Everyone worries, and everyone feels anxious at times. Anxiety becomes a problem when it is persistent, hard to control, or starts to shape what you do and where you go. For some adults it shows up as constant worry, and for others as sudden panic, fear of being judged, or worry about illness. Anxiety and panic are common and respond well to treatment. Our clinicians offer evidence-based therapy for adults, in person and online.
Understanding Anxiety and Panic
Anxiety is the body's alarm system. It is useful when it alerts you to real danger, and unhelpful when it goes off repeatedly in situations that are not dangerous. When it is frequent, intense, and hard to turn off, it can affect sleep, concentration, relationships, and work.
Anxiety takes several forms. Generalized anxiety involves ongoing worry about many things. Panic disorder involves recurrent panic attacks and fear of having more. Social anxiety involves fear of judgment in social or performance situations, and health anxiety involves persistent worry about illness. Fears of specific objects or situations are addressed through our OCD and phobia treatment.
These patterns often overlap, and avoiding what frightens you tends to keep them going. Treatment focuses on understanding the pattern and gradually changing how you respond to it.
What We Treat
Persistent Worry
Ongoing worry that is hard to control and often comes with restlessness, muscle tension, fatigue, or trouble sleeping.
Panic Attacks & Panic Disorder
Sudden surges of intense fear with physical symptoms, and worry about having another.
Social Anxiety
Fear of being judged or embarrassed in social, work, or performance situations, often leading to avoidance.
Health Anxiety
Persistent worry about illness or physical symptoms, often with checking, research, or repeated reassurance-seeking.
Physical Symptoms
A pounding heart, tightness, nausea, or a feeling of unreality that is alarming and hard to explain.
Avoidance
Steering clear of places, activities, or people to prevent anxiety, so that life narrows over time.
How the Panic Cycle Works
A Physical Sensation
A racing heart, dizziness, or tightness appears, sometimes with no clear trigger.
An Alarming Interpretation
The sensation is read as dangerous, for example as a heart attack, losing control, or going crazy.
A Surge of Fear
Fear intensifies the physical symptoms, which seems to confirm that something is wrong.
Avoidance
Avoiding situations or sensations brings short-term relief, but it teaches the brain that the danger was real, which keeps the cycle going.
A Note on Medical Evaluation
Panic attacks are intense and frightening, but they are not dangerous in themselves. Because the symptoms overlap with some medical conditions, it is sensible to have chest pain, fainting, or new, unexplained symptoms checked by a physician, especially the first time. If you think you may be having a medical emergency, call 911.
How We Treat Anxiety and Panic
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT helps you identify the thoughts and behaviors that keep anxiety going, test them against evidence, and practice alternatives. It is one of the most thoroughly studied treatments for anxiety and panic.
Exposure-Based Work
Gradual, planned exposure helps you face feared situations and sensations in a manageable sequence. For panic, this includes interoceptive exposure: deliberately bringing on harmless physical sensations, such as a faster heartbeat or dizziness, so that you learn they are not dangerous.
Regulation & Mindfulness Skills
Practical skills for calming your body and tolerating distress in the moment, drawing on mindfulness and DBT-informed approaches.
What to Expect
You don't need to have it all figured out before you reach out.
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1
A Free Consultation
A brief call to learn what you are looking for, answer your questions, and match you with a clinician whose training and style fit your needs.
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2
Understanding the Pattern
You and your therapist map your symptoms, triggers, and what you do in response, and agree on goals for treatment.
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3
Skills and Practice
Sessions combine learning new skills with practice between sessions. Your therapist reviews progress with you regularly, and the plan changes as you do.
Care That Connects Across Specialties
Anxiety often overlaps with other concerns. If your fears are tied to a specific object or situation, or take the form of intrusive thoughts and rituals, our OCD and phobia treatment may be a better fit. If low mood or exhaustion accompanies the anxiety, see our depression and burnout care. A social anxiety group offers a place to practice with others, alongside or instead of individual therapy. With your consent, your therapist can also coordinate with a colleague in trauma and EMDR therapy or neuropsychological testing when past experiences or attention concerns are part of the picture, and with your physician or a prescriber.
