Health Anxiety Therapy Newcastle
Health Anxiety Therapy in Newcastle
While some degree of concern about your health is completely natural, for some people these worries can become persistent, overwhelming, and difficult to control.
When anxiety about illness begins to affect your daily life, relationships, or ability to function, it may be time to seek support.
At Newcastle Psychologist & Counselling, our team of specialist psychologists, counsellors, and therapists provide dedicated health anxiety therapy in Newcastle, helping you break the cycle of worry and regain confidence in your wellbeing.
Click the button below or call us to see how our therapists can help.
What is Health Anxiety?
Health anxiety involves excessive fear or worry about having or developing a serious illness, even when medical tests and reassurance suggest there is nothing wrong.
Previously referred to as hypochondria (though in reality it can also involve worrying about developing illness), health anxiety is a recognised and treatable condition that affects many people.
Health anxiety can take different forms. Some people worry persistently about a specific illness such as cancer, heart disease, or dementia. Others experience a more general, ongoing fear about their health that is difficult to pin down.
In both cases, the anxiety itself can cause real physical symptoms, such as headaches, chest tightness, or dizziness, which then reinforce the original fears and keep the cycle going. Common signs of health anxiety include:
- Persistent worry about having or developing a serious illness
- Repeatedly checking or scanning your body for signs of something wrong
- Seeking frequent reassurance from doctors, family members, or online sources
- Continuing to feel unwell even after being given the all-clear by a doctor
- Avoiding medical appointments due to fear of a diagnosis
- Difficulty concentrating on anything other than health-related concerns
- Experiencing physical symptoms of anxiety that are mistaken for signs of illness
Health Anxiety Counselling Newcastle
At Newcastle Psychologist & Counselling, our therapists understand how exhausting and isolating health anxiety can be.
We offer a safe, confidential, and non-judgemental space in which to explore what is driving your anxiety and develop practical strategies for managing it.
Approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) are particularly effective for health anxiety, helping you identify and challenge the thought patterns and beliefs that cause your health anxiety, and keep it going.
CBT can also help reduce the compulsive checking for symptoms and the common reassurance-seeking behaviours that reinforce it.
Similarly, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help you change your relationship with anxious thoughts, reducing their hold over your day-to-day life so you can develop strategies to help you shift your focus away from illness-based thinking.
Where appropriate, our therapists also draw on techniques from other approaches that can help, such as Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), which can help you develop a kinder, less self-critical response to your anxiety, building resilience and reducing distress over time.
Speak to Our Health Anxiety Counsellors in Newcastle
Health anxiety is treatable and many people find that with the right support, they are able to break free from the cycle of worry and begin to trust their thinking again.
Our therapists work with you to understand the specific patterns maintaining your anxiety, develop realistic and helpful ways of thinking about health, and build confidence in managing uncertainty.
Sessions are available in person at our Newcastle clinics, as well as online via video call for clients across the North East, including those based in Gateshead, Sunderland, Durham, and Northumberland.
If you are struggling with health anxiety and would like to speak to one of our therapists, get in touch today. Call us on 07966 645198, or send a message using the contact form below to arrange an initial appointment.
Contact Us About Health Anxiety Counselling
How To Find Our Gosforth Clinic
Newcastle Psychologist & Counselling, Dobson House, Regent Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 3PF
How To Find Our Jesmond Clinic
Fleming Business Centre, Burdon Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 3AE.
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