In our previous post, we highlighted the signs and symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder. In keeping with the theme of sharing what you need to know about the most common mental illnesses, let’s turn today to another of the most diagnosed psychiatric disorder in the United States: Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

At different points, most everyone has experienced symptoms of anxiety or panic: a racing heart, rapid, shallow breathing, that clawing feeling of the walls closing in, and the absolute inability to just rest and relax. For most of us, fortunately, this feeling goes away on its own after a short time. For others, though, anxiety and panic can arise just about any time and is much harder to get rid of.

Believe it or not, symptoms of anxiety and panic were designed to be helpful! Anxiety is, at its root, our body’s response to a potential threat to our safety—formulated to help us recognize when we might need to run, hide, or fight. Unfortunately, our brains have a hard time differentiating between a real threat (being chased by a bear) to an imagined one (watching a scary movie) or a perceived one (being alone in a dark house and hearing a creak in another room). Anxiety can also be a response to situations that we believe are overwhelming, or potentially embarrassing, such as a presentation at work or getting ready to take a big test.

When anxiety starts to become a problem is when we find ourselves trying to avoid situations that provoke the feeling: skipping work to avoid giving a presentation, procrastinating studying for a big test, using drugs or alcohol to numb the symptoms, not leaving the house for fear of something bad happening while you’re out. While avoiding the scary or overwhelming situation makes us feel less anxious in the short-term, avoidance ultimately leads to the fear and anxiety about those situations growing until the very thought of the situation provokes a sense of panic.

The key to recognizing when “everyday” anxiety becomes more serious is when your feelings of worry, tension, or panic feel constant, difficult to control, or are out of proportion to what’s happening around you. Though worry may focus mostly on one area of your life, in most cases, it impacts how you think about your work or school performance, your perception of your personal relationships, your financial situation, and/ or your health.

At some point in their lives, 1 in 18 American adults meet diagnostic criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Women are roughly twice as likely to have GAD. Symptoms tend to peak in adults between ages 30 and 59, though rates of GAD are rising steadily in younger adults, too. Unfortunately, over 40% of adults who meet criteria for GAD do not seek treatment for their symptoms. Many people who are diagnosed with anxiety also have depression or other mental illnesses at the same time. (References for this data are listed at the end of the post if you’d like more information.)

Determining whether you’re just feeling unusually nervous, or whether you may have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, requires careful discussion with a therapist, counselor, psychiatrist, or other healthcare professional who will assess your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. When diagnosing someone with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, clinicians are looking for someone who:

1.     Feels anxious or worries most days for at least six months.
-The worry might shift from one topic to another but rarely lets up completely.

2.    Finds it difficult to stop or control their worrying.
-Even when things are going fine, their mind may keep searching for something to be anxious about.

3   Notices physical or emotional symptoms connected to the anxiety, such as:

1. Feeling restless, tense, or “on edge”
2. Getting tired easily
3. Trouble focusing, or feeling like the mind goes blank
4. Irritability or feeling short-tempered
5. Tight muscles or body aches
6. Difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless sleep

4.   These symptoms can make it harder to relax, concentrate, or enjoy daily life.
-For a diagnosis, they need to be present most days and cause noticeable distress or disruption in work, school, or relationships.

5.   The anxiety isn’t caused by substances, medical conditions, or another mental health disorder.

Fortunately, Generalized Anxiety Disorder is very treatable with a variety of therapeutic treatment modalities. In some cases, your therapist may recommend you talk with your doctor or a psychiatrist for medication management, but this is not necessary for most people living with anxiety. Talking with a therapist can help you learn ways to retrain your brain to cope with anxious thoughts, and change your behaviors so that you can confront stressful situations with confidence. If you are ready to talk with Megan or Kristi about your symptoms of anxiety and how it impacts your life, give us a call today at (336) 427-9022. Our intake team will work with you to verify your insurance and schedule your first session within a couple of weeks. 

 You're Not Alone:

Understanding Depression Together

By Megan Cole, MSW, LCSW

We live in a time when, gratefully, there is increasing awareness, acceptance, and support for people struggling with mental illnesses. The other side of this coin, however, is that we are bombarded with social media influencers' posts that, while often informative and helpful, also may offer information and pop-psychology "advice" that is confusing and contradictory. When you are struggling with feeling overwhelmed by strong emotions, trying to sift through everything we can find online can be a daunting task!

In our next few blog posts, I want to share with you the information that you need to know about some of the most diagnosed mental health disorders. Knowing what licensed clinicians use to identify and diagnose these disorders may help you recognize these symptoms in yourself and recognize when it might be time to schedule a meeting with a therapist or psychiatry provider.

As the title suggests, today, let's start with depression, one of the most-diagnosed mental illnesses among Americans today. The statistics are sobering. A national survey conducted in 2023 by Gallup Polls asked respondents if a doctor or nurse had ever told them they had depression. The results indicated that nearly one in three American adults reported having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives, and nearly two in ten were currently experiencing or being treated for depression.

