomach.
Panic attacks
Sudden episodes of intense fear, often with a pounding heart or shortness of breath.
Avoidance
Steering clear of places or situations that set it off, which quietly narrows daily life.
Trouble concentrating
Finding it hard to focus or finish things because your thoughts will not settle.
Disturbed sleep
Struggling to fall or stay asleep, kept awake by worry, then short-fused by day.
Panic explained
What are panic attacks and panic disorder?
Panic attacks can feel frightening and completely out of the blue: a racing heart, tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, dizziness, a sense of being overwhelmed. Panic disorder is when those episodes keep happening and you begin to dread the next one.
It is common to start fearing the places where an attack happened, and to avoid them. Left alone, that avoidance tends to spread, sometimes into agoraphobia.
Panic responds particularly well to therapy, and breaking the cycle is often quicker than people expect.
An honest answer
Which anxiety therapy actually works?
Cognitive behavioural therapy has the strongest evidence base for anxiety, and it is what NICE recommends for generalised anxiety, panic and social anxiety. That is usually where we start, particularly for panic.
EMDR is very well established for trauma, and we use it here where distressing memories are clearly feeding the anxiety, rather than as a first line treatment for anxiety on its own.
Hypnotherapy is widely used for anxiety and many people find it genuinely helps, especially with physical tension and sleep. The research behind it is thinner than for CBT, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise. It is often combined with CBT for that reason.
Counselling gives you the space to be heard and to understand what is underneath it, which for some people matters more than any technique.
Your options
Four proven ways we help with anxiety
There is no single right answer, so we match the approach to you and often blend more than one.
CBT · Strongest evidence
CBT for anxiety: change the pattern
Cognitive behavioural therapy helps you spot and change the thoughts and behaviours that keep anxiety going, breaking the cycle of anxious thinking, physical symptoms and avoidance.
You learn to challenge fears that do not hold up, replace them with steadier thinking, and build practical tools for the difficult moments. Over time it builds the confidence to face what you have been avoiding.
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy for anxiety: settle mind and body
Hypnotherapy guides you into a deeply relaxed state where the mind is more open to change. From there you can gently reframe the thought patterns feeding the anxiety and take the heat out of its triggers.
It works well on physical tension, restlessness and sleep, which for many people are the parts that make everything else harder. It is often combined with CBT.
EMDR
EMDR for anxiety: process what sits underneath
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, helps the brain process distressing experiences so they lose their emotional charge. Where anxiety or panic is rooted in something that happened, this is often the piece that shifts it.
It reduces the pull of your triggers, eases the intensity of the physical response, and builds steadier ways of coping.
Counselling
Anxiety counselling: a space to be heard
Counselling gives you a warm, confidential space to explore what sits behind the anxiety and to feel properly heard, rather than managed.
Often the best results come from combining approaches. We may blend counselling, CBT, hypnotherapy and EMDR to ease the physical side, lift the emotional weight and improve your sleep, shaped around you.
No surprises
What happens when you get in touch
- 1
You send a message or call
A line or two is plenty. If phoning feels like too much right now, message us and we will reply that way.
- 2
A free 15 minute call
A relaxed, confidential chat with an experienced therapist about what has been going on. No cost, no obligation.
- 3
We match you with the right therapist
We suggest the approach and therapist we think fits, in person in Fareham or online, and you decide whether to start.
Counselling from £72 a session. CBT, hypnotherapy and EMDR from £90. See all fees
Calm is closer than it feels
Anxiety is very good at convincing you that nothing will help and that you should wait until things settle down. It rarely settles on its own. Most people tell us afterwards that the hardest part was the message they nearly did not send.
Your questions answered
Anxiety therapy questions, answered
Can therapy really help my anxiety?
Yes. Anxiety and panic respond well to the right support, and CBT in particular has a strong evidence base. Hypnotherapy, EMDR and counselling all have a part to play, and often a blend works best. Everyone is different, so results vary, but very few people find nothing helps.
What is the best therapy for anxiety?
For anxiety and panic, CBT has the strongest evidence and is what NICE recommends. EMDR is the better fit where distressing memories are feeding the anxiety. Hypnotherapy helps many people with the physical tension and sleep side, though the research behind it is thinner. We will talk through what suits you on the free call.
Can you help with panic attacks specifically?
Yes, and panic is one of the things we work with most. The aim is to reduce how intense and how frequent the attacks are, ease the fear of the next one, and break the avoidance before it narrows your life further.
How long does anxiety therapy take to work?
It varies, and depends on the shape of your anxiety and how long it has been going on. Some people notice a shift within a handful of sessions, particularly with panic. Others prefer longer work. You will get an honest, realistic idea after the first session or two, and you are never tied into a block you have not chosen.
Should I see my GP as well?
It is usually a good idea, especially if anxiety is significantly affecting your daily life or if you have physical symptoms that have not been looked at. Your GP can talk through all your options, including medication, and we are happy to work alongside your medical care.
Do I need a diagnosis before I come?
No. You do not need a diagnosis, a label, or the right words for it. If worry is taking up more of your life than you would like, that is reason enough to get in touch.
What if I am already on medication for anxiety?
That is very common and it is not a barrier. Therapy works well alongside medication, and many people use both. Any decision about your prescription stays between you and your GP, and we would never advise you to change it.
What if I am too anxious to come to the first session?
That is a very normal worry and it does not mean therapy will not work. Start with a message rather than a phone call if that is easier, and start online rather than in the room if that helps. Plenty of people begin online and move to in person later, once it feels less daunting.
Can I have anxiety therapy online?
Yes. You can be seen in person at our Fareham practice or online from anywhere in the UK. Many people find online sessions a comfortable way to take part, from the calm of their own home, and they work just as well for anxiety.
Is what I say confidential?
Yes. Your sessions are private and treated with the strictest confidence. Nothing is shared with family, employers or your GP without your agreement. The only rare exception is where there is a serious risk to someone's safety, and your therapist would talk that through with you.
Whenever you are ready, we are here
Start with a free 15 minute call. A relaxed, confidential conversation with an experienced therapist about what has been happening and what might help, with no cost and no obligation.