6 Best Anxiety Treatment Centers in Florida

Understanding anxiety

Takeaway: If you’re experiencing anxiety, you’re not alone. It’s a common mental health issue that impacts millions of people across the United States, including Florida. Fortunately, there are many treatment options available that can significantly improve your quality of life. Here, we’ll review the many anxiety treatment centers in Florida to help you make an informed decision about your care.

According to the American Psychological Association, “Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure.” It is a normal reaction to stress. There is, however, a difference between feeling stressed and worried from time to time and having an anxiety disorder. The key differences are that the fear experienced in anxiety disorders is disproportionate to the situation and it interferes with a person’s ability to function normally. According to the American Psychiatric Association, anxiety disorders are the most common of mental disorders. Approximately 30% of people will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their adult lives.

Types of anxiety disorders

There are several different types of anxiety disorders recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM 5). For the purposes of this post, we will be reviewing the most common anxiety disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, which is listed under the Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders section of the DSM 5. 

Anxiety is a normal part of the human experience. Healthy, adaptable anxiety alerts us to potential threats so that we can respond appropriately. It keeps us safe and helps ensure our survival. However, anxiety can also be extremely unhelpful when it alerts us to threats that are not actually present. For individuals struggling with anxiety this is debilitating for everyday life. Thankfully, there are a variety of treatment approaches that have shown to be effective for treating anxiety disorders. In this post, we will explore some of the different treatment options available in Florida. We will help you better understand the signs and symptoms of anxiety as a mental health disorder so that you can be more informed, and hopefully feel more in control when deciding on the right anxiety treatment center in Florida.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive anxiety and constant worry about a variety of issues that is out of proportion to actually likelihood or effects of the issues. For example, people may worry about routine issues, including being on time for appointments, health, and chores. It is difficult for people with GAD to control the worry, and the worry significantly interferes with their daily functioning.

Gerneralized Anxiety Disorder

Social Anxiety Disorder (previously referred to as Social Phobia) is characterized by intense fear or anxiety in social and/or performance situations. People with Social Anxiety Disorder fear that others will know they are anxious or that they will do or say something embarrassing. While some people may avoid social interactions altogether, others will endure them while feeling anxious and battling negative thoughts. The anxiety and fear is disproportionate to the situation, and it causes significant distress or impairment in daily life.

Social Anxiety disorder

Specific Phobia

A phobia is an extreme, irrational fear of or an aversion to something. People with Specific Phobias experience intense anxiety and fear about a specific object or situation. Common phobias include animal, heights, and flying. People with Specific Phobia will go to great lengths to avoid the phobia or endure them with intense fear and anxiety, which causes significant distress or impairment in daily functioning.

Panic Disorder

Panic Disorder is characterized by recurrent unexpected panic attacks, symptoms include a sudden surge of intense fear that consists of heart palpitations, chest pain, an accelerated heart rate, feeling hot, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, choking sensations, nausea, abdominal discomfort, feeling dizzy or faint, chills, numbness or tingling sensations, fear of losing control, and/or fear of dying. A panic attack may also consist of derealization, which includes feeling detached from reality, and/or depersonalizations, which includes feeling detached from oneself. People with Panic Disorder may be in a constant state of worry regarding future panic attacks or change their behavior to try and prevent them.

Agoraphobia

 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

People with Agoraphobia fear or avoid situations where it may be difficult to escape or receive help should they experience panic, incapacitation, or embarrassment. These situations include public transportation, open spaces, enclosed places, standing in line, being in a crowd, and being outside the home alone. The anxiety and fear is disproportionate to the risk factors the situation, and it causes significant distress or impairment in daily functioning.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by the presence of obsessions and/or compulsions. Symptoms include obsessions that are recurrent and include persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are intrusive, unwanted, and cause distress. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that a person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or rigid rules. These repetitive behaviors or mental acts are done to prevent anxiety, reduce distress, or prevent a dreaded event or situation. However, they are not connected to the event or situation in a realistic way. The obsessions and compulsions are time consuming and significantly interfere with daily life. Some people may recognize the obsessions and compulsions are not realistic while others believe they are true.

Getting anxiety treatment in Florida

Now that you are more familiar with the different types of anxiety disorders, we will take a look at some of the available options for treatment in Florida. We will start by reviewing inpatient and residential treatment centers, and then we will discuss some of the less-intensive treatment options.

