Specialism
Therapy for health anxiety
CBT for the fear that something is wrong with your health — the checking, the googling, and the reassurance that never lasts.
Does this sound familiar?
A sensation appears — a headache, a mark, a flutter — and your mind leaps to the worst. You check your body, search your symptoms, ask someone to reassure you, maybe see the GP again. The relief is real, but it never lasts; within days the doubt is back, often louder.
Health anxiety isn't hypochondria as a punchline — it's an anxiety problem with a well-understood engine, and it responds well to the right treatment.
How I treat health anxiety
The engine of health anxiety is the checking and reassurance itself: every scan of your body and every search teaches your brain that the danger was worth checking for. Using CBT, we map your particular loop, then gradually retire the checking while you learn to carry the uncertainty every human body produces.
It's uncomfortable at first, and it works — most people find the noise fades far faster than they expected.
What to expect
A thorough assessment first, then a typical course of 8–14 weekly sessions with practical between-session work. We track progress against the goals you set — not against being certain you're well, which no one can promise, but against getting your time and attention back.
Common questions
What if there really is something wrong with me? Therapy never asks you to skip sensible medical care. We work on the checking and fear that continue after reasonable medical reassurance has been given.
Is health anxiety a form of OCD? They're close cousins — both run on doubt, checking and reassurance. The treatment approach is similar, and I work with both.
Can I do this online? Yes — health anxiety responds well to online CBT, and practising in your own environment is part of the work.
Can sessions be in Spanish? Yes — I offer therapy in English and Spanish.
Ready to take the first step?
Send an enquiry and Gisela will be in touch within one working day.