Rates of depression diagnoses vary significantly based upon age, gender, race, and other demographic distinctions. Women are diagnosed nearly twice as often as men with depression, highest among ages 18-25, and among women who are multiracial. Those residing in Appalachia and residents of Southern states, people with disabilities and chronic illnesses, and those with lower income, lower educational attainment, and those who are unemployed are linked to significantly higher rates of depression diagnoses. (Links to all the studies these data are pulled from is at the bottom of this post.)

The point of sharing these statistics is to help raise awareness for just how common it is to experience symptoms of depression, or to be diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

So, how do you know whether you’re just in a slump, or whether it might be something more? Here are some of the most common signs and symptoms of MDD based upon the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5^th Revision (DSM-V):

• Feeling sad, empty, or hopeless most of the day
• Losing interest or enjoyment in things you used to like
• Changes in your appetite or weight
• Trouble sleeping, or sleeping too much
• Feeling tired/ low on energy, even after rest
• Feeling worthless, guilty, or overly self-critical
• Trouble focusing, making decisions, or remembering things
• Moving or speaking more slowly, or feeling restless/ unable to sit still
• Thoughts of death or wishing you weren't alive.

If you are experiencing several of these for most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks, you may have depression. Reaching out to a mental health professional can help you get support and guidance. Depression is highly treatable with therapy, self-care practices, and/ or medication management.

Help is just a phone call away. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or someone else, please call or text 988, the national mental health crisis hotline, anytime, day or night.

We believe that you deserve to be heard, encouraged, and supported in finding a renewed sense of hope, healing, and wholeness. If you would like to schedule a session here at the Counseling Center to discuss the signs of depression that you are experiencing, reach out today by calling (336) 427-9022.

Sources from the article for more information:

U.S. Depression Rates Reach New Highs

Major Depression - National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Women and Mental Health - National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

National, State-Level, and County-Level Prevalence Estimates of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Self-Reporting a Lifetime Diagnosis of Depression — United States, 2020 | MMWR

Gender Differences in Depression in Representative National Samples: Meta-Analyses of Diagnoses and Symptoms - PMC

 

 

Today, we invite you on a photo tour of the Counseling Center. Conveniently located at Ancora Compassionate Care's East Campus in Wentworth, we share our space with the Serious Illness Care clinic and the Robin's Nest, Ancora's boutique resale shop. All proceeds from the Robin's Nest help fund Ancora Compassionate Care's programs in the community: hospice care, serious illness care, and bereavement services, as well as our work here at the Counseling Center.

Park on the right side of the building.
Follow the ramp around to the rear entrance.
Ring the doorbell, and we'll let you in!

Our waiting area: we have magazines, coloring books and crayons, and a free coffee, tea, and water station so you can relax while you wait. Strategically placed white noise machines in the waiting area ensure every client's privacy during their sessions.

Our meeting room is set up for those seeking family or couples' counseling. We also use this space for sessions with children while our room for them is being furnished. We have toys, books, games, and other activities for kids to enjoy before and during their therapy sessions.

Finally, cozy seats, soft lighting, and fidget toys for restless hands await you in Megan and Kristi's offices for use during your sessions. 

We want every person who comes to the Counseling Center to feel welcomed, accepted, and comfortable, and leave feeling a little lighter and more hopeful than you did when you arrived.

Ready to schedule your first session? Give us a call at (336) 427-9022, and our intake team will help you get started. 

We're ready when you are!

Deciding to start therapy can feel intimidating.
Feeling anxious about getting started, even if you’ve had therapy before, is a completely normal part of the process.

Here are a few tips to help you know what to expect, from referral through your first session, as a client at
Ancora Compassionate Care Counseling Center:

• Find out if your insurance requires a referral from your primary care doctor. If it does, give your doctor's office a call. They will send us a referral with your contact information, and our intake team will give you a call.
• If no referral is needed, you call Ancora's intake department at (336) 427-9022 to refer yourself. We will ask for some basic information, including:
• Your name and date of birth
• Your mailing address
• Your email address
• Whether you prefer in-person or virtual sessions
• Your insurance information
• A little bit about what's going on
• Once we have this information, our billing department will verify that we are in-network with your insurance, determine what copays or deductible you may owe for sessions, etc. This information will be reviewed with you by our intake department so there are no expensive surprises!
• If everything sounds good, you will receive a link, to your email address or via text message, to complete our intake and consent forms online. These forms explain our policies and procedures and ask you some questions about what's leading you to seek therapy. There are also screenings for anxiety and depression. These forms are very important, and we can't start working together until they are signed.
• Unable to complete the forms online? No problem! We can mail them to your home, or you can plan to come in a few minutes early before your first session to fill them out. 
• Once the forms are complete (or we have a plan to get them completed by hand), the intake team will work with you to schedule your intake session with your therapist.
• If you request a virtual session, you will receive an email from your therapist with a Zoom link. You will want to click on the link at least a day or two before your first session to make sure you don't have any trouble getting logged in.
• If you request an in-person session, we will see you here at the Counseling Center, located at 8380 NC 87, Reidsville, right across the street from Mom's Kitchen in Wentworth. Park on the side of the building farthest from the Dollar General and follow the ramp to the very back door of the building. Ring the doorbell, and we'll let you in.
• In your first therapy session, your therapist will explain the flow of the session, explain crisis procedures, and answer any questions you have. Then, we'll have lots of questions for you to get to know you and better understand why you are seeking therapy at this point in your life. Some things we may ask about include:
• Your family composition (as a child and as an adult)
• Your current symptoms (changes in mood, sleep, appetite, etc)
• Your current strengths, coping skills, and support system
• Any relevant physical or mental health treatment history
• The goals you hope to achieve from your time in therapy

