Phobia Therapy & Counselling
in London
With a National Award (BACP) for clinical excellence in counselling and psychotherapy service provision, our Director, Maggie Morrow, leads a team of highly skilled phobia therapists in London who specialise in the treatment of phobias. We can help you understand your phobia, take control and leave the fear behind.
Let us take the anxiety out of finding the right therapist. With over 30 years of expertise, our Clinical Directors will personally recommend a therapist best suited to help you navigate and overcome your phobia.
We offer therapy rooms in Central London, the City of London, and online therapy options.
How Can KlearMinds Help You Overcome Phobias?
At KlearMinds, we’re committed to helping you break free from the limitations that phobias can place on your life. Our experienced therapists use a combination of proven therapeutic approaches to tailor treatment to your specific fears and triggers, empowering you to regain control and confidence.
Whether your phobia feels overwhelming, irrational, or even isolating, we can help you understand what’s driving it, and equip you with tools to overcome it. Therapy at KlearMinds aims to reduce the fear, avoidance and stress caused by phobias, enabling you to live more freely.
A KlearMinds phobia therapist can help you:
- Understand the root causes and triggers behind your phobia
- Reduce feelings of fear, panic, and avoidance
- Learn techniques to gradually and safely confront your fears
- Identify and reframe unhelpful thoughts and beliefs
- Develop practical coping strategies to manage anxiety in triggering situations
- Build long-term confidence and emotional resilience
- Prevent phobia-related symptoms from escalating or recurring
Meet Our Experienced Team
Judy Harrison
Psychotherapist, Couples Therapist
PG Dip Psychotherapy, Dip Mediation, Mindfulness Meditation Cert, Cert Psychotherapy, UKCP, BACPJudy holds over 25 years experience.
Amanda James
Psychotherapist & Counsellor
Dip Therapeutic Counselling, PG Dip Attachment Theory, Mindfulness, Adv Dip, BACPAmanda holds over 13 years experience.
Maggie Morrow
Founder of KlearMinds, Award Winning Psychotherapist, Counsellor & Life Coach
MSc Integrative Psychotherapy, BSc Psychology, Adv Dip, UKCPMaggie’s experience spans over 27 years.
Jess Lammin
Psychotherapist (former Clinic Director)
MA Art Psychotherapy, BA, Certs, HCPC, BAATJess holds over 22 years of experience.
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Understanding Your Phobia
When a phobia takes hold, it can feel irrational, intense, and difficult to control, yet very real in its impact. Gaining a clear understanding of what’s happening beneath the surface is a powerful first step toward lasting change. A phobia isn’t simply fear, it’s a deeply ingrained response that can arise suddenly and feel overwhelming, even when the threat seems minor or unlikely. Left unaddressed, phobias can interfere with your daily life, relationships, confidence, and sense of freedom.
Everyone experiences fear at times. But with a phobia, fear becomes disproportionate, persistent, and often difficult to explain or rationalise. It may show up as panic, avoidance, or dread—sometimes triggered by a specific object, situation, or even the anticipation of an event. Over time, it can limit your choices and lead to feelings of shame, helplessness, or isolation.
A phobia may become a problem when:
- You go to great lengths to avoid a specific situation, object or experience
- You experience intense anxiety, panic, or distress when faced with a feared trigger
- Your work, relationships, travel, or social life are affected
- You feel frustrated or embarrassed by the intensity of your reaction
- You feel trapped by fear, with no clear way to move forward
Often, phobias are rooted in past experiences, learned associations, or long-standing anxiety patterns. When these underlying factors remain unaddressed, your nervous system can react as though you’re in real danger, even when you’re safe.
The good news is, phobias are highly treatable. With the right approach, you can learn to understand your reactions, reduce fear, and gradually build the confidence to face what once felt impossible. You can break free from the cycle of avoidance and regain a sense of calm, choice and control in your life.
Common Symptoms of Phobias
Phobias can manifest in a variety of ways, affecting both the mind and body. While the intensity of these reactions may differ from person to person, many people with phobias notice recurring patterns in how they think, feel, and physically respond when confronted with their fear. Recognising these common symptoms is often the first step toward understanding what you’re experiencing and deciding whether additional help may be needed.
