Anxiety Counsellor Perth
Anxiety can affect the way you think, feel and respond to everyday situations. For some people, it appears as persistent worry or overthinking. For others, it may involve physical tension, avoidance, difficulty sleeping, panic or feeling constantly on edge.
Bilingual Psychology provides anxiety counselling and psychological support in Perth with registered psychologist Lin Tan. Sessions provide an opportunity to understand how anxiety is affecting you and explore psychological approaches appropriate to your individual circumstances.
Psychological services are available in English, Mandarin and Cantonese from our practice in Willetton, Perth.
If anxiety is beginning to interfere with your daily life, relationships, work or wellbeing, contact Bilingual Psychology to discuss an appointment.
What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a normal human response to situations that feel uncertain, challenging or threatening.
Feeling anxious occasionally does not necessarily mean you have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety can become more difficult, however, when worry or fear becomes persistent, feels difficult to control or begins interfering with everyday life.
Anxiety can affect people differently. Some people experience ongoing worry about several areas of life, while others notice anxiety in particular situations, social settings or during periods of significant stress.
Understanding how anxiety appears in your own life can be an important part of deciding what support may be appropriate.
What Does Anxiety Feel Like?
Anxiety can involve emotional, cognitive, behavioural and physical experiences.
You may notice:
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Persistent worry or overthinking
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Feeling nervous, tense or on edge
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Difficulty switching off
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Trouble concentrating
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Difficulty sleeping
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Irritability
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Restlessness
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Avoiding situations that cause anxiety
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Fear about what might happen
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Repeatedly seeking reassurance
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Feeling overwhelmed by everyday situations
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Physical tension
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A racing or pounding heartbeat
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Shortness of breath or rapid breathing
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Sweating or trembling
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Stomach discomfort or nausea
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Feeling dizzy or light-headed
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Panic or sudden feelings of intense fear
Experiencing some of these symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have an anxiety disorder. Physical symptoms can also have other causes, which is why appropriate professional assessment can be important.
When Does Anxiety Become a Problem?
There is no single point at which everyone should seek psychological support.
It may be worth speaking with a health professional when anxiety:
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Regularly interferes with work or study
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Makes everyday activities difficult
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Affects your sleep
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Causes significant distress
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Leads you to avoid situations or activities
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Interferes with relationships
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Makes it difficult to concentrate
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Feels difficult to control
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Is accompanied by recurring panic attacks
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Prevents you from doing things that are important to you
You do not need to wait until anxiety becomes severe before discussing your concerns with a psychologist.
Different Ways Anxiety Can Present
Anxiety is not the same for everyone.
Understanding the situations, thoughts, emotions and physical responses associated with your anxiety can help inform psychological support.
Generalised Anxiety and Excessive Worry
Some people experience persistent worry across many areas of life.
You may find yourself repeatedly thinking about work, relationships, health, finances, family responsibilities or things that might go wrong.
The worry can feel difficult to switch off even when you recognise that you are spending a lot of time thinking about it.
Social Anxiety
Social anxiety can involve significant anxiety about social situations or concerns about being judged, embarrassed or negatively evaluated by other people.
This may lead to avoiding social situations, meetings, speaking in groups or other interactions.
Panic Attacks
A panic attack involves a sudden period of intense fear or discomfort that can be accompanied by physical sensations such as a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, trembling or sweating.Some people also become anxious about experiencing another panic attack, which can influence the places or situations they feel comfortable entering.
Anxiety Around Life Changes
Anxiety can also occur during periods of uncertainty or significant change.
This might involve:
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Changing jobs
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Moving home
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Relationship changes
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Marriage or separation
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Becoming a parent
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Family difficulties
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Health concerns
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Financial pressures
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Migration or relocation
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Changes in personal identity or responsibilities
Not every experience of anxiety fits neatly within a particular diagnostic category.
Psychological support can consider the broader circumstances surrounding what you are experiencing.
How Can an Anxiety Counsellor or Psychologist Help?
