What is it?

Maxwell Psychological Services, L.L.C. is pleased to offer The Brave Unknown, an online, skills-based, CBT/supportive psychotherapy group for adults and adolescents with high anxiety stemming from difficulties coping with uncertainty in daily life. Such difficulties might look like any of the following and more:

• “I worry all the time, I feel like I’d never rest easy unless I could be sure of every possible outcome of the choices I could make.”

• “I’d like to meet someone special, but the stress of wondering if someone will want to keep seeing me after the first few dates is more trouble than it’s worth.”

• “I don’t know how people take chances. I don’t trust myself to handle anything unpredictable.”

• “There are projects I’d love to begin, and goals I’d love to pursue, but I’m not certain I’d complete them in a way I’d be happy with, so I just keep putting them off.”

If you can relate to any of the above, you might be someone who struggles to live with uncertainty. A growing body of research tells us that discomfort with uncertainty plays a role in many common types of anxiety, including social anxiety, generalized anxiety, agoraphobia, illness anxiety (more commonly known as hypochondriasis), and more. Discomfort with uncertainty can also play a role in experiences related to anxiety, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Simply put, the more we are bothered by not knowing, the more we are vulnerable to stress and unhealthy patterns that can stop us from achieving the fulfilling lives we desire.

How does it work?

The Brave Unknown is a compact, six-week program consisting of six 90-minute sessions with weekly action plans to practice between sessions. The goals of the program are two-fold:

1. Help people think about their unique uncertainties in more flexible and nuanced ways

2. Help people take reasonable action in the face of uncertainty that leaves them feeling empowered and emboldened

Group members can expect an interactive experience featuring:

1. Memorable psychoeducation about key cognitive-behavioral principles, how anxiety works, and how intolerance of uncertainty (IU) interacts with anxiety

2. Training in how to think about and approach uncertainty differently, as well as actionable plans for immediate practice after meetings

3. Continuous, supportive conversation about how to put the knowledge and skills to use in daily life, no matter the situation

How do I get involved?

The Brave Unknown is an online, skills-based, CBT/supportive psychotherapy group that runs in six-week cycles. The group is currently offered online to accommodate people’s busy schedules. Each week covers a specific topic and builds on the week(s) before it. Although it is optimal to join the group at the beginning of a six-week cycle, we will work with folks interested in joining after a cycle begins on a case-by-case basis. Each cycle currently allows a maximum of eight group members.

To maximize access to folks regardless of their insurance coverage and/or financial constraints, The Brave Unknown is currently offered at an out-of-pocket rate of $25/session.

To learn more about The Brave Unknown, please email us at kcutrainee@maxwellpsychological.com or call us at (913) 733-1882.