Our goal is for every client to feel safe, comfortable, heard, and supported throughout the intake process and throughout
their work with their therapist. 

It is a big decision, and a sign of strength, to recognize when you need help and to reach out to ask for it. 

We honor the strength it takes to admit when you are
struggling, and are here to help you recognize how very worthy and capable you are of hope, healing, and peace. 

Give us a call today to get started on your healing journey.
(336) 427-9022

Welcome to Ancora Compassionate Care Counseling Center!

 For our first post, we want to introduce you to the
Counseling Center by sharing our history.

The Counseling Center is part of Ancora Compassionate Care, formerly known as Hospice of Rockingham County, the only free-standing, non-profit hospice serving Rockingham County, proudly serving our community since 1987.

In 2023, we rebranded to Ancora Compassionate Care to acknowledge and celebrate that we were now offering more than hospice care and were serving Rockingham, Caswell, Guilford, and Stokes Counties. In 2021, we added the service line of Serious Illness Care (palliative care), offering services for those coping with serious and/or chronic illnesses seeking relief from their symptoms and the stress of their illness.

Ancora Compassionate Care's services have always included grief and bereavement support for the loved ones served by our hospice, and to members of our community seeking grief counseling after a loss on a time-limited basis. This includes our free weekly virtual support group, our quarterly caregiver support groups and surviving spouses and partners' events, and our annual Camp Good Grief for children grieving a loss.

Beginning during the COVID-19 pandemic, the bereavement team found themselves receiving more and more calls from community members seeking support in coping with their grief. Referrals poured in from hospitals, doctor's offices, even other therapy practices. Our bereavement team met the need head-on, but the need quickly outpaced our capacity. We tried to help people seeking care find other providers, only to learn how difficult it was to find a therapist without a long waiting list, or having to drive to Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Burlington, or Danville. 

Simultaneously, as the Serious Illness Care program grew, we recognized that quite a few participants on that program were in need of mental health support, but the same barriers affected them, with the added dilemma of these often being older adults without access to smartphones or internet to utilize virtual appointments, and health issues that limited their ability to leave home. 

Ancora's mission statement is, "to be a supportive presence for life's journey." We recognized that the next step towards fulfilling our mission was to meet the community's need for high-quality, local mental health counseling services. In July 2024, we held our first counseling session with a patient under our Serious Illness Program. In August 2025, our two therapists completed over 120 counseling sessions, and have over 75 clients under our care. 

Our providers, Megan Cole, MSW, LCSW, and Kristi Rakes, MSW, LCSW, are proud to be deeply rooted in Rockingham County. Megan has worked at Ancora since 2011, first as a hospice social worker, then as the Director of Support Services, and now as Director of Counseling Services. Kristi, a lifelong resident of Rockingham County, first worked at Ancora several years ago as a hospice social worker, and joined the Counseling Center in May of this year. 

Megan and Kristi are accepting new clients for in-person and virtual sessions, and accept Medicare, managed Medicare, and most major commercial insurance plans. We work with clients with a range of diagnoses, including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and people coping with stressors from life transitions, grief and loss, caregiver stress, chronic pain/ disease, infertility, and other concerns. We work with children, families, and adults of all ages. Please note that we are not substance abuse counselors, and are unable to offer medication management services, but are happy to help refer you to providers who can meet these needs.

It is our honor and privilege to serve our community, walking alongside each of our clients as they set and accomplish their mental health and wellness goals. 

If you would like more information about the Counseling Center, or would like to make a referral, please call (336) 427-9022. Our Intake team is happy to walk you through our intake process, and most new clients can be seen within 1-2 weeks of their referral. 

We look forward to using this blog to help educate our community about the Counseling Center, about our providers, and about mental health in general. If you have an idea that you would like us to write about, please email Megan Cole at mcole@ancoracc.org.

Thanks for dropping in! Please help us spread the word about the Counseling Center and our blog by sharing this post!