Anxiety Treatment
If you are looking for proper anxiety treatment, you are most likely past the point of self-help apps and breathing videos. You want an assessment with real clinicians, a clear plan, and the option of more intensive care if you need it. That is what Promis provides. We are a mental health and addiction clinic offering anxiety treatment across several levels of care, from outpatient sessions to full residential admission, supported by weekly psychiatric input and a clinical formulation that is built around you rather than a fixed programme.
Anxiety is a core condition we treat. Whether you are searching for an anxiety treatment centre, an anxiety clinic in London, or residential care because outpatient support has not been enough, the first step is the same: a comprehensive assessment that establishes what is driving the anxiety and what level of treatment will actually help.
Clinically reviewed by Robin Lefever, Therapist and Registered Manager. Last reviewed: 22 June 2026.
What does private anxiety treatment involve?
Private anxiety treatment at Promis begins with a comprehensive diagnostic assessment, because anxiety is a symptom that can be driven by several different things. The same word covers constant worry, sudden panic, social fear, health preoccupation, and the physical aftermath of trauma, and these respond to different approaches. The assessment leads to a clinical formulation, which is a working explanation of how your anxiety developed and what keeps it going. That formulation guides the plan.
You can begin this process through our assessment programme, which is the route into every level of care we offer. You can also read more about the conditions we treat and our approach on our mental health pages.
Types We Treat
Anxiety is not one condition. The assessment establishes which pattern, or combination of patterns, is driving things, because they respond to different approaches.
- Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD): persistent, hard-to-control worry across many areas of life, often with restlessness, fatigue, poor concentration, and disturbed sleep.
- Panic disorder: recurrent panic attacks, sudden surges of intense fear with physical symptoms such as a racing heart and breathlessness, often followed by fear of the next attack.
- Social anxiety: intense fear of being judged or scrutinised in social or performance situations, leading to avoidance that can narrow work and relationships.
- Health anxiety: persistent preoccupation with having or developing a serious illness, with repeated checking or reassurance-seeking that does not settle the worry for long.
- Phobias: marked, disproportionate fear of a specific object or situation that triggers avoidance and can disrupt everyday life.
We also treat anxiety that occurs alongside depression, trauma, or addiction.
Signs & Symptoms
Psychological
Anxiety shows up in the mind and in the body. People often notice some mix of the following psychological signs.
- Constant or excessive worry that is hard to switch off
- A sense of dread, or feeling on edge and unable to relax
- Difficulty concentrating or a mind that goes blank
- Irritability and disturbed sleep
- Avoiding people, places, or situations that trigger the fear
Physical
Anxiety also produces physical signs, which people often notice before they recognise the worry behind them.
- Racing or pounding heart
- Shortness of breath or a tight chest
- Sweating, trembling, or shaking
- Dizziness, nausea, or a churning stomach
- Muscle tension, headaches, and fatigue
Further information on anxiety symptoms is available from the NHS.
Behavioural
Avoiding situations, places, or people that trigger anxiety
Seeking constant reassurance from others
Difficulty leaving the house or being in crowds
Using alcohol, drugs, or other substances to manage feelings
Withdrawing from social life or avoiding responsibilities
Checking behaviours, repeatedly confirming doors are locked, emails have been sent, or symptoms are not serious
When to Seek Specialist Help
Most anxiety is treated well on an outpatient basis. Residential or inpatient anxiety treatment is not a more luxurious version of the same thing, and the searches people make for "rehab for anxiety" or "inpatient anxiety treatment" usually reflect a situation where outpatient support has not been enough. Inpatient care becomes appropriate when one or more of the following is true:
- Anxiety, panic, or avoidance has reached the point where you cannot reliably function at home or work.
- Outpatient therapy has been tried and has not held, or symptoms relapse quickly after short periods of improvement.
- Anxiety occurs alongside depression, an eating disorder, or addiction, and these are feeding each other.
- You need a protected, structured setting and intensive daily therapy to interrupt the cycle and stabilise.
A note on safety
Anxiety often travels with other difficulties. Where it comes with severe panic, low mood or depression, or any thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please do not wait for an assessment appointment to get help.
- If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E.
- For an urgent NHS mental health response, call NHS 111 and select the mental health option (111, option 2).
- To talk to someone any time, day or night, call the Samaritans on 116 123.
Promis is a voluntary clinic and not an emergency service, but we would always rather you reached the right urgent help first and came to us when you are safe.
