I have only been in therapy for about half a year before, and comparing what I learnt in therapy with what I read in an anxiety workbook, I would say things seem to move along slower with therapy because you only see your therapist once a week, whereas with a self self book, you can always practice a couple of tactics at one short instead of only learning one thing during one session with a therapist. For me personally, a therapist is more for encouragement and the times when you feel hopeless and need someone to push you on. However, I really wonder how I would really fair had I work with my therapist longer because I tend to hide things, even from my therapist because I feel ashamed of them or have trouble discussing certain private things with my therapist, which of course would impede progress since I am not divulging full details to her. But having said that, I would love to go back to a therapist again, but at $100 and above a pop for an hour's session, I just couldn't afford it now.