Test Anxiety Treatment - Dr. Joseph Weiss

Is Test Anxiety Threatening Your Future Success?

Does taking tests cause you extreme anxiety or panic regardless of how much you’ve prepared? Do you spend time leading up to the test playing a catastrophic movie of failure or rehearsing impending tragedy over and over in your head? At test time, do you totally blank, become overcome with fear or suffer physical reactions, such as a rapid heartbeat, dizziness or an upset stomach? Perhaps your test anxiety and subsequent inability to perform well on tests creates self-doubt, makes you wonder if there is something wrong with you, or causes you stress about what your parents, colleagues or professors think. Or, maybe succeeding on an upcoming test is needed for you to be getting a raise, making it into a top school or earning an important certification. Do you wish you knew a way to calm your negative thoughts, breathe, focus and pass the test so you could move forward with school or your career?

Test anxiety can be an overwhelming, frightening and oftentimes heartbreaking experience – especially when so much money, work and time have been spent to get you to an important academic or professional junction. The pressure to perform well, fear of making mistakes and negative thoughts can significantly impact anxiety levels and how you handle (or don’t) the stress of major exams.

In our sessions together, I can teach you easy-to-learn, concrete and practical skills that you can use during a test to maintain focus, calmness and clear thinking. You can deliberately activate your relaxation response to calm yourself and better manage the stressful and anxious responses that testing can produce. I can also help you shift the pre-test, internal movies of impending catastrophe into more productive and empowering thoughts. You can enhance your resiliency, learn healthier and more helpful ways to cope with stress, and develop effective strategies to clear your mind. Building confidence and developing techniques that you can apply during the test can make a significant difference in how you view yourself and the test-taking experience. With help and a willingness to feel, function and perform better, you can learn to help yourself in the moment and answer questions with a focused and poised mind.

I have provided test anxiety treatment to countless students and professionals suffering from the same test anxieties that you’re struggling with now. They learned and applied the same techniques that I can offer you and completed their tests competently. You, too, can easily learn these techniques and have your greatest performance yet on a test. Once you understand how to remove your conditioned obstacles, you can free yourself from anxiety patterns, create a focused mind, and experience more success in your future test-taking endeavors.

But, you still may have questions or concerns…

How can test anxiety treatment really help me do better on tests?

Our sessions will be less like traditional therapy and based more around me teaching you practical and effective techniques that you can apply during tests and in other challenging situations. I’ll coach you on how to access your calm center, use your mind effectively in highly stressful situations, maintain focus during periods of fear or anxiety and stop racing thoughts at their onset. Not only can these techniques lead to more success during tests, but they can also be applied to other performance-based aspects of your life, such as public speaking. The skills I teach are useful, easy to grasp and apply, and are similar to the ones that professional athletes and performers have been using for years.

I’ve tried everything – even therapy – and nothing helps. How are you different?

Years of study, experience and counseling specific to test anxiety issues enables me to design and integrate a wealth of approaches, strategies and tools that can provide quick relief. I am realistic, directive and will provide you with concrete, practical techniques.

I will teach you how to apply them to your daily life because regular practice of these techniques makes them more accessible in times of high stress, such as during tests. When anxious feelings arise, you will know how to help yourself in that moment. In addition to learning useful techniques, we will work together to identify emotional triggers and transform negative self-talk so you can experience long-term results. It is possible to reprogram thought patterns so they become more realistic and encouraging and to begin to succeed where you have been challenged in the past.

I’ve heard that test anxiety treatment is expensive and can take a lot of time.

First, I encourage you to ask yourself how much your test anxiety is holding you back. Is it keeping you from performing at your best? Is it compromising the investment you’ve already made in your education or career and potentially affecting your future? If so, I invite you to imagine seeing yourself taking tests with more confidence and success and to ask yourself what that is worth.

Second, my practical approach is different than many therapists. With me, clients experience results fairly quickly. The techniques I use and teach really work, and can be used over and over in all aspects of your life. Unless you are suffering from major anxiety, you should experience noticeable results within a couple of sessions – however, getting good at the techniques I teach does take practice. Together, we can create an approach, schedule and process that fits your specific personality and situation.

I invite you to call me for a free phone consultation to discuss your unique situation and any questions you have about test anxiety treatment and my practice

Relevant Posts

Overcoming Challenges: How Can You Use Self-Talk to Boost Your Performance?