Psychological therapy for anxiety is not simply about being told to stop worrying.
Sessions can provide an opportunity to understand the patterns associated with your anxiety and explore how your thoughts, emotions, behaviours and physical responses interact.
Depending on your circumstances and assessment, psychological support may involve:
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Understanding anxiety and how it affects you
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Identifying situations that trigger anxiety
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Recognising patterns of worry or unhelpful thinking
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Understanding avoidance and safety behaviours
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Developing strategies for responding differently to anxious thoughts
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Exploring emotional responses
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Developing practical coping strategies
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Gradually approaching situations you have been avoiding, where appropriate
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Working towards goals that are meaningful to you
The specific approach will depend on your circumstances rather than following an identical process for every person.
CBT for Anxiety
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is one psychological approach that may be used when working with anxiety.
CBT explores relationships between thoughts, emotions and behaviours.
For example, anxiety about a situation may lead someone to avoid it. Avoidance can provide short-term relief but may also make it more difficult to learn that the situation can be approached or managed differently.
CBT may involve identifying these patterns and developing alternative ways of thinking about and responding to situations.
The strategies used will depend on the nature of your concerns and whether CBT is appropriate for your circumstances.
Anxiety, Avoidance and the Anxiety Cycle
Anxiety can sometimes create a repeating cycle.
Situation → Anxious thought → Physical or emotional response → Avoidance or safety behaviour → Short-term relief → Anxiety continues
For example, someone who feels anxious about social situations may begin avoiding them.
Avoidance may reduce anxiety temporarily. However, consistently avoiding situations can make it harder to develop confidence in managing them and may reinforce the belief that those situations are threatening.
Psychological therapy can explore patterns such as these and consider different ways of responding where appropriate.
What Happens During Anxiety Counselling?
01
Understanding What You Are Experiencing
Early sessions provide an opportunity to discuss your concerns, symptoms, circumstances and what has brought you to therapy.
This can include when anxiety occurs, how long you have experienced it and how it affects your daily life.
02
Identifying Patterns
Your psychologist may explore situations, thoughts, emotions, behaviours and physical responses associated with your anxiety.
This can help build a clearer picture of the patterns maintaining your difficulties.
03
Establishing Goals
You can discuss what you would like to work towards.
Goals may involve reducing the impact anxiety has on particular areas of your life, approaching situations you have been avoiding or developing different ways of responding to worry.
04
Psychological Strategies
Depending on your circumstances, therapy may introduce psychological strategies appropriate to your concerns.
These may include elements of CBT or other psychological approaches.
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Reviewing Progress
Your goals, experiences and progress can be discussed throughout therapy.
The psychological approach may be adjusted according to your circumstances and clinical needs.
Anxiety and Cultural Expectations
Anxiety does not occur separately from a person's cultural, family and social environment.
For people from multicultural backgrounds, anxiety may sometimes relate to experiences such as:
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Family expectations
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Academic or career pressure
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Intergenerational differences
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Migration and adjustment
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Relationship expectations
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Cultural identity
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Balancing individual and family needs
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Communication difficulties
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Expectations around achievement
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Stigma associated with seeking psychological support
These factors will not be relevant to everyone, but they can be explored when they form part of your experience.
Anxiety Counselling in English, Mandarin and Cantonese
Discussing anxiety can involve describing thoughts, emotions and experiences that are difficult to translate.
Bilingual Psychology provides psychological services in:
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English
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Mandarin
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Cantonese
Having the option to communicate in a familiar language may make it easier to describe particular experiences and provide additional cultural context where this is relevant.
Anxiety Counselling in Willetton, Perth
Bilingual Psychology provides anxiety counselling and psychological services from Willetton, Western Australia.
Services are provided by registered psychologist Lin Tan.
Lin works with clients experiencing a range of psychological, emotional, relationship and life concerns and provides services in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
When Should I Speak to My GP?
Consider speaking with your GP or another appropriate health professional if anxiety is causing significant distress or interfering with everyday life.
