Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health concerns, yet it can be incredibly disruptive to daily life. Anxiety may show up as constant worry, fear, avoidance, panic attacks, difficulty separating from loved ones, physical symptoms, sleep problems, perfectionism, irritability, or a persistent feeling that something bad might happen.

I specialize in treating anxiety disorders in children, adolescents, and adults using evidence-based approaches that help individuals build confidence, resilience, and the skills needed to face life's challenges more effectively.

Separation Anxiety: A Special Area of Interest

One of my primary areas of specialization is Separation Anxiety Disorder. While separation anxiety is often associated with young children, it can affect individuals of all ages, including older children, adolescents, and even adults.

Children and teens struggling with separation anxiety may have difficulty attending school independently, sleeping alone, participating in activities without a parent, attending social events, or tolerating time apart from caregivers. Parents often find themselves making increasing accommodations in an effort to reduce their child's distress.

I utilize Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE), an evidence-based treatment developed by Eli Lebowitz. SPACE focuses on helping parents reduce accommodations that may unintentionally reinforce anxiety while increasing supportive responses that communicate confidence in the child's ability to cope.

Parents naturally want to protect their children from distress. However, accommodations such as excessive reassurance, altered family routines, co-sleeping, speaking for a child, avoiding activities, or remaining constantly available can unintentionally strengthen anxiety over time.

Through SPACE treatment, parents learn how to respond with warmth, support, and confidence while gradually reducing accommodations. As accommodations decrease, children often experience meaningful improvements in functioning, independence, and anxiety management.

The ultimate goal is not simply to reduce anxiety in the moment, but to help children develop:

• Greater resilience

• Increased self-confidence

• Improved emotion regulation skills

• Stronger distress tolerance

• Greater independence

• Increased self-reliance

• Confidence in their ability to cope with challenges

These skills provide benefits that extend well beyond anxiety treatment and often positively impact school, friendships, family relationships, and overall emotional development.

Phobias and Avoidance

I also treat specific phobias, including fears related to vomiting, illness, insects, animals, medical procedures, storms, heights, flying, public speaking, and other feared situations.

The most effective treatment for phobias is often Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). Through gradual, structured exposure exercises, clients learn to face feared situations while reducing avoidance behaviors. As confidence grows, anxiety naturally decreases and individuals regain freedom in their daily lives.

Panic Disorder and Panic Attacks

Panic disorder can feel frightening and overwhelming. Individuals often experience sudden surges of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, dizziness, shortness of breath, chest discomfort, nausea, trembling, or feelings of losing control.

Treatment for panic disorder typically includes extensive psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioral strategies, and interoceptive exposures. Interoceptive exposures intentionally recreate harmless physical sensations associated with panic so that individuals can learn that these sensations are uncomfortable but not dangerous.

Over time, clients become less fearful of anxiety itself and regain confidence in their ability to tolerate distressing sensations without avoidance.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Generalized Anxiety Disorder often presents as persistent worry that feels difficult to control. Individuals may spend hours each day worrying about school, work, health, relationships, finances, family members, future events, or everyday responsibilities.

Many people with GAD become trapped in cycles of overthinking, rumination, reassurance-seeking, and "what if" scenarios that leave them mentally exhausted.

Treatment focuses on helping clients understand the nature of anxiety while developing more effective ways of responding to anxious thoughts. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be particularly helpful in identifying and challenging unhelpful thinking patterns, reducing excessive worry, and building more balanced and flexible ways of thinking.

Depending on the individual's needs, treatment may also incorporate Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and other evidence-based interventions designed to help clients tolerate uncertainty, reduce avoidance, and live more fully according to their values.

A Collaborative and Individualized Approach

I believe anxiety treatment works best when it is collaborative, practical, and tailored to the unique needs of each individual and family. Whether working with a child, adolescent, adult, parent, or couple, my goal is to help clients move beyond anxiety's limitations and build the confidence, flexibility, and resilience needed to live a fuller and more meaningful life.