Do you wonder what else may be helpful to your clients who are suffering with anxiety or OCD? Are you already using alternative therapies with your clients but afraid to say it out loud? You are not alone.  The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA.org) has received more calls  asking about the use of alternative therapies, including energy therapies in2016 than ever before! What does this mean? I believe it means that many therapists want to have options available to their clients to help alleviate their suffering.

Let me be clear. It is our obligation as therapists to be trained in and deliver evidenced based treatment to our clients. For Anxiety and OCD that means you know how to use a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy called Exposure and Response Prevention and you deliver this treatment to your clients.

That being said, once I am confident that my client has learned the evidenced based treatment for their condition, I begin to explore what else may be helpful to their overall well being. This often includes: exercise, mindfulness practice, meditation, reiki, acupuncture, and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). When I started practicing clinical social work 25 years ago, I was unaware of most of these  integrative treatments.  As I have been exposed to them, I have been pleasantly surprised and sometimes completely baffled by the positive experience some of my clients have had when they are introduced to and practice these therapies.  Consequently, I have received further training in mindfulness, meditation, and EFT. I also have a list of practitioners that I refer my clients to for other forms of integrative medicine.

I believe we are on the verge of a radical shift in how alternative therapies shape our view of treating medical and mental health. Research demonstrates that some alternative therapies quiet the stress response and decrease inflammation in the body. Staying open to using alternative techniques may benefit you and your clients. Practicing these skills consistently can help people live will with anxiety.This post is sponsored by nOCD.  Dowload this mobile tool for free.