Anxiety

The feeling of anxiety is one many people know well and is often experienced as a very uncomfortable part of life. It can show up when we have concerns about what will happen in the future, such as when we worry about how an upcoming job interview will go, how we might perform on an exam, or even how traffic might be during rush hour.

To avoid anxiety, you may try to avert stressful situations and suppress uncomfortable thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. Yet, avoiding these things can often make your problems worse.

Anxiety comes in many different forms. Some of these include:

Social anxiety or fears about social situations
Generalized anxiety about multiple different aspects of life
Phobias or fears associated with specific objects or situations

When anxiety symptoms make it difficult for you to enjoy your life to the fullest, anxiety treatment may be beneficial.

Anxiety treatment for adults, adolescents, and children 8+

Group therapy is provided through Linden Oaks Behavioral Health's Intensive Outpatient, Partial Hospitalization, and Inpatient programs. This includes both educational groups, skills groups, and individual meetings with a licensed clinical therapist.

Patients will learn a variety of skillsets with a focus on healthy lifestyles promoted by Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Exposure Therapy.

DBT incorporates healthy coping skills to assist people in understanding and managing distressing anxiety symptoms to encourage making decisions that better align with their values and goals. The aim of DBT is to achieve a life worth living.
ACT encourages people to be present, open up, and make space for unwanted anxious thoughts and feelings in favor of focusing on values guiding our behaviors. The aim of ACT is to make intentional actions towards living the life they desire.
Exposure Therapy helps people challenge their anxiety by coming in contact with their fears, uncomfortable thoughts, and feelings in a slow gradual way.

Patients benefit from an interdisciplinary treatment approach that includes care teams comprised of licensed clinical therapists, psychiatric providers, behavioral health associates, expressive therapists, and registered nurses.

The programs are designed to help manage symptoms regarding difficulties in the following areas:

Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge
Not being able to stop or control worry
Worrying too much about different things
Feeling afraid something awful might happen
Anxiety-related physical sensations such as panic attacks, stomachaches, headaches, shaking or crying
Avoidance/isolation
School anxiety
Work related stress
Family stressors
Health anxiety
Depression tied anxiety
Symptoms associated with PTSD, i.e., flashbacks, hypervigilance

Program features

Exposure therapy
Medication management as needed
Group therapy focusing on skills education and application
1-2 weekly individual sessions focusing on goals and progress
Weekly family sessions (as needed) focusing on psychoeducation
Work and school transitions
Tutoring services (adolescent programs only)

We work with our patients to increase their willingness to make changes, learn to manage their anxiety more effectively (rather then get rid of it), and engage in skill-based treatment including controlled exposures to fears. This will help patients move towards their chosen value path and get back to living a full and meaningful life.

Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADS)

The birth of a baby can trigger a jumble of powerful emotions, from excitement and joy to fear and anxiety. While nearly 80 percent of all women experience the “Baby Blues”, 20 percent of women experience a more serious perinatal mood or anxiety issue which may become chronic without proper treatment.

We offer PMAD services for those who are struggling with these issues.

For more information on our anxiety treatment program, please call the Linden Oaks Help Line 24/7 at 630-305-5027.

Linden Oaks locations