Are You Anxious About The Future?

At some point in our lives, we all suffer from anxiety. We are wired to experience anxiety, as it helped our ancestors survive by alerting them to danger. But for many people—especially those of us in the African-American community and other marginalized groups—normal developmental anxiety is intensified by issues of racism and social injustice. Between witnessing race-based policing on social media and microaggressions at school or at work, it’s no wonder so many of us feel chronically anxious.

What’s worse, our culture loves to tout the myth of the autonomous “self-starter”—someone who can conquer their problems alone. The trouble with this idea is that we are not designed to conquer all of our challenges alone. We are social creatures by nature. Without a strong support system and other people to help us, we often remain trapped by our own limited perspective and coping strategies. No matter how intelligent we are, getting to the root of our anxiety by ourselves is virtually impossible.

In counseling, my goal is to help you sort through the confusion of struggling with an anxiety disorder and identify the underlying reasons for your distress. I want to help you broaden your support system, learn new grounding skills, and experience a newfound serenity wherever you are in life.

Anxiety Treatment Can Help You Build A Secure Base For Dealing With Your Stressors

Talking about anxiety can be stressful in and of itself. Here in therapy, I want to go at whatever pace is comfortable for you and discuss your anxiety in a way that is safe, nonjudgmental, and empowering. This is a chance to add someone to your arsenal of emotional resources so that you are one step closer to the secure base you need to deal with your stressors.

During the intake process, you will fill out several small questionnaires to gauge your level of anxiety and measure your attachment style. For instance, if you are characterized by an anxious attachment style—clinging to a significant other for fear that they will betray you—there may be a deep connection between your anxiety and your relationships. Oftentimes, this is because of past relationship trauma, such as abuse, rejection, or neglect. Anxiety treatment is a chance to look at the connection between the past and present so that we can pinpoint the roots of your struggles today.

To help you heal from trauma in your past, I often use an approach called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. The basic goal of EMDR therapy is to desensitize the painful memories that feed your anxiety. By using a series of gentle bilateral stimulation techniques, EMDR can help you eliminate the triggers associated with past events so that you do not feel anxious when you recall them. This also allows for post-traumatic growth by replacing the negative self-beliefs that trauma created with positive self-beliefs.

Additionally, I want to help you work on your distress-tolerance skills for dealing with anxiety in the here and now. To do so, I’ll draw from an approach called Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which seeks to help you regulate your emotions and reduce stress in your relationships. I also use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). This approach looks at the connection between anxiety and your sleep habits. The goal is to break the thought patterns that are causing anxiety so that you can eliminate the anxiety that fuels your sleeplessness.

No matter how helpless and alone you feel, dealing with anxiety is commonplace and it is possible to live a full, meaningful life in spite of it. Whether you want to reduce your anxiety or eliminate it, I am confident that I can assist you. Anxiety treatment is a chance to build a secure foundation from which to address your stressors and achieve a brighter future.

Anxiety Treatment Can Help You Build A Secure Base For Dealing With Your Stressors

Talking about anxiety can be stressful in and of itself. Here in therapy, I want to go at whatever pace is comfortable for you and discuss your anxiety in a way that is safe, nonjudgmental, and empowering. This is a chance to add someone to your arsenal of emotional resources so that you are one step closer to the secure base you need to deal with your stressors.

During the intake process, you will fill out several small questionnaires to gauge your level of anxiety and measure your attachment style. For instance, if you are characterized by an anxious attachment style—clinging to a significant other for fear that they will betray you—there may be a deep connection between your anxiety and your relationships. Oftentimes, this is because of past relationship trauma, such as abuse, rejection, or neglect. Anxiety treatment is a chance to look at the connection between the past and present so that we can pinpoint the roots of your struggles today.

To help you heal from trauma in your past, I often use an approach called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. The basic goal of EMDR therapy is to desensitize the painful memories that feed your anxiety. By using a series of gentle bilateral stimulation techniques, EMDR can help you eliminate the triggers associated with past events so that you do not feel anxious when you recall them. This also allows for post-traumatic growth by replacing the negative self-beliefs that trauma created with positive self-beliefs.

Additionally, I want to help you work on your distress-tolerance skills for dealing with anxiety in the here and now. To do so, I’ll draw from an approach called Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which seeks to help you regulate your emotions and reduce stress in your relationships. I also use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). This approach looks at the connection between anxiety and your sleep habits. The goal is to break the thought patterns that are causing anxiety so that you can eliminate the anxiety that fuels your sleeplessness.

No matter how helpless and alone you feel, dealing with anxiety is commonplace and it is possible to live a full, meaningful life in spite of it. Whether you want to reduce your anxiety or eliminate it, I am confident that I can assist you. Anxiety treatment is a chance to build a secure foundation from which to address your stressors and achieve a brighter future.

You may have some questions about anxiety counseling…

Can I really afford therapy if I am not using insurance? 

On my end, not taking insurance allows me to dedicate more time and energy to each client and it protects their confidentiality from insurance companies and future employers. What’s more, African Americans have historically been excluded from or mistreated within the healthcare services in the US, so operating outside the healthcare system is a way to advocate for systemic change. If you struggle to afford therapy, however, you can use an HSA card to pay for sessions in advance. And if you would like insurance to cover your treatment, I do have an alternate practice that accepts insurance.

How long will I be in treatment?

The length of therapy ultimately depends on what you want to accomplish during our time together. For a moderate case of anxiety, treatment may last for two to three months and then taper off to biweekly sessions if you feel better. But if you have a more severe case, it’s perfectly normal to need more care. That said, the key is to be patient with yourself. How long you are in therapy is not important in the long run, and the most powerful healing of all often takes longer to reach fruition.

Will therapy make my anxiety worse?

Treating anxiety means acknowledging the painful causes that underlie it and being willing to confront negative beliefs. While doing so isn’t easy, the benefits far outweigh the costs. Besides, I aim to move at whatever pace is comfortable for you. If there is anything you’re not comfortable sharing, there is no pressure to open up right away.