Anxiety, Stress & Overwhelm Therapy
Support for teens and adults who are tired of feeling like their mind is always “on.”
You can be functioning and still be struggling.
Anxiety doesn't always look like panic or obvious fear. Sometimes it looks like overthinking conversations long after they're over, constantly preparing for what could go wrong, having difficulty relaxing, or putting pressure on yourself to keep everything together.
Stress can build gradually, too. Work, school, relationships, parenting, caregiving, major life changes, or simply carrying too much for too long can leave you feeling mentally exhausted, irritable, disconnected, or like you're always one step away from reaching your limit.
You may still be getting things done. You may be showing up for work, school, family, or the people who depend on you. That doesn't mean what you're carrying isn't difficult.
You don't have to wait until things fall apart to decide you could use support.
When Anxiety Starts Taking Up Too Much Space
Anxiety and stress can show up differently from person to person. Sometimes they are obvious, but other times they become so woven into everyday life that you may not realize how much energy you're spending trying to manage them.
You may notice things like:
Overthinking conversations, decisions, or things that haven't happened yet
Feeling like your mind is constantly running or difficult to quiet
Replaying situations and wondering whether you said or did the “right” thing
Feeling responsible for keeping everyone or everything okay
Avoiding situations, decisions, or conversations because they feel overwhelming
Feeling tense, restless, irritable, or unable to fully relax
Putting significant pressure on yourself to get things right or avoid making mistakes
You don't have to experience all of these for anxiety or stress to be affecting your life. Sometimes the biggest sign is simply realizing that you are spending a lot of your time and energy managing how you feel instead of being able to fully participate in your life.
Anxiety in Young People
Anxiety in children and teens does not always look like saying, “I feel anxious.” It may show up as irritability, avoidance, reassurance seeking, perfectionism, physical complaints, difficulty sleeping, or becoming overwhelmed when something feels uncertain or outside of their control.
School, friendships, activities, family expectations, and worries about fitting in or disappointing others can create a lot of pressure. Some young people may appear to be doing well while putting enormous pressure on themselves internally. Others may begin avoiding what makes them anxious, which can provide relief in the moment but make those situations harder over time.
Therapy can help young people understand how anxiety shows up for them, build confidence handling uncomfortable feelings, and learn ways to manage worry and uncertainty without letting anxiety determine what they do or avoid.
Anxiety in Adults
Anxiety in adulthood can become closely tied to responsibility. Work, relationships, parenting, finances, health, family needs, and everyday decisions can leave your mind constantly moving from one concern to the next—even when there is nothing you can actually solve in that moment.
You may find yourself anticipating problems, replaying conversations, second-guessing decisions, or feeling responsible for how other people feel. You may struggle to say no, set boundaries, or rest without thinking about what you should be doing. And because you're still getting things done, others may not realize how much anxiety you're carrying.
Therapy can help you understand what's keeping anxiety going and find different ways of responding to worry, uncertainty, pressure, and expectations. The goal isn't to never feel anxious. It's for anxiety to take up less space in your life.
How Therapy Can Help
Therapy for anxiety isn't about learning how to never feel anxious. Anxiety is a normal part of being human. Our work focuses on understanding when anxiety is taking over, what may be keeping it going, and finding ways to respond differently so worry, fear, or uncertainty don't have to make every decision for you.
Together, we can work toward helping you feel more confident navigating uncomfortable emotions, uncertainty, and the parts of life you can't always predict or control.
Understand the Pattern
We look at what tends to trigger anxiety, how you respond when it shows up, and what may be unintentionally keeping the cycle going.
Get More Comfortable With Uncertainty
Anxiety often wants reassurance, certainty, or control. Therapy can help you practice tolerating the unknown without needing every answer before moving forward.
Respond Differently to Worry
Rather than trying to eliminate every anxious thought, we work on recognizing worry without automatically treating it as something you need to solve, avoid, or act on.
Make More Room for Your Life
The goal isn't for anxiety to disappear. It's for anxiety to have less influence over your choices, relationships, opportunities, and the things that matter to you.
You can learn to take anxiety seriously without letting it be in charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
No. You do not need a formal anxiety diagnosis to begin therapy. We can focus on what you're experiencing, how it is affecting your life, and what you would like to be different. You don't need to know exactly what to call what you're feeling before reaching out.
-
That's okay. Anxiety, stress, burnout, overwhelm, and other concerns can sometimes feel similar or overlap. Part of therapy can be understanding what you're experiencing, identifying patterns, and figuring out what kind of support may be helpful.
-
Yes. You can be successful at work or school, maintain relationships, take care of responsibilities, and still be carrying a significant amount of anxiety internally. You don't have to wait until anxiety seriously disrupts your life to seek support.
-
Coping strategies can be useful, but therapy doesn't have to stop there. We can also look at what is driving anxiety, how you respond when it shows up, patterns of avoidance or reassurance seeking, perfectionism, boundaries, relationships, and other factors that may be keeping anxiety going.
-
Parent involvement depends on the young person's age, needs, treatment goals, and circumstances. Parents may be involved in supporting progress, discussing concerns, or participating in sessions when appropriate. At the same time, having space to build trust and talk openly with a therapist is important for young people. We can discuss expectations for parent involvement and privacy at the beginning of treatment.
-
A complimentary consultation gives us a chance to briefly talk about what has been going on, what you're looking for, and what you hope to get from therapy. You can ask questions about my approach and the therapy process, and we'll talk about whether working together seems like a good fit. You don't need to have everything figured out before reaching out.
Ready to See if We’re a Good Fit?
You don't have to wait until anxiety or stress becomes unmanageable to reach out. A complimentary consultation gives us a chance to talk about what's been going on, what you're looking for, and whether working together feels like the right next step.