6 anxiety treatment centers in Florida that can help you feel better

When exploring anxiety disorder treatment centers, you will notice that treatment programs are categorized by level of care. There are five levels of care that range from most to least intensive: inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization program (PHP), intensive outpatient program (IOP), and outpatient. In this section, we will be covering treatment centers with inpatient and residential treatment programs. These treatment programs are designed for individuals who need consistent support and supervision to recover. Individuals who seek treatment can receive 24/7 care from a multidisciplinary treatment team that consists of medical providers, therapists, and others.

1. Discovery Mood and Anxiety Program

Discovery Mood and Anxiety Program offers residential treatment for anxiety and other mental health disorders. The program offers one-on-one support as well as group therapy sessions. They offer treatment for adolescents at their Dade City location.

2. URP Behavioral Health

URP Behavioral Health is located in Riviera Beach and offers inpatient treatment for adults suffering with anxiety disorders. They offer treatment for other mental health conditions, including mood disorders, trauma disorders, substance abuse, and psychotic disorders, and they emphasize a holistic approach.

3. The Wave of Clearwater

The Wave of Clearwater offers residential treatment for adults with anxiety disorders and a variety of mental health conditions. In addition to traditional mental health treatment, they offer art therapy, physical fitness, yoga, and meditation. 

4. Florida Oasis Residential Mental Health Center

Florida Oasis Residential Mental Health Center is located in Lake Park, and they offer residential treatment for adults. They have a multidisciplinary team composed of administration, physicians, therapists, nurses and behavioral health technicians provide constant daily feedback amongst each other to ensure treatment is as individualized as possible.

5. Banyan Boca Raton

Banyan Boca Raton of Banyan Treatment Centers offers residential treatment to adults at their Lake Worth location. They treat anxiety and other mental health disorders with a variety of treatment approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Equine Therapy, and Biofeedback.

6. Kinder in the Keys Treatment Center

Kinder in the Keys Treatment Center offers inpatient treatment for adult women with anxiety disorders in Key Largo through their Women’s Anxiety Treatment Program. They pride themselves on being a woman-owned business, and they also treat mood and trauma disorders.

Other anxiety treatment options in Florida

While inpatient and/or residential treatment is incredibly beneficial for some people, not everyone affected by an anxiety disorder requires this level of care. There are a variety of factors to consider when determining level of care, including the severity of physical symptoms of the disorder, the amount of support available at home, and the amount of structure needed to treat the disorder. Most treatment centers will offer an initial assessment to help determine the most appropriate level of care. Let’s review the other levels of care and some of the treatment centers in Florida that offer them.

Partial Hospitalization Program and Intensive Outpatient Program

Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) are designed for those who do not require as much support as residential or full residential inpatient treatment programs, but who need more than is offered at outpatient programs. People typically attend these programs between three and five days per week for several hours per day. These programs allow flexibility for those who wish to continue working and living at home while they receive treatment. Here are some of the PHP and IOP programs that treat anxiety disorders in Florida: Baptist Behavioral Health, Delray Center for Healing, Central Florida Behavioral Hospital, The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center, Galen Hope, Palm Point Behavioral Health, Discovery Mood and Anxiety Program, The Wave of Clearwater, and Kinder in the Keys Treatment Center.

Outpatient

Most individuals affected by anxiety disorders will be appropriate for outpatient care. While outpatient treatment offers the lowest level of support, it is highly effective at treating anxiety disorders. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is considered the gold-standard psychotherapy treatment for anxiety disorders, as its effectiveness has been replicated in numerous controlled studies (Bandelow et al., 2017). CBT has been adapted into different formats to effectively treat the unique symptoms of different anxiety disorders. For example, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a form of CBT that is evidenced-based for the treatment of OCD (Law and Boisseau, 2019). In addition to psychotherapy, psychopharmacology can assist in reducing symptoms of anxiety. If you are experiencing anxiety, consider consulting with a medical provider, such as a psychiatrist or primary care physician, to help determine if medication may be a helpful component to your treatment. 

At Restored Purpose Counseling Services, PLLC., we offer outpatient treatment for adults and adolescents. Our team of expert clinicians, including both licensed mental health professionals and registered dietitians, have extensive education and use various modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy and art therapy along with teaching coping skills and relaxation techniques in a healing environment to support the recovery process. Our highly trained professional staff utilizes a whole person approach during anxiety treatment by understanding medical history, environmental factors, co occurring disorders and more. Additionally, we are a preferred provider with most major insurances so when you reach out, our Care Coordination team can help you get started! If we are not the right fit or you need more support, our team will offer suggestions to help you find the right treatment team.