Get out of your head and into your life.
Orlando anxiety therapy
Get help with generalized anxiety, panic attacks, social anxiety, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Do you spend more time worrying or obsessing than you do actually living?
Anxiety is a common experience for Type A’s, but it often goes unnoticed until later in life. Maybe you struggled with anxiety when you were younger, but you were doing well until a major life change or stressor.
Raise your hand if you:
Have a hard time relaxing because there’s so much to do, and you don’t feel settled until it’s done.
Overthink and seem to feel more overwhelmed than other people you know.
Constantly wonder if you’re doing things the “right” way.
Worry about what could go wrong even when things are going well.
Experience annoying or unsettling thoughts, like “What if my business fails?” “What if my partner stops loving me?” or “What if I stop loving them!?”
It’s like you’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Anxiety can be a total killjoy. Sometimes when it’s really bad, it feels like:
Heart palpitations or a 50-lb weight sitting on your chest.
Being frozen in place and feeling sure you’ll never reach your goals.
Overwhelm > procrastination > break down, a cycle you’re so sick of, but can’t seem to shake.
Grief, when you see it affecting your relationship and you can’t “just stop it.”
I can help you make peace with your anxiety and live fully.
It’s possible to live a full life with anxiety. I know you might be wishing for anxiety to go away so you can start enjoying life again, but you don’t have to wait. You can breathe through uncertainty and learn to live in the moment.
I’ll help you let go of your worries about the future and the people around you, so you can free up energy to focus on what’s right in front of you (moments of joy).
We’ll explore your values, dreams, and desires so you can begin experimenting and expanding your life in ways you always imagined.
HOW IT WORKS
Anxiety therapy gives you back control.
Understand anxiety
It’s easy to get so caught up in anxious thinking that you don’t stop to question what anxiety is telling you. I’ll help you get unstuck from what-if’s, understand what anxiety is, when it shows up for you, and how you might be making it worse without realizing it.
Face fear
Anxiety therapy is less about eliminating anxiety and more about learning to live with it. I know what you’re thinking, but trust me here— when you learn to exist alongside your fear, rather than avoid it, you reclaim your power to shape your future.
Start living
Living (with anxiety) starts whenever you’re ready. We won’t stop at “decreased anxiety.” I’ll help you identify and commit to your values so you can live a life that matters to you. This kind of life-changing work is what I’m passionate about, let’s go!
Anxiety therapy can help you:
Reduce tension
Identify anxiety triggers
Manage anxious thoughts
Improve sleep
Refocus on what matters
My approach to anxiety is based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
I use a variety of theories and techniques to meet each individual’s needs. One theory I almost always incorporate into anxiety therapy is called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). If you’ve heard of CBT, it’s closely related. ACT is based on the principles below:
Mindfulness
My favorite way to describe mindfulness is “present moment awareness, without judgment.” It’s a way of thinking about, and approaching, your day-to-day life. If you tend to get swept up by emotions, or find yourself shutting down and numbing out, mindfulness is an effective way to reconnect with your thoughts and emotions. This is an important first step for learning to manage anxiety effectively.
Acceptance
Acceptance doesn’t mean liking or agreeing with painful emotions or circumstances, it means opening up and acknowledging “what is.” It may seem counterintuitive to accept something unpleasant like anxiety, but it actually helps you get unstuck and move forward. By accepting what you cannot control, you are free to focus on what you can control. This is how you start to loosen the grip of anxiety.
Commitment
The commitment part of ACT is about committing to your values and living a life that matters. Anxiety can make you want to avoid the things you really care about because you’re so consumed by fears and worries. By clarifying your values and taking action in line with those values, you reclaim your power to shape your future. This is when anxiety takes a backseat and your life begins to expand.
Common questions about anxiety therapy:
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There’s several possibilities:
1) You have high-functioning anxiety and it’s just starting to impact you in a noticeable way.
2) You’re just now recognizing the signs because there’s more info available these days.
3) You’re absorbing the collective anxiety of a society suffering from multiple pandemics.
4) Something happened in your life to trigger it, like a trauma or loss.
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Ultimately, the choice is yours. Both therapy and medication can be very effective treatments for anxiety. Some people find relief from just one, and others find the combination helpful.
When working with clients, I usually don’t recommend medication immediately, because it takes a few sessions to get to know you and understand what’s going on.
Here’s how both work: medication dampens the symptoms of anxiety— it’s still there, but it’s not as intense. Therapy addresses the causes of anxiety, and gives you the tools to feel capable of managing anxiety when it arises.
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No. In most states, including Florida, psychologists don’t have prescription privileges.
If you’re working with me in therapy, I can recommend a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner who can prescribe anxiety medication.
Some physicians are comfortable prescribing medication for anxiety, so you can talk to your family doctor if you prefer.
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Yes. The general principles of anxiety therapy are the same for all types of anxiety.
I have helped clients overcome generalized anxiety, driving anxiety, panic attacks, social anxiety, illness anxiety, death anxiety, body dysmorphia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
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Anxiety and stress can feel similar (e.g., overwhelmed & unsettled), but they are not the same. Anxiety is an over-learned fear response, while stress is a normal response to stressors in the environment.
Anxiety tends to be chronic, but stress is usually situational. Anxiety is sometimes harder to manage on your own. If you’re not sure whether you’re experiencing anxiety or stress, we can sort it out together in therapy.