COUNSELLING FOR PHOBIAS
Phobias involve feelings of fear and anxiety about a situation, place or an object which are not commonly considered dangerous. Anticipating these situations can cause real dread and make sufferers reorganise their lives to avoid them. Fernwood offers effective, evidence-based counselling for phobias such as Exposure Therapy, to help neutralise the impact of a situation perceived to be threatening.
Types of Phobias
There are several general types of phobias:
There are several general types of phobias:
- Specific (isolated) phobias
- Social Phobias
- Agoraphobia
Symptoms
Regardless of the type of phobia, you might experience the following symptoms:
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Treatment
Simple phobias are usually treated with exposure therapy (also known as desensitisation). This is a type of CBT and involves gradual exposure to the object or situation that you fear. For example, if you have a fear of spiders (arachnophobia) the therapist may first show you a picture of a spider, a short film about spiders, spiders in a fish tank and finally arrange to see and hold a live spider. For social phobia and agoraphobia, a tailor-made form of CBT is usually recommended. For social phobia, around 15 90 minute sessions over 4 months are typically considered an adequate course of treatment. For agoraphobia, the treatment is briefer and 7-14 hours over 4 months is usually enough. |
If you have any questions about how Fernwood can help you with counselling for phobias, please contact us on info@fernwoodclinic.co.uk