How We Treat at PROMIS
The core of evidence-based anxiety treatment is psychological therapy. NICE recommends cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and applied relaxation as first-line treatments for generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder (NICE CG113), and CBT specifically adapted for social anxiety for social anxiety disorder (NICE CG159). CBT helps you identify and change the thinking patterns and avoidance that maintain anxiety, while applied relaxation teaches you to recognise the early physical signs of anxiety and reduce them. We combine these with trauma-informed work and nervous system regulation where the formulation points to them.
Medication can have a role, but it is a doctor's decision, not a default. Where appropriate, NICE notes that an SSRI is commonly the first medication considered for GAD or panic disorder. At Promis, any medication question is reviewed through our weekly psychiatric input, so that prescribing, diagnostic clarity, and therapy goals stay aligned. Medication is used to support psychological treatment, not to replace it.
Our model is formulation-led and multidisciplinary. Rather than applying one technique to everyone, the team builds a plan around the specific shape of your anxiety, integrating psychological therapy with weekly psychiatric input so that diagnosis, any medication, and therapy goals stay coordinated. Weekly case reviews keep the plan moving as we observe how you respond.
Because we treat both mental health and addiction, we are set up to handle anxiety that does not come on its own. Roughly half of the people we work with present with conditions other than addiction, and anxiety frequently sits alongside alcohol or drug use, depression, trauma, or disordered eating. Where that is the case, we treat the pattern as a whole rather than referring you around for each piece separately.
Promis is a regulated provider. Our Hay Farm clinic in Kent is registered with and rated Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care in England.
How fees and funding work
We do not publish a single price, because the right level and length of care, and therefore the cost, only become clear after a clinical assessment. Once we understand what you need, we set out the options and costs clearly so you can decide with full information.
Private medical insurance may contribute towards treatment depending on your policy and cover. We would always advise checking your benefits and any pre-authorisation requirements directly with your insurer before treatment begins.
The route in is the same either way: start with our assessment programme, or contact us for a confidential conversation about fees and funding for your situation.
Treatment Formats
Residential
Inpatient or residential treatment suits people whose anxiety has made home or work unmanageable, who have not responded to outpatient care, or who need a protected setting with intensive daily therapy and weekly psychiatric review. Residential treatment provides a period of concentrated, formulation-led care with a consistent clinical team and a deliberately small census, so that the work can be intensive without being institutional. Our residential pathway runs through primary care. It is voluntary care for people who choose it, not an acute admission, and we step up to Cardinal Clinic for acute psychiatric need.
Day Patient
Day care suits people who need more structure and clinical contact than weekly sessions but can still go home each evening. It is a middle option that intensifies treatment without full admission, and it is worth stepping up to when daily functioning is becoming unsafe, symptoms are escalating, or co-occurring depression, an eating disorder, or addiction needs closer attention.
Outpatient
Outpatient therapy suits people who are safe at home, can practise skills between sessions, and need structured CBT or applied relaxation. It is the most common starting point for GAD, social anxiety, and many phobias. You step up from here when anxiety is not easing despite consistent therapy, or panic and avoidance are still controlling daily life.
Aftercare
Recovery from anxiety does not end when a treatment programme finishes. The skills and insights gained during therapy need to be practised and reinforced in everyday life, and it is normal to encounter setbacks along the way.
PROMIS provides structured aftercare to support the transition back to daily life. This may include ongoing individual therapy sessions, access to support groups, and a clear relapse prevention plan developed with your clinician before you leave treatment. Our team remains available to you after your programme ends, if difficulties arise, you can reach out without needing to start the process again from scratch.
Why Choose PROMIS
Family-run and CQC registered since 1987, one of the UK's longest-established private treatment providers, founded by someone with lived experience of recovery.
Dual diagnosis specialists, we treat anxiety alongside depression, trauma, addiction, and other co-occurring conditions because in our experience, these rarely exist in isolation.
Small patient numbers, personalised attention from senior clinicians, not a conveyor belt model.
Named therapeutic approaches, EMDR, IFS, CBT, DBT, somatic work, not vague promises of "holistic" treatment.
Rapid access, assessment and treatment available quickly, without NHS-style waiting lists.
Flexible settings, residential, day patient, outpatient, and online treatment available at our London and Kent clinics.
Structured aftercare, ongoing support after your programme ends, with a clear relapse prevention plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Reading
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