A GP can assess your overall health, discuss your symptoms and consider whether additional assessment, psychological care or other treatment may be appropriate.
Physical symptoms associated with anxiety can sometimes overlap with other health conditions. New, severe or unexplained physical symptoms should therefore not automatically be assumed to be caused by anxiety.
Book Anxiety Counselling in Perth
You do not need to have everything figured out before speaking with a psychologist.
If worry, anxiety, avoidance or related concerns are affecting your everyday life, Bilingual Psychology provides a confidential setting where you can discuss what you are experiencing.
Appointments with registered psychologist Lin Tan are available from our Willetton, Perth practice, with psychological services offered in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
Contact Bilingual Psychology to enquire about anxiety counselling and appointment availability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is anxiety counselling?
Anxiety counselling involves working with a mental health professional to better understand the thoughts, emotions, behaviours and physical responses associated with anxiety.
The specific approach depends on your concerns, circumstances and clinical needs.
Can a psychologist help with anxiety?
Psychologists can assess and provide psychological interventions for anxiety-related concerns. The appropriate approach depends on factors such as your symptoms, circumstances, preferences and clinical assessment.
What is the difference between normal anxiety and an anxiety disorder?
Feeling anxious occasionally is a normal part of life.
An anxiety disorder generally involves anxiety or fear that is persistent, causes significant distress or interferes with everyday functioning. A qualified health professional can assess your symptoms if you are concerned about what you are experiencing.
Do I need to have an anxiety disorder to see a psychologist?
No. You do not necessarily need an existing diagnosis to speak with a psychologist about anxiety, worry or related concerns.
Your initial sessions can help explore what you are experiencing and whether psychological support is appropriate.
Can CBT be used for anxiety?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is one psychological approach that may be used for anxiety.
CBT examines relationships between thoughts, feelings and behaviours and may involve developing different ways of responding to patterns that contribute to anxiety.
Whether CBT is appropriate will depend on your individual circumstances.
What is the difference between fear and a phobia?
Fear is a normal response to something that feels threatening or dangerous.
A phobia involves an intense and persistent fear of a particular object, situation or activity that may lead to significant distress or avoidance and can interfere with everyday life.
A health professional can assess whether the fear you are experiencing may meet the criteria for a specific phobia.
Can anxiety cause physical symptoms?
Anxiety can be associated with physical experiences such as increased heart rate, muscle tension, sweating, trembling, stomach discomfort, dizziness and changes in breathing.
However, physical symptoms can have many causes. New, severe or unexplained symptoms should be discussed with an appropriate healthcare professional rather than assumed to be anxiety.
What is the difference between anxiety and stress?
Stress commonly occurs in response to pressures or demands, while anxiety can involve worry or fear that may continue even when there is no immediate threat.
The two can overlap, and prolonged stress may also contribute to feelings of anxiety.
How long does anxiety counselling take?
There is no standard number of sessions that is appropriate for everyone.
The length of psychological therapy can vary according to your concerns, circumstances, goals, progress and clinical needs. This can be discussed with your psychologist throughout therapy.
Can I see an anxiety counsellor without a GP referral?
You can contact Bilingual Psychology directly to enquire about psychological services.
Different requirements may apply if you want to access Medicare rebates, so you should speak with your GP and Bilingual Psychology about current eligibility and referral requirements.
Does Bilingual Psychology offer anxiety counselling in Chinese?
Bilingual Psychology provides psychological services in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
This may be useful for clients who feel more comfortable discussing their experiences in Mandarin or Cantonese or where cultural and family context is relevant to their concerns.
Where is Bilingual Psychology located?
Bilingual Psychology provides psychology and counselling services from Willetton, Western Australia, supporting clients from Willetton and surrounding areas of Perth.
When should I seek urgent help?
Bilingual Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.
If you or another person is in immediate danger, call Triple Zero (000).
For 24-hour crisis support in Australia, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
You can also speak with your GP or an appropriate health service if you require urgent mental health support.