Anxiety Counselling — Perth & Online
Anxiety isn't a thinking problem. It's a system problem — and it responds to a different kind of help. Keystone Therapy offers brain-based anxiety counselling that works with the biology of anxiety, not just the thoughts.
We work with the neuroscience of anxiety, not just the surface symptoms
ACT, somatic work, nervous system regulation, hypnotherapy — customised to you
Dr Steve Halls — Behavioural Neurotherapist, Byford & Belmont
Two Perth clinic locations and online sessions Australia-wide
Understanding Anxiety
Anxiety exists for a reason. It's your brain's threat-detection system — evolved to keep you safe, to prepare you for danger, to make sure you don't ignore what matters. The problem isn't that you have anxiety. The problem is that the system has got stuck in the "on" position.
Whether it shows up as relentless worry, a racing heart, avoidance, physical tension, panic, or just the constant sense that something bad is about to happen — what you're experiencing is a nervous system that has learned to treat ordinary life as a threat.
That pattern can change. But it changes most effectively when we work with the biology of anxiety — not just the thoughts, and not through willpower alone.
Anxiety isn't a character flaw or a weakness. It's a nervous system that has learned — very effectively — to stay on alert. Our job is to help it learn something new.
Dr Steve Halls — Behavioural NeurotherapistDo Any of These Sound Familiar?
Anxiety doesn't always look like panic. These are the patterns we work with most often — you may recognise one, several, or a version that's uniquely yours.
The mind that won't switch off. Cycling through worst-case scenarios, replaying conversations, preparing for problems that haven't happened yet. Exhausting and hard to stop even when you know it isn't helping.
Heart racing, chest tight, breathless, dizzy. Panic attacks that seem to come from nowhere — or the constant dread of having one. The body responding as though there's danger when there isn't.
Dreading judgment, freezing in social situations, replaying interactions long after they've finished. Avoiding situations that matter — or pushing through them while feeling awful. The exhaustion of constant self-monitoring.
Preoccupation with physical symptoms, frequent checking, the cycle of reassurance-seeking that provides brief relief and then returns. Difficulty trusting your body even when tests come back clear.
Organising life around what feels safe. Saying no to things that matter. Rituals or habits that reduce anxiety in the short term but quietly narrow your world over time.
The cumulative weight of too much for too long. Not quite anxiety in the clinical sense — but a nervous system so overloaded it can no longer recover between demands. Edgy, depleted, and struggling to feel okay.
The Bigger Picture
In clinical practice, anxiety almost always comes packaged with something else. Treating anxiety in isolation — without understanding what it's travelling with — is one of the reasons progress stalls.
At Keystone Therapy, the first appointments are spent mapping the whole picture, not just the presenting symptom. This shapes the approach from the outset and makes treatment more targeted and more effective.
How We Work
Effective anxiety treatment isn't one thing — it's a sequence. Understanding what's happening, settling the system enough to work with it, building new capacity, and making change that holds.
Every client's path is different. But the underlying structure — informed by neuroscience, relational research, and thirty years of clinical experience — remains consistent.
We begin by understanding the full picture — what triggers anxiety, how it shows up physically and mentally, what else is in the system, and what the nervous system has learned to do. This shapes everything that follows.
Education is a core part of treatment. When you understand what anxiety actually is — what's happening in the brain and body — the experience becomes less frightening and more workable. This alone reduces suffering significantly.
Before we can work with anxiety, we need to give the nervous system tools to settle. This may include somatic techniques, breathwork, hypnotherapy, or lifestyle-based strategies — tailored to what works for you.
With regulation capacity in place, we work on the thoughts, behaviours, avoidance, and relational patterns that maintain anxiety. This is where ACT, cognitive, and behavioural approaches come in — grounded in what your system can now sustain.
We build the habits, routines, and resilience strategies that make change last — so the progress made in sessions holds up in real life, under real pressure.
Starting therapy can feel like one more thing to manage. Here is a clear picture of what the process actually looks like.
We slow things down and map what's happening — the pattern, the triggers, the history, and what you're hoping for. You don't need to arrive with everything figured out.
Individual sessions are typically 50–60 minutes. Frequency and total number of sessions is discussed and agreed based on your situation.
Treatment is tailored to you — drawing on ACT, somatic regulation, clinical hypnotherapy, and other evidence-based approaches as appropriate. No one-size-fits-all.
Current fees are available on the booking page. Sessions available face-to-face in Byford and Belmont, or via telehealth across Australia. No referral required.
Locations
Serving the south-east Perth corridor — Byford, Mundijong, Serpentine, Jarrahdale, and surrounding areas.
South-East Perth
Accessible from inner and eastern suburbs — Belmont, Rivervale, Burswood, Cloverdale, and surrounding areas.
Inner Perth
Secure video sessions available for clients who prefer to attend from home, or who are located outside Perth. Available Australia-wide.
Australia-wide
Common Questions
I've tried therapy before and it didn't help. Why would this be different?
A common reason anxiety treatment stalls is that it focuses only on thoughts — cognitive restructuring, challenging beliefs — without addressing the nervous system underneath. Brain-based therapy works at a different level, targeting the biological patterns driving anxiety rather than only the cognitive ones. If previous therapy felt like it made sense but didn't change how you feel, that's worth exploring.
Do I need a referral or a mental health care plan?
No referral is required to book. If you have a mental health care plan from your GP you are welcome to bring it — please contact us to discuss how this applies to your sessions.
How many sessions will I need?
This varies considerably. Some clients find meaningful relief and practical tools within 6–8 sessions. More complex or long-standing anxiety, or anxiety presenting alongside trauma or other conditions, typically requires more sustained work. A clearer picture will emerge after the first two or three sessions.
I'm on medication for anxiety. Can I still come to therapy?
Yes — therapy and medication work well in combination for many people. Steve works collaboratively with GPs and psychiatrists where relevant. You don't need to be medication-free to benefit from this work.
I think my anxiety might be related to ADHD. Can you work with both?
Yes. ADHD and anxiety frequently co-occur and each can amplify the other. Keystone Therapy works with both — and understanding how they interact is an important part of effective treatment.
Is telehealth as effective as face-to-face?
For most presentations, telehealth is effective and convenient. Some clients prefer the privacy of attending from home. If there are specific clinical reasons why face-to-face would be more appropriate for your situation, this will be discussed openly at the outset.
Book an appointment online. Fees are visible on the booking page. No referral required.
Book an AppointmentFace-to-face in Byford & Belmont · Telehealth available · No referral needed