The Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center offers evidence-based therapy for Health Anxiety. Our approach to therapy for health anxiety is compassionate, practical and goal-oriented and will help you make positive changes in your life. Through our online therapy program, we serve people anywhere in California including San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Orange County and anywhere in California. Our Center Director, Laura Johnson, LMFT, LPCC, has worked with hundreds of clients with health anxiety and is a specialist in this area.
What is Health Anxiety?
Health Anxiety is the fear or belief that that one has a serious disease due to a misinterpretation of bodily sensations or an exaggeration of the likelihood of having a medical problem. People with health anxiety will believe they have a serious medical problem or worry excessively about getting an illness despite medical tests and reassurance from doctors and others.
Symptoms of Health Anxiety
- Belief or fear that you have a serious illness, despite evidence to the contrary.
- Reassurance seeking behaviors, such as asking to visit the doctor, internet searches about symptoms, and repeatedly mentioning symptoms to others.
- Constantly monitoring bodily functions and sensations.
- Avoiding things that remind you of illness, including hospitals and people who are ill.
- Withdrawing from social or recreational activities due to health concerns.
- Conflict or isolation from friends and family due to health concerns.
Cognitive Behavioral Model of Health Anxiety
Health anxiety arises out of the misinterpretation of normal and harmless bodily symptoms and sensations. It is normal to experience some “body noise,” such as feeling your heart beating or hearing your stomach churning. However, if you have health anxiety, when you experience an uncomfortable or unexpected bodily sensation, you will become extremely worried and believe something is wrong. With hypochondriasis, you may catastrophize when you notice something out of the ordinary, such as a skin rash or have a headache. You may believe you are more likely to have a medical problem or illness than you actually are and may have difficulty accepting that it is impossible to be 100% certain that you are illness-free. You will respond to health anxiety with safety behaviors (e.g. going to the doctor, staying close to hospitals), reassurance seeking (talking excessive about your symptoms, asking others for reassurance you are okay), checking behaviors (checking bodily functions, researching on the internet) and/or avoidance, which in turn reinforces your anxiety and inaccurate beliefs about your health.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for Health Anxiety
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for health anxiety focuses on helping you learn to tolerate uncomfortable bodily sensations without engaging in safety behaviors and to recognize and modify mistaken beliefs about their health. You will receive information about the causes of health anxiety, and how it is maintained by faulty beliefs, checking behaviors and ineffective attempts to receive reassurance. Cognitive techniques will help you evaluate your mistaken beliefs about your health and replace them with more accurate and effective ways of thinking. You will gradually face your fears and learn that you are able to handle the anxiety without engaging in safety behaviors.
Common Goals of Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Health Anxiety
- Reduce anxiety related to health concerns
- Reduce safety and reassurance seeking behaviors related to health
- Resume normal activities that were avoided due to health anxiety
Getting Help for Health Anxiety in California
The Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center provides therapy and counseling for health anxiety in San Jose, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Orange County, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Roseville, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Cupertino, Los Altos and anywhere in California through our Online Video Program. Click to send an email for more information on how we can help you manage health anxiety.
Silicon Valley Communities We Serve
Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center offers evidence-based therapy for Anxiety and OCD through our online video program in the following Silicon Valley/San Jose communities:
San Jose Therapy and Counseling • Saratoga Counseling and Therapy • Los Gatos Therapy and Counseling • Monte Sereno Therapy and Counseling • Cupertino Therapy and Counseling • Campbell Therapy and Counseling • Mountain View Therapy and Counseling • Los Altos Therapy and Counseling • Sunnyvale Therapy and Counseling • Santa Clara Therapy and Counseling • Palo Alto Therapy and Counseling
CBT Online Video Therapy
CBT Online Video Therapy for anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) offered in all the above locations as well as the following California communities:
San Francisco Therapy Counseling • Sacramento Valley Therapy Counseling • Carmel CA Therapy Counseling • Santa Cruz Therapy Counseling •
Monterey Therapy Counseling • Los Angeles Therapy Counseling • San Diego Therapy Counseling • Orange County Therapy Counseling