“How long does therapy take for anxiety?”

Hello Ms., 

There are no set number of sessions for anxiety. It is not one size fits all. When you start therapy with a licensed psychologist generally they will undertake an evaluation and encourage you to set your goals. Not everyone's anxiety has the same roots and origins. So, there is a need to identify where your anxiety is coming from and what is it related to. I give assignments to clients that they need to engage in to recover faster and release their anxiety. Depending on how motivated the person is, to do the work they need to do to let go of their anxiety, will determine how long it takes to heal and move forward. Hypnotherapy has been known to cut down on the number of sessions. I would suggest start reading "Anxiety and Phobia Workbook" as you start searching for a licensed psychologist for therapy. 
Take care and remain safe. 

Dr. Lata Sonpal

Hi,

Thank you for your question. The length of time in therapy depends on what type of therapy you are doing. There are many forms of talk therapy that can help to reduce anxiety, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), psychodynamic therapy, humanistic therapy, Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). CBT, DBT, and EMDR are usually short-term, while psychodynamic, humanistic, and IPT are usually long-term. MBCT depends on how much you are practicing anxiety reduction and relaxation techniques outside of therapy sessions. These may include deep diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, grounding exercises, mindfulness meditation, practicing positive mantras or positive self-talk, guided imagery and visualization, and journaling or stream of consciousness writing.
I hope this has been helpful!

Best,

Jenna Torres, PsyD

I wish there was a simple answer to your question, sadly there is no Time Frame, there are factors that are based on the individual. I have worked with clients addressing anxiety in a couple months and some I have worked with for excess of a year.

Thank you for reaching out, the length of therapy depends on the level of anxiety, the techniques used to work through your anxiety and other variables. To relieve panic attacks, it could take a session or two to feel better, but not fix it if that makes sense.

Sara Cole, MS, LPC, CAC III

Hello and thank you for your question,

As each individual is different, the amount of time required to overcome an issue like anxiety is different. There is really no definite amount of time for anyone. It depends on what interventions are used and how quickly you apply the skills learned in therapy.

Thank you,

Patricia Harris | MA, LPC

Hello, there really is no time frame on how long treatment for anxiety takes. There are several things you have to consider such as:

1. Your level of motivation,
2. What is causing anxiety (past trauma history and/or current life stressors),
3. The treatment modality that is being used to treat the anxiety:
a. Medication,
b. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EMDR, Interpersonal Therapy,
4. Your comfort with therapy,
5. Your support system.

These are just a few things that you need to consider. So there really is no way to say definitively how long it takes. I hope this helps.

Only you and your therapist can figure that out depending on your history of anxiety, genetic factors, etc. CBT is the best therapy. Of course medication works wonders.

See this link...
https://adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/ask-and-learn/faqs/how-effective-are-treatments-how-long-do-they-take