If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms below, it may be a sign that it’s time to seek support:
- Intense fear or panic in response to a specific object, situation, or activity
- Physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, dizziness, sweating, or shortness of breath when exposed to a trigger
- Avoidance behaviours that interfere with daily life, work, or relationships
- Feeling out of control, frustrated, or ashamed about the intensity of your reaction
- A sense of dread or distress simply from thinking about the phobia
- Difficulty explaining your fear to others, even though it feels overwhelming to you
CBT for Phobias
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective, evidence-based treatments for phobias. It works by helping you understand the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and then gradually reshaping the patterns that keep fear in place. Instead of avoiding the situations or objects that trigger anxiety, CBT gives you practical tools to face them in a safe and manageable way. Over time, many people experience significant reductions in fear and greater confidence in daily life.
Who Can Benefit from CBT for Phobias?
CBT can be beneficial for people who experience intense fear or anxiety as a result of their phobia; those who feel powerless to control their fears even if they recognise them as unreasonable or irrational; people who find their phobia is impacting their way of life, such as people who try to avoid their feared object or situation; and those who experience physical symptoms like sweating or a quickened heartbeat.
Struggling with a phobia is much more than simply being fearful of something – it can be debilitating and affect one’s quality of life. Taking a proactive approach and actively working on overcoming your fears is a positive step to break the unhealthy thought patterns or behaviours that phobias can cause.
CBT techniques can be an effective way to achieve this and overcome phobias of various kinds, whether the fear is specific (such as flying, spiders, or needles) or more generalised (such as social situations).
Is Online Therapy Effective for Phobias?
Research shows that online CBT can be just as effective as in-person therapy for treating phobias. Video sessions, guided exercises and digital tools make it possible to access support from the comfort of your own home, which can be particularly helpful if your phobia makes travel or appointments difficult. Many people find that the convenience and privacy of online therapy actually make it easier to engage fully in treatment, leading to positive outcomes.
While online CBT offers many benefits, it’s important to consider potential limitations, such as the requirement for a private space, personal preferences and the need for reliable technology.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How are phobias formed?
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Sometimes phobias can emerge through a psychological mechanism known as classical conditioning. Consider this scenario: An individual repeatedly encounters aggressive dogs that either bite or bark menacingly; these frightening experiences trigger anxiety and fear responses. Consequently, the dog becomes associated with danger, and the aggressive behaviour serves as the fear’s catalyst. Over time, even non-threatening dogs elicit a fear response in this person.
Other times phobias can result from a mechanism the brain uses to displace fear away from a frightening situation where the person has no ability to control or change it. For example, the child of an alcoholic parent may unconsciously displace fear of their parents’ unpredictable behaviour elsewhere, to feel some sense of safety. So the brain might transfer some fear onto a different situation i.e, if I’m frightened of spiders, flying, tube travel etc. I can avoid these scenarios but it’s not dangerous to express that fear. It doesn’t look logical but fear displacement is a mechanism the brain sometimes uses to manage uncontrollable fear. A trained experienced therapist can help you understand if fear displacement is fueling your phobia and how to change it and get rid of or significantly reduce the phobia.
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What are the Most Common Phobias?
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Which therapies can help with phobias?
Get a Therapist Recommendation
Free Consultation: Get in touch for a personal recommendation OR to arrange a free telephone consultation with Maggie Morrow, Award Winning Therapist & KlearMinds Director.
Money back guarantee: 95% of our recommendations are successful. However, if your first appointment doesn’t feel like the right match – let us know. Based on your feedback, we can recommend a free appointment with a different therapist or if you prefer, you can request a refund.
Online Counselling Available
Our Locations
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Our Therapy Fees
Accepted Insurance Providers
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Bupa UK, AXA, Healix, Vitality and Freedom
Professional Accreditations and Associations
Our hand-selected therapists have trained in the UK’s most respected institutions. They hold a minimum of 8 and up to 30 years clinical experience within the NHS, private and/or charitable sectors. They are registered with:
