Here at The April Center for Anxiety, in addition to my work as an anxiety expert, I am a therapist for work related stress.
Stress and anxiety are closely and deeply intertwined. They’re not the same, but life stress and work stress can exacerbate anxiety.
Especially for those that have any kind of ongoing anxiety issue.
We treat all anxiety and stress symptoms. Ready to increase your sense of calm?
Contact Dr. April at
310 - 429 - 1024
What is the best therapy for work stress?
Hands-down, the best therapy for work stress is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Okay, it might be easy to say I’m biased because I’m a cognitive behavioral therapy specialist. Bias isn’t the case here, however.
As supported by scientific research, CBT is the key in learning how to manage stress properly (and this includes work stress, of course!). For further confirmation, all you have to consider is what produces stress.
Stress is based on a few factors:
Behavioral: this factor refers to your behavioral patterns and how you respond to conflict in stressful situations.
If you’re not consciously aware of your behavioral habits and patterns, as far as how you respond to work stress, these seemingly reflexive actions might not seem like choices at all.
That’s part of what cognitive behavioral therapy for work related stress can help you with. It’s vital to identify, then modify unhealthy behavioral responses to conflicts in one’s work life.
This applies to all aspects of life and not necessarily just in-office stressors. The fact is that home stress can influence how one perceives specific work stressors that are already stressful in their own right. This can make matters worse!
Cognitive: this factor addresses your belief systems regarding circumstances in the workplace, along with how your beliefs and thoughts influence your choices and experiences.
Considering unhealthy false beliefs and then modifying them is what CBT can help you achieve, so that you resolve the stress you experience.
Biological: this factor speaks to your genetics and your biological sensitivities. Different bodies experience stress differently.
For 30 years, 95% of the people with anxiety disorders that I’ve treated have had sensitive biological systems. This can mean that they’re hyper aware of the biochemical changes in their system throughout the day, which includes physical discomfort (no matter how small).
It’s easy to see that for those with these kinds of systems, work related stress can start to feel overwhelming, if not managed properly.
*If your work related stress falls into any or all categories above, cognitive behavioral therapy techniques can help you manage and overcome your struggle.
Can counselling help with work stress?
Counseling helps with work stress in a number of ways. Though talking about stress at work is certainly required in stress counseling, it is not the main focus. If it was, then this might approach venting. Venting has been shown through research to be ineffective in making changes (though often nice with friends for validation and support).
As humans, of course, we need to talk and be heard. This is all very supportive and, again, part of the counseling process.
However, cognitive behavioral therapy is focused on making changes, so that one can learn to cope with work related stress. And even overcome it! And that is far more helpful than simply venting or just talking and being heard.
Who can help with work related stress?
Ph.D. Anxiety Specialists with experience treating work related stress are the most highly recommended, due to having the highest degree of training (the “Dr.” in their title tends to indicate that they’re also a psychologist – though important to ask if they’re a licensed one).
An anxiety treatment specialist can help you understand how anxiety over work-related issues can add insult to injury by creating, encouraging and maintaining work related stress.
So, it’s vital to see an anxiety treatment specialist for work related stress, rather than just seeking out a standard stress management therapist to practice basic stress management techniques.
What therapy is used for coping with work?
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is the answer for coping with work. If you have any form of work-related stress or anxiety disorder that is impacting your ability to work calmly and successfully, then CBT is the treatment of choice.
Work anxiety therapist
A work anxiety therapist like Dr. Craig April, can help you with the following work stressors:
· Conflict with coworkers or difficulty fitting in.
· Overly demanding bosses and critical or abusive bosses.
· Difficulty being assertive at work
· Stress over not being recognized for your abilities, skills or achievements
· Anxiety, whether based in reality or not, over the possibility of being fired.
· Insecurity over asking for a raise or promotion.
· Lacking a passion for your work that, subsequently, creates irritability or even misery on the job.
· Difficulty accomplishing tasks that you’re responsible for at work
· Difficulty dealing with poor performance reviews or criticism at work
Ready to overcome your work stress?
Contact Dr. April at 310-429-1024 to schedule your first session!
Therapist for stress and anxiety
As mentioned above, stress and anxiety can be intertwined, but they are not one in the same. So, when seeing a specialist, who is also a therapist for stress and anxiety, it’s best to take a look at what is triggering both.
Below are some questions that should assist you in identifying what needs attention:
· Does one encourage the other?
In other words, when you’re anxious, does that increase your struggle with what you find stressful? Conversely, when you’re stressed, is your anxiety triggered?
· Are you misinterpreting your anxiety issues for stress?
An easy strategy to identify whether you’re stressed or anxious is to ask yourself if you’re afraid or if you’re overwhelmed.
If you’re afraid and your fear is irrational, then it’s most likely anxiety. Of course, a qualified therapist for stress and anxiety would have to do an evaluation in a first session to officially assess and diagnose. This is what we do at The April Center for Anxiety.
· Is your family’s response to your anxiety causing you stress?
