In recent years, more and more clients have come into my therapy room asking, “Do you do CBT?”
They’ve heard that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help with anxiety. Thanks to the rise of mental health awareness and even AI, people are becoming increasingly informed. This is heartening. But I often liken this moment to someone walking into a doctor’s office saying, “Can you prescribe Panadol? I think I need it for the headaches I’ve had for years.”
It’s not wrong. But it may not be the whole picture.
As a counsellor, I’m trained in CBT and beyond. CBT is a well-researched, effective, and structured model. It focuses on the idea that what you think affects how you feel and behave. You learn to identify unhelpful thoughts, reframe them, and develop better coping skills.
CBT is often the “default” recommendation for anxiety and it’s for good reason. But in my experience, true healing from anxiety often needs more than just one approach. Anxiety is rarely caused by just a distorted thought. It’s often the result of deeper, layered emotional wounds that call for a more integrated, holistic therapy.
This is where I gently smile and say, “I do CBT and more.”
Why I Use a Holistic, Integrated Approach to Anxiety
Over the years, I’ve crafted what I lovingly call my “cocktail therapy”. It’s not something I usually explain in-session because otherwise, we’d end up in a psychology lecture instead of a healing space. But I do want to share with you the key ingredients that I blend to help my clients break through the fog of anxiety.
Each theory below adds a unique healing layer to your care:
1. Attachment Theory: Understanding the Roots of Safety
This foundational theory traces our emotional blueprint back to our earliest relationships, often beginning in the womb. Our bond with our caregivers sets the tone for how we regulate emotions, tolerate distress, and seek connection. If that bond felt unsafe, inconsistent, or neglectful, it’s no wonder anxiety shows up later in life.
Understanding your attachment style isn’t about blaming your parents. It’s about reclaiming your power through reparenting, a process I often guide clients through with practical, nurturing exercises.
Anxiety, at its core, is often about feeling unsafe. Attachment theory explains why and how we can begin to rebuild that sense of safety.
2. Polyvagal Theory: Healing Through the Nervous System
This is one of the most powerful breakthroughs in my own clinical journey
Polyvagal theory teaches us that our autonomic nervous system is constantly scanning for cues of safety and danger. Without even realizing it, we shift between fight, flight, freeze, or social engagement depending on how safe our body feels.
When anxiety is present, our nervous system is often stuck in overdrive. But through vagal toning exercises, breathwork, and body-based interventions, I help clients press their body’s natural “reset” button. Sometimes, just a simple grounding practice brings enormous relief.
This approach is not just about thinking differently but literally about feeling differently in your body.
3. Existential Therapy: When Anxiety is a Cry for Meaning
Not all anxiety is trauma-related. Some of it stems from deep existential questions about freedom, mortality, isolation, and meaning.
I see this especially in younger clients who have access to material abundance, yet suffer a quiet emptiness inside. One 13-year-old client once asked me, “What’s the point of growing up?”
It was not a question of depression. It was a call for purpose.
Existential therapy allows us to explore the deeper layers of your human experience such as your longing for belonging, for a sense of why, for a life that feels authentic.
Sometimes, anxiety is the soul whispering that something deeper needs to be heard.
4. Rogerian Therapy: Healing Through Relationship
At the heart of all my sessions is the relationship we build together
Carl Rogers, the founder of person-centered therapy, believed that transformation happens not through techniques but through unconditional acceptance.
So many clients have told me, “I only listened to what you said even though others told me the same thing”.
What they didn’t know was that I didn’t advise them. I listened deeply. I created a space where they felt seen, heard, and accepted without conditions.
This alone can shift a person’s entire inner world.
So Is CBT Enough?
CBT is a beautiful beginning. It offers tools, structure, and insight.
But real and lasting healing often comes from integrating mind, body, and spirit from understanding your nervous system, your childhood, your relationships, and your quest for meaning.
That’s why, in just one session, I may be weaving together
CBT reframing
Polyvagal grounding
Attachment-based reflection
Existential inquiry
And the invisible thread of a safe, compassionate connection
You may not notice all that’s happening. You may just feel like you “talked to a friend” and somehow felt better.
But behind the scenes is 15 plus years of clinical experience, two decades of academic training, and a heart deeply committed to your healing.
Final Thoughts: Your Anxiety Is Valid and Treatable
If you’ve been struggling with anxiety, know this:
You are not broken. You are not alone. And there is more than one way to heal.
Whether it’s CBT, Polyvagal practices, reparenting, or simply being seen in a safe space, there is a path forward. So the next time you meet your counsellor, feel free to bring your newfound jargon. But more importantly, bring your whole self. Your healing doesn’t begin with a technique, It begins with you.
If you need one-on-one support, book a free call with me.
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