Anxiety & Stress Support on the Central Coast & NSW
Anxiety is the most common type of mental health problem - and one that can be difficult to face alone.
Nervousness and anxiety can make life feel impossible. Whether it's constant worry, panic attacks, social anxiety, or a racing mind that won't switch off, most people tend to feel exhausted when trying to get through life with anxiety.
My aim is simple: that you feel understood, have confidence in the process, and leave each session with a clearer sense of direction.
Does This Sound Familiar?
Constantly overthinking situations, conversations, or what might happen next.
Finding it difficult to switch your mind off, even when you want to relax.
Feeling stuck in a cycle of worry that seems impossible to control.
Feeling mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted from being "on edge."
Avoiding certain situations, people, or activities because they feel overwhelming.
Experiencing panic attacks or intense physical symptoms such as a racing heart, tight chest, dizziness, or shortness of breath.
Frequently seeking reassurance - from friends, family, Google, or ChatGPT - but never feeling reassured for long.
Feeling as though anxiety is stopping you from living the life you want to live.
Anxiety isn't one-size-fits-all, and neither is therapy.
Together we'll work to understand how anxiety shows up in your life, what's keeping it going, and which strategies are most likely to help you move forward.
Anxiety can take many different forms:
While many people find it helpful to understand the different types of anxiety, you don't need a diagnosis to benefit from therapy. The most important step is understanding the patterns, and finding an approach to move forward.
Generalised Anxiety:
Persistent worry that feels difficult to control, often across multiple areas of life.
Common experiences:
Excessive worry and overthinking
Feeling constantly "on edge"
Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty relaxing or switching off
Restlessness or agitation & irritability
Muscle tension and poor sleep
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:
Distressing intrusive thoughts, often followed by behaviours or rituals aimed at reducing anxiety.
Common experiences:
Unwanted & distressing thoughts, that often become repetitive patterns
High anxiety that feels overwhelming
Attempts to control anxiety by checking, cleaning, organising, seeking reassurance, or other ritualised behaviours
Anxiety persists, despite efforts to control it
Trauma & PTSD:
Anxiety that develops following traumatic or highly distressing experiences.
Common experiences:
Re-experiencing the trauma via flashbacks, intrusive memories, nightmares etc.
High distress when reminded about trauma
Avoiding people, places, conversations, or thinking about the traumatic event
Depressed mood & changes in thinking patterns
Health Anxiety:
Persistent fears about health or serious illness despite reassurance or medical assessment.
Common experiences:
Persistent worry and preoccupation about health, symptoms & well being
Frequent body checking
Excessive reassurance seeking; or…
Excessive avoidance of health appointments and diagnostic testing
High anxiety and fear around the prospect of injury, illness, or death
These descriptions are intended as a guide rather than an accurate representation of diagnostic criteria.
What does Therapy involve?
Anxiety can feel overwhelming and confusing, but therapy doesn't have to be. Rather than focusing on "fixing" you, our work begins by understanding how anxiety has developed, what's keeping it going, and what will be most helpful for your unique situation. Together, we'll develop a personalised plan aimed not only at reducing anxiety, but also at helping you feel more confident, capable, and engaged in everyday life.
Understanding your story:
We begin with a comprehensive assessment to understand your current concerns, personal history, and the experiences that have shaped your anxiety. Together, we'll identify the patterns that may be maintaining your symptoms and develop a shared understanding of where to begin.
Building practical skills:
Depending on your goals, therapy may involve learning strategies to manage physical symptoms, unhelpful thinking patterns, difficult emotions, and behaviours that keep anxiety going. Treatment is always tailored to your individual needs rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach.
Supporting your wellbeing:
Anxiety is often influenced by many aspects of our lives. Where appropriate, we'll also explore and address lifestyle factors such as sleep, physical activity, nutrition, stress management, and daily routines that can support your mental health and recovery. Making these changes can also lead to improved mood and general well being.
Creating Lasting Change:
Together, we'll set meaningful goals that focus not only on reducing symptoms but also on building confidence, resilience, and the ability to engage more fully in work, relationships, and the activities that matter most to you. We aim to create a clear, personalised plan that you can take with you and refer back to when needed.
Clinical psychologists don't prescribe medication. However, medication can be a helpful part of treatment for some people. If it's something you'd like to explore, we can discuss the potential benefits and limitations, and where appropriate, liaise with your GP or arrange a referral to a psychiatrist.
Take The Next Step
Appointments are available within weeks; not months.
For Eligible Medicare clients, Gap Fees start from just $66.
New Clients are Welcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions? Take a look at our FAQ or reach out anytime to info@forwardthinkingpsychology.com
-
Most people hope therapy will remove anxiety entirely - which is understandable, but not always realistic. Fear/Anxiety are in-built emotions and features of our nervous system - for better or worse it’s part of being human. The goal of therapy is not to eliminate anxiety, but to reduce its intensity, frequency, and the influence it may have on your decisions and quality of life.
Most clients notice that anxiety becomes easier to predict and manage, and less consuming over time. Even when anxiety shows up, it tends to pass more quickly and feels less overwhelming. In other words, anxiety may still exist - but it no longer defines or limits you in the same way.
-
Evidence-based therapy for anxiety may involve gradually facing feared situations - but this is always done collaboratively, at a pace that feels manageable, and with a clear rationale. Nothing is forced, and you remain in control of what you’re willing to try.
Importantly, therapy isn’t just about “pushing through” fear. A large part of therapy focuses on understanding your anxiety, building confidence in your ability to cope, and reducing the need for avoidance or overcontrolling situations. Exposure, when used, is just a tool - not the entire therapy.
Please also be aware that our clinicians have experience with other models for addressing anxiety (e.g., EMDR, Schema Therapy, and Meta-cognitive therapy) that may require less exposure components - if preferred.
-
In our work, we focus on understanding what actually maintains your anxiety day-to-day and tailoring strategies to your situation. Ideally, we address multiple layers of anxiety:
Physical: how your body responds and regulates stress
Cognitive: thought patterns that fuel worry or rumination
Behavioural: avoidance or other patterns that maintain anxiety
Emotional: the impact of living with anxiety on mood and quality of life
The goal is to provide meaningful, personalised support that addresses the root of your anxiety, builds lasting skills, and fits with your life - rather than relying on any single technique.
Being honest - if you experience a high amount of physical or somatic anxiety, we would likely prioritise finding practical ways to help regulate your nervous system. There are plenty of options, and this wouldn’t be the only focus of treatment. Breathing exercises, mindfulness, yoga, distraction techniques, exercise or other anxiety tools can help some people, but they’re not a one-size-fits-all solution so it takes experimentation to find the right tool(s).
-
This really depends on what you’re seeking support for and how complex your situation is. Some people find a smaller number of sessions (often around 6) helpful for gaining clarity or practical tools, while others prefer longer-term support (15+ sessions). We’ll regularly check in about what’s working, what you need, and whether continuing therapy feels right for you. You’re never “locked in,” and there’s no expectation to attend more sessions than are genuinely helpful.
-
Yes - you are always in control of what you choose to share, and you can skip questions if needed. Sessions are guided by what feels most relevant or pressing for you. Our clinicians are trained to work alongside you (not interrogate you). The aim is to create a safe, respectful space, ask thoughtful questions, and offer guidance - never to push you into discussing topics you don’t want to address.