MY services
Anxiety Counselling in Manchester
Anxiety is something we all experience. It is part of our brain and body’s alarm system, designed to help us notice potential danger and prepare to respond, we need it to survive. The problem is when that alarm starts going off too often, too loudly, or in situations where you are not actually in danger. You might find yourself constantly worrying, overthinking, checking, avoiding things, seeking reassurance or trying to control what might happen next.
Sometimes anxiety is obvious. You might experience panic, racing thoughts, a tight chest, a racing heart or a sense that something terrible is about to happen. But anxiety can also be much harder to recognise. You may look as though you are coping perfectly well while internally you are exhausted from worrying, planning, analysing and holding everything together. This can be particularly relevant for neurodivergent people, where anxiety can become intertwined with masking, sensory overload, executive functioning difficulties, uncertainty or the pressure to fit into environments that aren’t always designed with you in mind.
I offer anxiety counselling in Manchester and online, providing a space where we can slow things down and understand what is happening beneath the anxiety, rather than simply trying to make it disappear.
How I Can Support You With Anxiety
I don’t see anxiety as something you simply need to get rid of. Often, the harder we try to control or suppress anxious thoughts and feelings, the more attention they seem to demand.
Therapy can help you understand what your anxiety is trying to do, what keeps the cycle going and what happens when you respond to it differently. We might explore the thoughts underneath your anxiety, patterns of avoidance or reassurance-seeking, perfectionism, people-pleasing, uncertainty, fear of making the wrong decision, or the need to feel completely safe before you can move forward.
We can also look at what is happening in your body when anxiety takes over and find ways of responding that feel realistic for you, rather than giving you another list of things you should be doing.
My approach is person-centred and relational, which means I won’t assume that your anxiety can be understood separately from your life, relationships and experiences. I want to understand your particular version of anxiety and what it means to you.
For neurodivergent clients, I also take a neuro-affirming approach. Anxiety isn’t always a sign that something is wrong within you. Sometimes it is a response to overwhelm, masking, sensory or social demands, uncertainty, repeated experiences of not feeling understood, or having to work much harder than other people to navigate everyday life.
The aim isn’t necessarily to make sure you never feel anxious again. It is to help you feel less frightened by anxiety, understand yourself better and have more choice in how you respond to it.
What can anxiety look like?
Anxiety doesn’t look the same for everyone. You might experience:
persistent worrying or overthinking
racing or intrusive thoughts
feeling restless, tense or unable to switch off
panic attacks or a fear of having a panic attack
a racing heart or feeling short of breath
nausea, dizziness or muscle tension
difficulty sleeping
difficulty concentrating
constantly analysing conversations or situations
repeatedly checking things
seeking reassurance from other people
avoiding situations because they feel too difficult
struggling with uncertainty or needing to know what will happen
finding it difficult to make decisions because you are worried about making the wrong one
perfectionism or feeling that you must get everything right
feeling responsible for other people’s feelings
appearing to cope while feeling overwhelmed internally
You don’t have to experience all of these to be struggling with anxiety.
Anxiety and neurodivergence
For some neurodivergent people, anxiety isn’t simply about anxious thoughts.
It can be connected to sensory overwhelm, executive functioning, uncertainty, social demands, masking or the exhaustion of constantly adapting to environments that don’t always work for you.
You may have spent years developing ways of appearing as though you’re coping while using a huge amount of energy underneath. You might be highly organised, reliable and successful while privately feeling anxious, exhausted and close to overwhelm.
Understanding the difference between anxiety and a genuine response to being overwhelmed can be an important part of therapy.
I work with adults and young adults and take a neuro-affirming approach to ADHD, autism and other forms of neurodivergence.
Anxiety can take different forms
Anxiety can show up in different ways and sometimes overlap with other difficulties.
I can offer support around:
generalised anxiety and persistent worry
panic attacks and panic symptoms
health anxiety
social anxiety
anxiety around relationships
anxiety around uncertainty and change
performance anxiety
anxiety linked to difficult or traumatic experiences
anxiety alongside ADHD or autism
anxiety connected with perfectionism and people-pleasing
overthinking and difficulty switching off
One-to-one therapy
At my private practice in the centre of Manchester, I provide a private and comfortable space for therapy sessions. It’s a lovely, welcoming environment where you can feel at ease and open up about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
Online therapy
In addition to face-to-face sessions, I provide online sessions and sessions over the phone. This allows you to access therapy from the comfort of your own space or when you are unable to attend in person. Whether it's through video calls or phone conversations, I am committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for your healing and growth journey.
FAQs
Why does anxiety keep coming back?
Sometimes the original reason for becoming anxious isn’t what is keeping the anxiety going now.
For example, you might worry about something and then try to get rid of the anxiety by avoiding it, checking, analysing, asking someone for reassurance or trying to make absolutely certain that everything will be okay.
These things can bring temporary relief. But they can also teach your brain that you needed to do them to be safe.
Over time, this can create a cycle and understanding this cycle can help you begin to respond differently.
What is the 3-3-3 anxiety rule?
The 3-3-3 rule is a grounding exercise sometimes suggested for moments of anxiety. You notice three things you can see, three things you can hear and move three parts of your body.
It can be a useful way of bringing your attention back into the present moment when your mind is racing.
It isn’t a treatment for anxiety, though, and you don’t have to use it if it doesn’t work for you. Different people find different grounding and regulation strategies helpful.
