For two decades, scientific research has proven that the most effective psychotherapy against anxiety is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

We will start with one or a few consultations to establish the diagnosis, your treatment goals and expectations, and to inform you about treatment options.

Thereafter, treatment can begin. In CBT, you will learn how to do exercises to overcome anxiety. You can decide how fast the steps to progress are, and the therapist motivates you to find CBT exercises which are "difficult but feasible". It is important that you practice daily at least half an hour.

Examples of CBT exercises:

For specific phobias:

• take the elevator;
• go on a balcony;
• see and touch a spider.

For panic disorder:

• take public transportation;
• walk into a department store;
• sit in the middle of a theater or cinema.

For social phobia:

• make a presentation;
• make a mistake while others see you;
• shake on purpose, sweat or blush in public.

For obsessive-compulsive disorder:

• leave your house without checking the locks;
• touch objects without washing hands afterwards;
• do something without preparation.

For generalized anxiety disorder:

• write a horror scenario.

For post-traumatic stress disorder:

• write and tell your trauma in details and with emotion.

It is also important that you use a notebook to take notes and write summaries of the therapy sessions.

Most treatments last from a few months up to two years.