Often times, family members don’t understand what anxiety is. Nor do they typically understand the symptoms attached to a phobia or generalized anxiety disorder.
Anxiety struggles can be lonely because they tend to be one of these experiences in life where, unless you’ve struggled with it yourself, you probably won’t understand.
Being in the midst of living with an anxiety disorder while your family doesn’t “get it” or is judging you for it can be a stress inducing situation.
We are social beings and crave acceptance. Therefore, it can be stressful when it’s perceived that the people we’re closest to don’t approve or understand us.
The more you’re judged, the more you might feel stressed, which can further exacerbate an anxiety issue.
· Does your lack of stress management techniques contribute to more tension?
If you don’t have stress management tools you turn to regularly, this will encourage more stress in your life. Though, it’s about more than just awareness of techniques. It’s about learning how to cultivate the habit of turning to them as a new routine.
· If you have an anxiety disorder, do more stressful days and basic life stressors contribute to it?
It’s important to identify exactly what stress increases your anxiety symptoms.
Can therapy help with work anxiety?
Absolutely! But venting about work anxiety in traditional talk therapy is not effective. When you struggle with work anxiety, the best therapy is always cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT can help you determine any unhealthy work perspectives or any false beliefs you have that are encouraging work anxiety, so that you can then begin to modify them towards reducing stress. Also, if you’re engaged in any kind of behaviors that encourage more work anxiety, a CBT therapist will help you identify and overcome those, as well.
Of course, if you’re struggling with anxiety, be sure to see an anxiety specialist. Not a general CBT therapist. Anxiety usually accompanies some form of anxiety disorder. That’s why a specialist is usually of great benefit, so that you can make the quickest gains possible to resolve your work anxiety.
Why is my job causing me severe anxiety?
The demands of work and family life can be challenging, especially when you have responsibilities and a need to maintain your current lifestyle. This, coupled with a potentially difficult or dysfunctional workplace, only adds insult to injury, creating work related stress and anxiety.
If your job is causing you severe anxiety, then it’s time to question your work environment. Often times, the workplace and corporate culture can be toxic. This toxicity can include unhealthy and unreasonable expectations along with hard to meet demands by employers or superiors. This toxic work environment can also include difficulty with fellow coworkers and an unhealthy work setting.
Therapy for work related stress and anxiety can help you take a look at how to better cope with these work challenges. Work stress therapy also includes learning effective strategies to approach these conflicts in a healthier way to overcome debilitating effects of work stress and anxiety.
How to tell if you have high functioning anxiety?
The phrase “high functioning anxiety“ is a false belief. Anxiety is never healthy, so how can it be high functioning? That term “high functioning“ usually applies to alcoholics who have friends, might be in a romantic relationship or married, and are able to work their career. However, obviously, alcoholism is always terribly unhealthy. And so is anxiety! So, yes, someone with anxiety might be able to work their job in a good enough fashion. However, if it’s causing any degree of difficulty or struggle, then it’s not high functioning!
Should I see a therapist for work stress?
The question isn’t, “should you?“… The question is… “Why wouldn’t you?”. If you’re dealing with a lot of work stress and you’re not certain how to handle it, it’s time to see a therapist for work stress. Or if you’ve tried a lot of strategies and nothing seems to be working, this is a time to go see a therapist for work stress.
Your work stress could be due to a struggle with a coworker or a boss. This would be addressed with an eye on solutions.
Your work stress could be based on struggling with time management or an overattachment to a certain work outcome. This then would be the focus.
Any issue that is due to work related stress is appropriate to explore in proper CBT therapy for work stress. And that includes all anxiety based issues that seem to be manifesting in work related stress, as well!
What therapy is best for work stress?
CBT is best for work stress as it focuses on taking a look at dysfunctional or maladaptive behavioral patterns and correcting them.
The CBT focus is on healthiest strategies to overcome any kind of work based conflict and practice in applying them.
This differs from traditional talk therapy, which tends to focus on unresolved conflicts from one’s past interfering with the present. Traditional talk therapy tends not to focus on creating healthier strategies and resolving existing conflicts.
Finding a work stress therapist or stress management therapist
Because stress and anxiety are so closely related, it’s best to seek out an anxiety specialist and ask if they have experience dealing with work stress. Also, ask if they can specifically teach you stress management techniques.
If you have Generalized Anxiety Disorder (it must be properly diagnosed, to be sure), you’ll discover that this is a worry-based disorder based on reacting to certain stressors in your life in an unhealthy manner.
For example, let’s say an individual with GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) has been told current layoffs in the company will not effect their department, however, the possibility is keeping this person up at night. The worry might also be affecting this person’s relationships in general daily life.
A therapist for work related stress would help take a look at what false beliefs are maintaining and encouraging this specific anxiety issue, along with general beliefs about work, finance, responsibility and more. In this instance, it’s most likely false beliefs are creating stress and worry.
In conclusion, if you’re struggling with work related stress, we can meet your treatment needs at The April Center for Anxiety.
Call us now at 310-429-1024 to contact Dr. April and schedule your first session!