anxiety disorders

Anxiety is more than occasional worry or stress. When anxiety becomes chronic, it can take over your thinking, narrow your world, and interfere with your ability to feel present or at ease. Many people I work with are high-functioning and capable on the outside, yet internally feel overwhelmed by constant mental noise, worst-case thinking, or a sense that they can never fully relax.

I treat a range of anxiety disorders, including Generalized Anxiety Disorder, panic attacks, social anxiety, health anxiety, phobias, and anxiety related to major life transitions. While symptoms vary, anxiety is often driven by similar underlying patterns — intolerance of uncertainty, overthinking, avoidance, and attempts to control uncomfortable internal experiences.

HOW ANXIETY OFTEN SHOWS UP

Anxiety may include: 

• Persistent  worry about everyday situations, often jumping to worst-case outcomes
• Feeling on edge, tense, or unable to relax, even when there is no immediate threat
• Racing or looping thoughts
• Physical symptoms such as restlessness, tightness, or shortness of breath
• Pulling back from activities, opportunities, or decisions due to fear or self-doubt
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

For many people, anxiety becomes a constant background presence — something they organize their lives around without fully realizing how limiting it has become.

TREATMENT FOR ANXIETY

My work with anxiety is grounded in evidence-based approaches, including CBT, ACT, and mindfulness-based strategies. Treatment focuses on helping you understand how anxiety operates, while building skills to respond differently when it shows up.

Rather than trying to eliminate anxiety, therapy involves:

• Learning  to relate differently to anxious thoughts
• Reducing avoidance and safety behaviors
• Increasing tolerance for uncertainty and discomfort
• Shifting attention toward what matters to you
• Building confidence in your ability to handle anxiety when it arises

Over time, anxiety loses its grip — not because it disappears entirely, but because it no longer dictates your choices or limits your life.

ANXIETY AND OCD

Anxiety disorders and OCD can overlap, and they are often confused. While anxiety disorders are typically driven by worry and anticipation, OCD involves intrusive thoughts paired with compulsive behaviors or mental rituals aimed at achieving certainty or relief. Because treatment differs in important ways, careful assessment is essential to ensure the most effective approach.