Specific Phobias

When fear starts getting in the way of everyday life

A specific phobia can make something that seems ordinary to other people feel genuinely frightening. You might experience intense fear around spiders, needles, blood, vomit, animals, flying, heights or other specific situations, and find yourself avoiding them wherever possible. Even thinking about the thing you fear can bring on anxiety or physical symptoms.

For children and teenagers, a phobia can affect school, friendships, family activities and independence. They may avoid certain places or situations, become distressed when they know they'll encounter their fear or rely heavily on parents to help them avoid it.

How can CBT help?

CBT can help you understand how fear, avoidance and safety behaviours keep a phobia going. We'll gradually work towards facing the things you're afraid of in a way that feels manageable, using evidence-based CBT and exposure approaches.

I also offer One Session Treatment (OST), an intensive approach that can be highly effective for some specific phobias. Treatment is always collaborative and tailored to you.

What could change?

The goal isn't to make you love the thing you fear. It's to reduce the fear enough that it no longer dictates what you can do.

You might find yourself avoiding less, feeling more confident in situations that previously felt impossible and having greater freedom to get on with everyday life.

Ready to take back some freedom?

You don't have to keep planning your life around a phobia. A free, confidential consultation gives us the chance to talk about what you're avoiding, how it's affecting you and whether CBT or OST could be right for you.