Counseling and medication complement each other and for me both were needed for success! For example, during counseling sessions I learned about strategies, life, myself, etc but with a high anxiety level the things I was learning didn't really stick! I did learn and apply things but as my anxiety levels decreased due in large part to medication, the effectiveness of the counseling increased!

The combination of the two for some is critical for success. For many, the need for medication is a sign of "weakness". Anxiety is often a neurobiological response that is very real, often sabotaging our efforts to change behavior. "Anticipatory anxiety" is a particular problem,shutting down appropriate and productive behavior. Many of the patients I have seen would rather do "anything" else, but most often unproductively. Jaime's experience is very common.