• Anxiety Counseling - Agape Christian Counseling Services St Louis MO

    Anxiety Counseling

    Anxiety can be triggered by major life stressors or by subtle experiences. It can be unpleasant, scary, and impairing to live with anxiety. Often, before we cognitively understand our anxiety, our body feels it with aches and pains. Anxiety disorders may include (but not limited to) Social Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),  Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Phobias, and Panic Disorders. Use the questions below as a self-reflective guide. Do you… have persistent anxiety or worry? have difficulty controlling your worry? feel restless, keyed-up, or on-edge? feel easily fatigued? have trouble concentrating? feel irritable for much of the day? have muscle tension? have trouble sleeping, staying asleep,…

  • Fears & Things That Go Bump in the Night

    Fears & Things That Go Bump in the Night

    by Carolyn Knarr, MSW, LCSW, Director of Children’s Therapeutic Services Childhood fears are a normal part of growing up. Children who have vivid imaginations, or who have been exposed to circumstances or ideas that are beyond their understanding will be more likely to have fears. God gave us fears to keep us safe. For example, a child with a fear of fire would avoid playing with matches. A child afraid of heights will be more careful when hiking or exploring. Fears change as kids grow and develop. Common fears during the preschool years include fear of such things as: the dark, masks, clowns and other people in costumes, noises at…

  • Fear of Heights Challenge

    The “Height” of Perfection-ism… Is Fear

    By Jessica Stillman When I volunteered to face my fear of heights for the #FaceYourFearsChallenge, I didn’t think very much about it. I was just thinking that we needed content to post on our website and our Facebook wall, that we would have some fun making a video, and that I had full confidence in my boss, Darrell, to help me change my outlook on my fear of heights. What  did I have to lose? Besides, I’ve never been one to turn down a challenge. Many things come easily for me, which makes me feel that I should be able to accomplish anything I set my mind to doing. Facing…

  • Letchworth State Park Rail Bridge Heights Phobia Therapy St Louis

    Heights: It’s All About the Altitude

    By Jessica Stillman For as long as I can remember, I have had a fear of heights. One vivid memory I have involving fear and heights is from a church trip I took to Buffalo, New York when I was in middle school. We went to a state park and one of the attractions of this park was the hiking trails and lookout points at the top of the cliffs. This park is advertised as the “Grand Canyon of the East”, so you can imagine how high up these lookout points are. Near one, there is a train track bridge that goes between two cliffs several hundred feet above the…