Working with anxiety in adults.
Anxiety in adults is the most commonly reported mental health concern in Australia, and it is rarely just one thing. This page covers what it can look like, how we work with it, and how to begin.
Last reviewed
Next review
What it can look like
Anxiety is not a single experience. For some people it is a near-constant background hum, a tightness in the chest or stomach that comes online before the day starts and stays until sleep. For others it arrives in distinct episodes, a sudden surge with no apparent trigger that takes minutes or hours to settle, often misread as a heart problem the first time it happens.
It is also a pattern of doing, not just feeling. The lists in the head. The double-checking. The conversations rehearsed before they happen and replayed after. The avoidance of situations that have been costly before, which protects in the short term and narrows life over time.
Where it tends to overlap with other things
People often arrive describing anxiety and discover, in the work, that several things are happening at once. Sleep that has been broken for years is rarely separate from anxiety. Burnout reads as anxiety from the outside but does not respond to the same supports. Trauma, ADHD, autism, perimenopause, chronic pain, and grief all change how anxiety presents and what helps. None of this is to relabel the experience away from anxiety. It is to make sure the work meets what is actually there.
What it costs to keep carrying it
One of the more useful framings is that long-term anxiety is rarely just an internal problem. Over time it shapes work choices, relationships, sleep, the body, and the sense of what is possible. People often describe a slow narrowing: fewer activities, fewer rooms entered, fewer conversations had. Recognising this pattern is often the first part of changing it.
Why it is so common, and why that matters
Anxiety is the most prevalent group of mental health concerns in Australia. That is not a reassurance about severity. Anxiety can be very serious. But it is a reminder that whatever shape it has taken, it is well-described in the research, and there are recognised pathways for getting support.
How we work
Time to talk through what brought you in
Like every session, the first is 50 minutes, and it is mostly listening. We map what you are carrying, when it started or worsened, what you have already tried, and what you want from the work. No pressure to commit to a number of sessions.
Individually tailored, paced to you
We work in a way that is individually tailored, drawing on what fits the person and the presentation rather than running everyone through the same protocol. The pace is set by you, not the clock.
In conversation with your GP
For most people seeing us with anxiety, a GP and a Mental Health Treatment Plan are part of the picture. We write to your GP at the points that matter, with your consent.
Who you would see
Matthew is interested in understanding how a person's whole system works before anything in it is asked to change.
Natalia works to make a first session feel less like an assessment and more like a conversation.
Practical info
Get started →Book a Meet and Greet
A free 15-minute call or in-person meeting, no obligation, to see if we are the right fit before committing to anything. It does not use a Medicare session.
Who this work is for
- Adults (18+) and older adults with anxiety in any of its forms.
- People who want to work individually and at their own pace.
- Those happy to involve a GP, and where relevant, a psychiatrist.
- People who want a working understanding of what is happening.
What this work is not
- Crisis support. If you are in crisis, please call 000 or Lifeline 13 11 14.
- A substitute for medical care. We work alongside GPs and psychiatrists.
- For people under 18. Equal Psychology sees adults and older adults only.
- A guarantee of any specific outcome.
Common questions
All anxiety answers →The evidence
The evidence
What this looks like at the population level
Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent group of mental health concerns in Australia, more common than affective disorders such as depression. They are more common in women than men, and most common in younger adults, though they are present at meaningful rates across the lifespan.
Recent research describes consistent associations between anxiety and shorter or poorer-quality sleep, reduced workforce participation during episodes, and higher rates of co-occurrence with depression, substance use, and chronic pain. None of these associations is the same as cause. They are part of why anxiety is rarely treated in isolation.
Therapy as part of a wider system of care
Current Australian and international clinical guidelines describe psychological therapy and pharmacotherapy as recommended first-line interventions for adult anxiety disorders, often delivered in combination and within a stepped care framework that involves GPs and, where appropriate, psychiatrists. The Australian primary mental health care system is explicitly structured this way: the intensity of intervention is matched to the person's level of need, with movement between levels as the picture changes.
Care for anxiety often involves more than one person
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2023). National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020–2022. Australian Bureau of Statistics. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/mental-health/national-study-mental-health-and-wellbeing/latest-release
- Saha, S., Lim, C. C. W., Cannon, D. L., Burton, L., Bremner, M., Cosgrove, P., Huo, Y., & McGrath, J. J. (2021). Co-morbidity between mood and anxiety disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Depression and Anxiety, 38(3), 286–306. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.23113
- Mareya, S., Watts, M. C., Zhao, L., & Olasoji, M. (2024). Exploring the stepped care model in delivering primary mental health services: A scoping review. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 33(6), 2026–2042. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13427
- Gray, B., Asrat, B., Brohan, E., Chowdhury, N., Dua, T., & van Ommeren, M. (2024). Management of generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder in general health care settings: new WHO recommendations. World Psychiatry, 23(1), 160–161. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.21172
Resources
See all →General information only. This page is general psychoeducation, not a clinical assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Reading it does not establish a treating relationship. Outcomes from psychological therapy vary between people and cannot be guaranteed. If you would like personalised support, please book a Meet and Greet or speak with your GP. If you are in immediate danger, call 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.