rrjc5488 - I didn’t mean to imply that I don’t believe in personal growth and the ability for someone to change their behavior and conquer anxiety. Good points, by the way. That statement was me talking about my training, and I should have been more clear. In my experience, some people have a natural disposition for counseling. It’s not a super rare gift. All of us know people with no training who are really good at relating to people, much like a good therapist. I think it’s a bit like playing the piano by ear. You can take lessons and improve your skills, but you may never be as good as someone with a natural ability for it. It can be really natural or intuitive for some people. When I was in graduate school, there were people who were just naturals at it, and other people who seemed to be in the tone deaf category. 
Chushin - You already know all of this. Yes to the gradual approach idea. Precisely. Small doses, with successive approximations toward the goal. BUT it involves actually DOING the things that make you anxious.
Since this is a body building site, here’s an analogy. Dealing with anxiety is a lot like progressing your weights. Gradual, incremental steps. Also, it’s highly individual, depending on severity and motivation. Some people can make a ton of progress in a few weeks. Other people are finally going to get there after many months. When it comes to lifting, education is good. Read the articles. Talk about it with people who are knowledgeable. Make a plan. This is all good. BUT the real magic happens when you actually go to the gym and implement it, and you keep at it relentlessly. I recently talked to the parent of a young woman with OCD related to germs. She went to therapy a couple of times, but quit when she realized the therapist was going to tell her to actually start confronting it - as in go touch a door handle and not immediately pull out the hand sanitizer.
Edgy - I’ve read somewhere that there is a strong correlation between people with NO anxiety and people who develop incontinence. Or maybe that was impotence. Anyway, I hope that doesn’t make you feel anxious or anything. 