Anxiety Treatment

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Generalized anxiety disorder involves chronic, exaggerated worry about everyday events and activities. People with GAD often anticipate disaster and are overly concerned about health, money, family, or work issues, even when there is little reason for concern. Physical symptoms often accompany the worry, including muscle tension, fatigue, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbances.

Through cognitive behavior therapy, Dr. Cornette helps clients identify the catastrophic thinking patterns that fuel generalized anxiety and develop more balanced, realistic perspectives. Relaxation techniques and behavioral strategies further support recovery.

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is characterized by recurrent, unexpected panic attacks — sudden surges of intense fear or discomfort that reach a peak within minutes. During a panic attack, individuals may experience heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, numbness, tingling, and an overwhelming fear of losing control or dying. Many people with panic disorder develop avoidance behaviors, steering clear of situations where they fear an attack might occur.

Treatment for panic disorder focuses on helping clients understand the body's fight-or-flight response, challenging catastrophic interpretations of physical sensations, and gradually reducing avoidance behaviors through controlled exposure techniques.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder, sometimes called social phobia, involves intense fear of social or performance situations where one might be scrutinized, judged, or embarrassed. This can include everyday activities such as speaking in meetings, eating in public, or making small talk. The fear is often disproportionate to the actual threat and can lead to significant avoidance of social interactions.

Dr. Cornette uses CBT techniques, including cognitive restructuring and gradual exposure, to help clients challenge negative self-evaluations and build confidence in social settings.

Specific Phobias

Specific phobias are intense, irrational fears of particular objects or situations, such as heights, flying, animals, blood, or enclosed spaces. While the feared object or situation poses little or no real danger, the anxiety experienced is severe and can significantly limit a person's activities. Exposure-based therapy, a core component of CBT, is highly effective for treating specific phobias.

What to Expect in Anxiety Treatment Sessions

Treatment with Dr. Cornette typically involves several components:

• 1. Comprehensive Assessment: Your first sessions will involve a thorough evaluation of your anxiety symptoms, their history, triggers, and impact on your life. Dr. Cornette may also recommend psychological testing to ensure accurate diagnosis.
• 2. Psychoeducation: Understanding anxiety — how it works in the brain and body, why it developed, and what maintains it — is an empowering first step in treatment.
• 3. Cognitive Restructuring: You will learn to identify distorted thinking patterns (such as catastrophizing, overgeneralizing, or mind reading) and replace them with more realistic, helpful thoughts.
• 4. Behavioral Strategies: This may include relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, mindfulness practices, and gradual exposure to feared situations in a safe, controlled manner.
• 5. Relapse Prevention: As symptoms improve, treatment focuses on building resilience and developing a personalized plan to maintain progress and handle future challenges.