What counselling is best for anxiety?
There isn’t one type of counselling that is best for everyone.
CBT has a strong evidence base and is recommended by NICE for conditions such as generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder. Other approaches, including metacognitive therapy, ACT, compassion-focused approaches and relational therapy, can also offer useful ways of understanding anxiety.
I work integratively, drawing on different ideas where they are useful, while keeping the therapeutic relationship at the centre of the work.
What matters to me is understanding your anxiety rather than fitting you into a particular model.
When should I seek help for anxiety?
You don’t have to wait until anxiety becomes unbearable before seeking support.
It may be worth talking to someone if anxiety is affecting your sleep, relationships, work, studies, decisions or the things you want to do.
Perhaps you are avoiding situations you would normally enjoy, spending hours worrying, struggling to switch off, experiencing panic attacks, constantly seeking reassurance or feeling that anxiety is making your world smaller.
Counselling can give you somewhere to understand what is happening and begin making changes at a pace that feels manageable.
What are 5 signs you have anxiety?
Five common signs include:
Persistent worrying or overthinking.
Feeling restless, tense or unable to switch off.
Physical symptoms such as a racing heart, nausea or muscle tension.
Difficulty sleeping or concentrating.
Avoiding situations, checking things or repeatedly seeking reassurance.
Anxiety can be experienced differently by everyone, so you don’t need to have all five.
What does counselling do for anxiety?
Counselling can help you understand what sits underneath your anxiety and what keeps it going.
We might look at patterns of worry, avoidance, reassurance-seeking, perfectionism, self-criticism or attempts to control uncertainty.
It can also give you somewhere to explore things you may have been managing on your own for a long time.
Over time, the aim isn’t simply to make anxious feelings disappear. It is to help you feel more able to tolerate uncertainty, trust yourself and respond differently when anxiety shows up.
What is the #1 worst habit for anxiety?
There probably isn’t one single “worst” habit. However, avoidance can be particularly important because it can teach your brain that something really is dangerous and that you can only feel safe by avoiding it.
Reassurance-seeking and checking can work in a similar way. They can make you feel better temporarily, but because the relief doesn’t last, you may feel the need to do them again.
This can create a cycle that keeps anxiety going.
What should I do if I can’t control my anxiety anymore?
First, don’t interpret feeling overwhelmed as having failed.
Anxiety can become very consuming, particularly when you have been trying to manage it alone.
If anxiety is becoming difficult to manage or affecting your sleep, work, relationships or everyday life, it may be time to get some support. You can speak to your GP or seek psychological therapy.
If you feel unsafe, are thinking about harming yourself or are in immediate danger, seek urgent help rather than trying to manage it alone.
How do I know when anxiety is serious?
Anxiety deserves attention when it is significantly affecting your quality of life or stopping you from doing things that matter to you.
This might include avoiding work, travelling, social situations or leaving the house; experiencing frequent panic attacks; being unable to sleep; drinking or using substances to cope; or spending a large part of the day worrying, checking or seeking reassurance.
You don’t have to wait until anxiety becomes severe before asking for help.
What should I do if my anxiety is taking over my life?
Start by recognising that you don’t have to solve everything at once.
Trying to completely eliminate anxiety can sometimes become part of the problem.
Talking to someone can help you understand the cycle you are caught in and identify where you have some room to make changes.
Therapy can be particularly useful when anxiety has started to shape your decisions, relationships, routines or sense of what you feel able to do.
What are the symptoms of high-functioning anxiety?
“High-functioning anxiety” isn’t a clinical diagnosis. It is a term people often use when they appear to be coping well on the outside while experiencing significant anxiety internally.
You might be successful, reliable and organised while constantly worrying, over-preparing, struggling to relax, fearing mistakes, needing things to be done perfectly or feeling that you must keep going regardless of how exhausted you are.
For some neurodivergent people, this can also overlap with masking: becoming very good at appearing as though everything is fine while using a huge amount of internal energy to keep things together.
Why do I feel anxious when nothing is wrong?
Sometimes your body can respond as though there is danger even when you can’t identify an obvious threat.
Anxiety isn’t always a conscious thought. It can involve learned patterns, memories, physical sensations and the way you have learned to respond to uncertainty.
It can also be connected to stress, overwhelm, difficult experiences or simply having been anxious for so long that the feeling itself has become something you fear.
Why does anxiety make me overthink everything?
Overthinking can feel like an attempt to solve anxiety.
You might replay a conversation, analyse someone’s response, consider every possible outcome or keep looking for the “right” decision.
For a while, this can give you the feeling that you are doing something useful. But if you never reach certainty, the thinking simply creates more questions.
Therapy can help you explore whether your thinking is actually helping you solve a problem or whether it has become part of the anxiety cycle.
Can anxiety be caused by past experiences or trauma?
Past experiences can influence how we understand and respond to the world, including how we respond to perceived threat.
For some people, anxiety may be connected to difficult relationships, loss, trauma or experiences where they didn’t feel safe or in control.
This doesn’t mean that every experience of anxiety comes from trauma. Therapy is about understanding your individual experience rather than assuming there is one explanation.
What is my anxiety asking me to do and what happens when I keep doing it?
Sometimes anxiety isn’t maintained by the original fear alone. It is maintained by everything we do in response to the fear: avoiding, checking, analysing, seeking reassurance, trying to get certainty or trying very hard not to feel anxious.
Understanding that cycle can be an important starting point for change.