Equanimous Mind Works
Anxiety Counselling
Anxiety counselling provides a calm and supportive space to explore the worries, fears and patterns that feel overwhelming. It’s designed to help you feel understood, equipped with practical tools and supported as you learn new ways to manage anxiety and restore balance in your daily life.
Overcoming Your Fears, Finding Your Calm
Anxiety can feel overwhelming - racing thoughts, constant worry, restlessness or difficulty sleeping. It can show up in your body as tension, a tight chest or a racing heartbeat and in your mind as endless “what ifs” that never seem to stop.
Counselling offers a safe, supportive space to understand the patterns that fuel anxiety and to learn practical tools to manage it. Together, we can work on strategies that help you feel calmer, more grounded and more in control of your life.
Common Struggles with Anxiety
Overthinking or constant “what if” worries
Difficulty relaxing or feeling
“on edge"
Trouble concentrating or sleeping
Physical symptoms like tension, tight chest or rapid heartbeat
A sense that you’re not living the life you want
These struggles are more common than you might think - and they don’t mean you’re failing or broken. With the right support, anxiety can become something you learn to navigate with greater ease, opening the way for growth, resilience and a calmer, more fulfilling life.
Through counselling, you can begin to experience:
-
Practical tools to calm racing thoughts
-
Reduced stress and improved sleep
-
Greater emotional balance and resilience
-
A restored sense of calm and stability in daily life
-
Living a more meaningful life guided by your values, rather than by anxiety
Anxiety doesn’t have to control your life. With the right support, you can learn to respond differently to your thoughts and feelings, and reconnect with what truly matters to you.
The Benefits of Anxiety Counselling
My Approach with Anxiety
I don’t believe in a one‑size‑fits‑all approach to counselling. Instead, I draw from a range of evidence‑informed frameworks to meet you where you are and support where you’d like to go.
At the heart of my work is a person‑centred philosophy: the belief that people thrive when they feel safe, heard and accepted. From this foundation, we can gently untangle what’s no longer serving you and build something more connected, resilient and aligned.
Therapeutic Foundations
-
Person‑Centred Therapy - creating a safe, empathetic space for exploration and growth.
-
Solution‑Focused Therapy - highlighting strengths and building on what’s already working.
-
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) - supporting you to accept difficult emotions while taking meaningful, values‑guided action.
-
Mindfulness‑Based Therapies - cultivating presence, reducing reactivity, and deepening awareness.
-
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) - understanding how thoughts, feelings and behaviours interact, and learning to shift unhelpful patterns.
-
Supportive Decision Making - clarifying values and moving forward with confidence when facing life’s big choices
ACT for Anxiety: A Research‑Based Approach
While I use a blend of approaches, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is my primary method for working with anxiety.
ACT is a modern, evidence‑based therapy shown in numerous studies to be highly effective for anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety, social anxiety and panic. Research highlights that ACT helps people reduce the struggle with anxious thoughts and feelings, while increasing psychological flexibility - the ability to stay present, open and engaged in life, even when discomfort arises.
Many people describe anxiety as getting in the way of living the life they truly want. It can feel like fear and worry are running the show, leaving little room for joy, connection or growth. ACT directly addresses this by helping you:
-
Acceptance - making space for difficult thoughts and feelings without letting them dictate your choices.
-
Cognitive Defusion - noticing anxious thoughts for what they are (just thoughts), rather than treating them as facts.
-
Being Present - learning to anchor yourself in the here and now, instead of being pulled into “what ifs” about the future or regrets about the past.
-
Self as Context - developing a broader sense of self, where you can observe your thoughts and feelings without being defined or overwhelmed by them.
-
Values - clarifying what truly matters to you, so your actions are guided by meaning rather than fear.
-
Committed Action - taking small, practical steps toward the life you want, even in the presence of anxiety.
Studies show that ACT not only reduces symptoms of anxiety but also helps people reconnect with their values and live more fulfilling, meaningful lives. Instead of letting anxiety take over, ACT supports you in gently reclaiming your path - one step at a time.
How Sessions Work
To give you the best chance of lasting change, I recommend starting with weekly sessions. This steady rhythm helps us build momentum, explore new strategies and create a safe space for you to practice responding differently to anxiety.
Because ACT is experiential, I’ll often suggest gentle “home practice” between sessions - simple exercises, reflections or grounding techniques that help you apply what we’ve explored in real life. These practices aren’t about getting it perfect but about building new habits of awareness and action, step by step.
Research on ACT shows that consistent practice, both in and between sessions, significantly improves outcomes for anxiety. By combining regular sessions with small, practical steps in daily life, you’ll begin to feel more present, resilient and connected to the life you want to live.
Coming Soon: In-Person Sessions
I currently offer online counselling Australia-wide, and I’m excited to share that in-person sessions will be available soon. This will give you the option to choose the format that feels most comfortable and supportive for you.
A Space for Growth, Not Perfection
Anxiety counselling isn’t about “fixing” you - because you are not broken. It’s about creating a safe, supportive space where you can learn new ways of relating to your thoughts and emotions and begin to live with more calm, clarity and confidence.
Most importantly, it’s about helping you reconnect with your values so you can live a more meaningful life - one guided by what truly matters to you, rather than by anxiety.
If you’re ready to take the first step, I’d be honoured to walk alongside you.