Find Peace of Mind When Health Worries Take Over

Do you constantly worry about your health—even after receiving medical reassurance? Do you find yourself scanning your body for symptoms, Googling illnesses, or fearing the worst about minor sensations? If so, you may be experiencing health anxiety, and you’re not alone. At Anchoridge Counselling Services, we offer evidence-based support to help you break free from the cycle of fear and regain trust in your body and mind.

What Is Health Anxiety?
Health anxiety (formerly called hypochondria or illness anxiety disorder) involves excessive worry about having or developing a serious medical condition, even in the absence of clear medical evidence. Common signs include:

1. Frequent doctor visits or medical tests
2. Seeking constant reassurance from others
3. Avoiding medical settings out of fear
4. Obsessive body-checking or symptom monitoring
5. Spending hours researching health conditions
6. Difficulty focusing on daily life due to worry

These thoughts and behaviours can be exhausting and isolating—but they are treatable.


How Therapy Can Help?
Health anxiety counselling offers a safe, supportive space to understand your worries, challenge unhelpful thought patterns, and regain control over your thoughts and behaviours. Our therapists can help you:

1. Identify triggers and learn what’s driving your health fears
2. Challenge catastrophic thinking and “what if” scenarios
3. Interrupt reassurance-seeking and avoidance cycles
4. Build emotional regulation and stress-reduction tools
5. Reconnect with your body in a calmer, more trusting way
6. Increase confidence in your ability to cope with uncertainty

Our Therapeutic Approach

Our clinicians use research-backed, compassionate methods to support clients with health anxiety, including:

1. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours
2. Mindfulness & Self-Compassion – to calm the nervous system and reduce panic
3. Exposure Therapy – to gently confront health-related fears
4. Psychoeducation – to understand how anxiety affects the brain and body
5. Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) – to build a values-based, resilient mindset

You Are Not Alone
Health anxiety can feel deeply isolating—but many people silently struggle with the same fears. Therapy helps normalize your experience and gives you practical tools to live with more calm, clarity, and confidence.

We support:

1. Individuals recently experiencing increased health anxiety (e.g., post-COVID)
2. Clients with a history of trauma or chronic illness
3. People navigating overlapping mental health concerns (e.g., OCD, GAD)
4. Clients tired of feeling trapped in fear, looking for sustainable relief