Anxiety & OCD Counselling in Prudhoe & Online | ERP & MBCT

When your thoughts won't switch off, you don't have to manage them alone.

Anxiety can make everyday life feel exhausting.

You might find yourself constantly worrying, overthinking situations, imagining the worst or struggling to switch your mind off. You may feel on edge, overwhelmed or unable to relax even when everything around you seems fine.

For some people, anxiety can develop into repetitive thoughts, intrusive thoughts, checking or behaviours that feel difficult to control.

Counselling can give you a safe, confidential space to understand what's happening and begin to feel more in control.

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You might be experiencing...

• Constant worrying or overthinking

• Feeling unable to switch your mind off

• Anxiety about everyday situations

• Panic or feeling overwhelmed

• Intrusive or unwanted thoughts

• Repeatedly seeking reassurance

• Checking behaviours

• Fear that something bad might happen

• Worrying excessively about your health

• Avoiding situations because of anxiety

• Finding anxiety is affecting your relationships, work or everyday life

You may have been coping with these difficulties for a long time.

Perhaps you've tried to manage them yourself, but they keep coming back.

You don't have to wait until things become unbearable before asking for support.

Counselling for Anxiety

Anxiety can show up differently for everyone.

You might know exactly what you're worried about, or you might simply feel that something isn't right.

Counselling can help you explore what's happening beneath the anxiety and understand the thoughts, feelings and patterns that may be keeping it going.

We can explore things such as:

Overthinking

Finding yourself going over conversations, decisions or possible outcomes repeatedly.

Worry

Spending a lot of time thinking about what might happen and finding it difficult to feel reassured.

Panic and feeling overwhelmed

Feeling unable to cope when anxiety becomes intense.

Health anxiety

Constantly worrying about your health, checking symptoms or seeking reassurance that you're okay.

Anxiety and relationships

Understanding how anxiety can affect confidence, communication and relationships with others.

OCD & Intrusive Thoughts

OCD isn't simply about being tidy, organised or particular.

For some people, OCD involves unwanted thoughts, images or urges that cause significant distress, alongside compulsions or behaviours that feel necessary to reduce that distress.

You may find yourself:

• Checking things repeatedly

• Seeking reassurance from other people

• Mentally reviewing situations

• Repeating thoughts or phrases in your mind

• Avoiding situations because of intrusive thoughts

• Worrying that your thoughts mean something about you

• Feeling responsible for preventing something bad from happening

Having an intrusive thought doesn't mean you want it to happen.

If you're frightened or ashamed of your thoughts, you don't need to be embarrassed about talking about them in counselling.

You can talk about what's happening without being judged.

What about intrusive thoughts?

One of the most distressing things about intrusive thoughts can be the meaning we attach to them.

You might think:

"Why did I just think that?"

"What does this say about me?"

"What if I actually wanted that to happen?"

"What if I lose control?"

Intrusive thoughts can feel frightening precisely because they are unwanted and go against what matters to you.

Counselling can provide a safe space to explore your experiences without judgement.

You don't need to diagnose yourself first

You don't have to know whether what you're experiencing is anxiety, OCD or something else before getting in touch.

During a free 15-minute consultation, you can simply explain what's been happening and ask any questions you have.

We'll discuss whether counselling with me might be appropriate for you.

My approach

I'm a BACP Registered Counsellor with over 11 years' counselling experience, supporting adults with anxiety, OCD, health anxiety and related difficulties.

My approach is primarily person-centred, which means creating a warm, confidential and non-judgemental space where we can explore what's happening for you at a pace that feels manageable.

Alongside this, I draw on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and CBT-informed approaches to help you understand the relationship between your thoughts, emotions and behaviours.

OCD and ERP

OCD isn't about getting rid of every intrusive thought

One of the things that can make OCD so exhausting is the cycle of intrusive thought → anxiety → compulsion/reassurance → temporary relief → intrusive thought again.

You may find yourself checking, seeking reassurance, avoiding situations, mentally reviewing events or trying to neutralise unwanted thoughts.

ERP can help you gradually break this cycle by learning that you can experience uncertainty or anxiety without needing to carry out the compulsion. 

Examples of compulsions can include:

• Checking

• Reassurance seeking

• Avoidance

• Mental reviewing

• Repeating actions

• Counting

• Googling symptoms or seeking information

• Trying to "cancel out" an intrusive thought

• Asking yourself repeatedly whether you're a good/bad person

• Replaying conversations or situations

And importantly:

Intrusive thoughts are not intentions. Having an unwanted thought does not mean you want it to happen.

Counselling in Prudhoe & Online

I offer face-to-face counselling from St Matthew's Wellness Centre in Prudhoe, Northumberland, as well as online and telephone counselling across the UK.

You can access counselling from the comfort of your own home if travelling isn't convenient.

Counselling fees

Face-to-face: £55 per 50-minute session

Online or telephone: £50 per 50-minute session

Free initial consultation: 15 minutes

Ready to take the first step?

You don't need to have everything figured out before contacting me.

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