Accepting new clients for in-person and online therapy
for Maryland and D.C. residents.
7034 Carroll Avenue
TakomaPark, Maryland 20912
Anxiety Therapy
Do you have trouble controlling your worrying, and the little problems feel too big?
Are you falling apart trying to hold everything together perfectly?
Maybe you can’t shake that feeling that your best is never good enough?
With so much on your plate and constant worrying, you may not feel as satisfied with life, and miss that feeling of lightness and joy like you used to have. Your mind replays the day's events and you tend to only focus on the problems in your life while your mind quickly hops from one worry to another... “What if my boss is upset with me?”, “Maybe I’ve made the wrong choice.”, “I’ll never be able to catch up on all that I have to do.” “What if my friends don’t really like me?”.
Maybe your self-doubt and self-criticism are keeping you from enjoying your social life. Maybe you are focusing so much on what others think of you that it’s hard to be yourself and enjoy parties or time with friends. Do you find yourself so concerned with how others may judge you that it’s hard to make choices for yourself?
Do I actually need therapy?
Contact Me
If you are a resident of Washington, D.C. or Maryland, use the contact form below to schedule your first appointment or for a free, brief consultation. You can also call or text 202-701-3646
Everyone feels anxious sometimes, however when feelings of anxiety are overwhelming, distressing or start affecting important parts of our life (like our jobs, social life, family, etc.) an anxiety disorder may be the cause. If your anxiety is not as extreme, but you find yourself worrying about little things, or imagining the worst case scenarios (such as worrying that you’ll end up jobless and in disgrace after getting a terse email from your boss) that don’t seem to occur to most people, you may benefit from therapy too. You don’t have to wait until you feel terrible to get help. You deserve to feel your best. Anxiety therapy can give you the skills and insights to help you regain a sense of peace and enjoyment from life.
You feel like you have to battle it alone.
You may feel like you are the only one struggling. You only notice your own mistakes and your inner-critic has you worried you will fail while everyone else seems to be doing fine. It can be hard to confide in friends or family and you feel like they wouldn’t understand or would give you unhelpful, simplistic advice to “just stop worrying” and that “it’s all in your head”. This can leave you feeling even more alone and misunderstood. Do you think that you have to “be strong” and suffer through it on your own? Life is harder when you keep problems to yourself and don’t have good support. A therapist can help.
You’re not the only one.
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health issues in the United States. Approximately 40 million American adults are living with an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders can be triggered by life events, or they can seemingly appear from nowhere. Regardless of the cause there can be many negative effects.
Anxiety and chronic stress affects not just your life, but your health.
Anxiety disorders often cause your body to produce the stress hormone cortisol. Prolonged exposure to cortisol has detrimental effects to your health. This can not only start to negatively impact your sleep, and appetite, but it can often cause headaches, digestive issues, and lower your body’s immune system.
What is anxiety therapy and how is it different from just talking to a friend?
I have worked with hundreds of clients with anxiety disorders. When working with a professional, you work to set your specific goals, and work to uncover the superficial and possible underlying triggers of your anxiety. With this in mind, I can create a customized treatment approach tailored to your unique needs and background. You will learn strategies and techniques to use outside of therapy to practice better patterns and take back control. Therapy will also provide you with a safe space to slow down, process your thoughts and feelings and to begin to discover unhelpful habits and thinking styles that exacerbate your anxiety.
When you work with me you can expect to have a non-judgmental atmosphere to unload and process your feelings while also learning helpful skills such as how to differentiate between your stressors and your stress response, practice strategies to close the stress response cycle, and use a variety of other scientifically proven strategies. With these tools, you will have more control over how you manage stress and anxiety to reduce your symptoms.
Does anxiety therapy help?
The good news is that you can find peace and focus. Imagine not being sent into a tailspin by a new demand, but instead handling it with calm and confidence. You can better understand your emotional reactions to stress and use the tools you need to get through challenging situations. Imagine learning to trust yourself and letting go of your inner critic.
How long does anxiety treatment take?
Every person and situation is unique and it is difficult to give an accurate estimate. But the simple answer is that the more you practice the skills and shifts in thinking patterns that you learn in therapy, the less time treatment will take.
Maybe you feel that you don’t have time for therapy.
I work hard to accommodate scheduling challenges. I work with clients to find an appointment time that best fits them and offer daytime and evening appointments. I also offer online therapy. With online therapy, there is no need to fight with traffic, hunt for parking or waste time in a waiting room. If time is still a consideration, I encourage you to take stock of the quality of your time and how therapy can improve it as you move forward.
What about online therapy?
I provide online therapy options, also known as telemental health. It is normal to feel that going to therapy appointments are inconvenient or take too much time. Telemental health has been shown to be just as effective as traditional office-based therapy (read further down the page for links to research about this topic). Telemental health allows clients to receive the support they need from the comfort of their home or the privacy of their own office. Many clients find it inconvenient and time-consuming to commute back and forth from their sessions but with telehealth sessions, they are able to fit a telemental health session into their lunch hour, others like that they can get therapy regardless of their busy schedule or illness. Therapy sessions are conducted via a secure telehealth service and the sessions are never recorded.
Online therapy is private and secure.
Therapy sessions are conducted via a secure, HIPAA compliant platform and the sessions are never recorded. Unlike most therapy offices, there is the added privacy of not having to be seen entering a therapist's office or waiting in their waiting room. With online therapy, you can avoid bumping into others when you’re feeling your most vulnerable.
Online therapy is effective.
Online therapy has been shown to be just as effective as traditional office-based therapy. For more research on this topic check out some of these studies:
The Effectiveness of Telemental Health: A 2013 Review
What about medication?
Everyone is unique and many people benefit from psychotherapy alone. Others may benefit from a combination of psychotherapy and medication. I respect everyone’s ability to make choices that are right for them. I can provide psychoeducational information about common psychotropic medications but would never pressure or force someone to start taking medication. I have experience as a therapist within a primary care medical clinic where I learned to help my clients determine if medication may be a treatment option they would like to explore more with their primary care physician or psychiatrist. I am not licensed to prescribe medication but can refer you to a psychiatrist or primary care physician who is. I am happy to coordinate with them and can administer well regarded questionnaires that can be an effective way to give a snapshot of your symptoms to your prescriber. These questionnaires can also be used to communicate the progress that you are making so that your provider can make the most informed decisions about your medication dosage moving forward.
Take control of your anxiety
I offer a warm, supportive and safe environment which often includes humor and laughter as well. I love what I do and take great joy in seeing my clients gain insights into their habits, incorporate helpful skills into their lives and gain freedom from anxiety. My long-term goal is for you to gain more confidence in your mental health, become an expert in what helps you manage your anxiety and, in a sense, become your own therapist. Call, text or use the contact form at the top of the page to learn more or to make your first therapy appointment. Whether you are ready to get started or just curious, contact me to learn more about how I can help and find out if we may be a good fit.