ServicesGeneralised Anxiety Disorder
CBT Therapy

Generalised Anxiety Disorder

Specialist CBT treatment targeting the worry processes that drive GAD.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterised by persistent, excessive worry about a wide range of everyday topics — health, finances, relationships, work, world events. Unlike specific phobias or social anxiety, the worry in GAD is wide-ranging and difficult to control. Many people with GAD have lived with it for years, often not realising that what they experience is a recognised condition with effective treatment options.

Signs & symptoms

  • Excessive, uncontrollable worry about multiple topics
  • Difficulty stopping worrying even when you try
  • "What if?" thinking about many different situations
  • Muscle tension, headaches, or physical aches
  • Poor concentration or mind going blank
  • Restlessness, feeling on edge or keyed up
  • Fatigue and exhaustion
  • Sleep problems — difficulty falling or staying asleep
  • Irritability
  • Avoidance of situations that trigger worry

How CBT can help

The specialist CBT protocol for GAD targets the key processes that keep worry going: positive beliefs about worry ('worrying helps me prepare'), negative beliefs about worry ('worrying is uncontrollable and harmful'), and intolerance of uncertainty ('I need to know things will be OK'). We also work on 'real-event worry' versus 'hypothetical worry', and on reducing avoidance and reassurance-seeking behaviours.

  • Identify and address positive and negative beliefs about worry
  • Build tolerance for uncertainty — the fuel of GAD
  • Learn to distinguish productive problem-solving from unhelpful rumination
  • Reduce worry-driven avoidance and reassurance-seeking
  • Develop mindfulness skills to step back from the worry process
  • Create a personalised relapse prevention plan

Is it just worrying, or is it GAD?

Everyone worries. But GAD is different — the worry is almost constant, covers many areas of life, is difficult to control, and causes significant distress or impairs daily functioning. If you feel like your brain won’t switch off, that you worry about worrying, or that your anxiety has no clear single cause, CBT for GAD may be exactly what you need.

GAD is one of the most common anxiety disorders and responds very well to structured CBT. Many clients report significant improvement within 12–16 sessions.