Overcoming Challenges: How Can You Use Self-Talk to Boost Your Performance? Do you ever find yourself thinking, “you can do this,” or, “everything’s okay”? Have you sometimes wondered if that’s just a silly habit? Actually, it turns out that using self-talk can be quite useful for improving performance. What Is Self-Talk? Self-talk is when you are expressing to yourself words or phrases that are relevant to the moment. When you talk to yourself in a positive way it can help you get through whatever situation is at hand. That may include: Taking a test or exam Completing a task Meeting your goal during a workout Getting refocused to do work When you think about it, you probably talk to yourself every day without even noticing it. Yet, there are several ways that you can consciously use self-talk to boost your performance. How? Instructional Self-Talk This means talking to yourself when you are working on a process or task. For example, let’s say you are installing a picture frame on your wall. You might talk to yourself about how to break down the process into individual steps. Or, perhaps you are putting together a piece of furniture you bought at the store. Before putting the piece together you are reading the directions and thinking aloud what you need to do. Instructional self-talk is also helpful when you are learning something new. Motivational Self-Talk Sometimes, you may need to talk to yourself to get pumped up for something. For example: At the start of a race Before going onstage to perform When sitting down to start a project At the trailhead before hiking a mountain You get the idea. In fact, you can probably think of several examples when you have talked to yourself to motivate action and boost performance. Evaluative Self-Talk This is when you talk to yourself to reflect on what happened. For example, you could use evaluative self-talk after playing a game of basketball. You think to yourself what you might have done differently to influence the outcome (shooting, guarding, etc.). Evaluating things in this way is important because, if you ever want to improve, you need to be able to correct what you did wrong. This is true whether it is playing a sport, doing your job, practicing a skill or craft, etc. However, avoid getting down on yourself. It is easy to slip into a negative spiral when evaluating your own performance, especially when it needs improvement. So, remember, use it as an honest means of reflection rather than beating yourself up. Can Self-Talk Actually Boost Performance? Yes, it can. Self-talk has been used for decades in sports psychology for improving athletic performance. However, it is important to know which way of talking to yourself will be most useful. When using self-talk consider these points: Don’t ramble on to yourself Keep it simple Make sure the self-talk is specific to what you are dealing with Be consistent with your self-talk You can use a simple word or short phrase. Memorize these phrases and words before you need them. That way, when the moment arrives, you already know what to say to yourself. Believe Yourself Of course, talking to yourself won’t do you any good unless you actually believe what you say. You can still have some uncertainty regarding the situation. However, you need to believe in yourself and your capabilities. If you don’t, you will struggle, which can lead you to believe even less of yourself and your abilities. What Can You Do to Improve Your Self-Talk? Talking to yourself is a powerful yet simple tool that you can use to improve performance. Of course, staying positive and having an open mind helps. Also, practice talking to yourself until it becomes ingrained in you. However, if you are still struggling, seeing a therapist can help with improving self-talk. They can assist you to understand why you doubt yourself and coach you on what to say. Sometimes a little help is useful for finding the right words. Questions, Concerns, Thoughts? I invite you to call me for a free 15 – minute phone consultation to discuss your specific needs and to answer any questions you have about anxiety, treatment and my practice. Please visit my website @ www.theanxietydocseattle.com or call me directly @ (206) 745-4933. Read more about Test Anxiety Treatment.

Test Anxiety Symptoms and How to Overcome Your Fear

Test anxiety symptoms need not cause fear or failure. Investigate symptom causes, manage your time, and take proactive measures to keep calm and test well.

Testimonials

Lawrence M. Glanz, Ph.D.

"Joe is a highly competent and compassionate psychologist. He works well with a variety of populations, and he maintains the highest standards of ethical practice."

Dr. Joseph Weiss - Anxiety Specialist - Seattle, WA

2014-03-28T19:58:16+00:00

"Joe is a highly competent and compassionate psychologist. He works well with a variety of populations, and he maintains the highest standards of ethical practice."

https://www.theanxietydocseattle.com/testimonials/lawrence-m-glanz-ph-d/

Paul J. Friday, Ph.D., Chief, Clinical Psychology – UPMC – Shadyside, President, Shadyside Psychological Services

"I have known and worked with Dr. Weiss for many years while he was a staff psychologist at UPMC Shadyside, Pittsburgh. I have found his insights to patients’ problems and his cognitive interventions to be effective in helping his patients solve a variety of emotional and interpersonal problems. Dr. Weiss’ unique approach to therapy and ability to garner trusting relationships has helped many people resolve issues over the many years that I have known him. Seeking Dr. Weiss’ guidance will be a good investment in your time and energy."

Dr. Joseph Weiss - Anxiety Specialist - Seattle, WA

2014-03-28T19:57:08+00:00

https://www.theanxietydocseattle.com/testimonials/paul-j-friday-ph-d-chief-clinical-psychology-upmc-shadyside-president-shadyside-psychological-services/

Michael B. Kaiser, PhD

"I have known Dr. Joseph Weiss for more than 30 years on both a personal as well as professional level. I think you will find him to be a very warm, engaging individual who has integrated a number of well established clinical techniques into his practice including CBT, REBT, Ericksonian Hypnosis, and EMDR. He has fine tuned his approach over the years to take into consideration the need for focused, time limited therapy. He has the ability to quickly assess the needs of his clients and the flexibility to utilize different techniques in an effort to maximize treatment effectiveness. He also has a good sense of humor!"

Dr. Joseph Weiss - Anxiety Specialist - Seattle, WA

2014-03-28T19:53:02+00:00

https://www.theanxietydocseattle.com/testimonials/michael-b-kaiser-phd/

Dr. Joseph Weiss - Anxiety Specialist - Seattle, WA