What does it mean to manage anxiety?
Offering support and evidenced-based tools for teens and adults
Each client’s relationship to anxiety is complex. Maybe you’re noticing a pattern of over-thinking and getting stuck in a loop of worry or sticky thoughts. Perhaps your active mind is leading to disrupted sleep or atypical eating behaviors/appetite changes. Or you’ve noticed signals in your body and feel like your system is mobilizing to respond to a threat, when no immediate threat is present. Do worry thoughts or what-if’s prompt you to avoid certain situations or settings? Perhaps worry, obsessive, or intrusive thoughts are impacting your ability to remain focused on your work. Maybe the inner narrative is getting in the way of pursuing an important project or goal.
Harnessing anxiety, and redirecting attention
Whether you’re managing general anxiety, symptoms of panic, or an accumulation of situational stressors, there are tools available to help you harness your emotions and engage authentically and effectively with others.
We’ll work together to get to the core of the contributors to your unique manifestation of anxiety and emphasize techniques for focusing on the factors under your power to influence. The practice of mindfulness is a core part of the work we’ll do to identify when anxiety is chiming in and intervene in a way that refocuses attention on what is available and actionable in the present moment. I integrate ACT and DBT skills to distance from anxious thoughts and enhance mindful presence, in order to help you respond, rather than react to the situation, and foster increased capacity to move through spikes in anxiety.
Together we’ll acknowledge and label the ways in which anxiety shows up and build confidence in the ability to take the information that’s useful, without letting anxious thoughts drive actions/behaviors.
FAQs
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I see a goal of our work as improving your capacity to manage anxiety as you navigate your daily activities and take on new challenges. While anxious thoughts may not fully diminish, you will feel more in control and able to change the nature of your interactions with the thoughts. At times anxiety can provide us with useful information, so I emphasize cultivating curiosity about our internal experiences.
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When it comes to anxiety management, it’s essential to monitor fluctuations and pay attention to the impact of the techniques and offerings I’ll introduce in session. While I don’t call it homework per se, I’ll often invite you to track aspects of your emotional experience and will provide the resources to do so efficiently and effectively.
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We can schedule a parent intake session as the first step and discuss your goals. My focus early on is establishing a strong rapport with teens. It’s paramount that I protect their confidentiality, so that they can benefit the most from the space. Generally, I believe teens have the agency to decide when they share information with parents. I’ll reach out if there’s something we need to speak about (and will inform the teen beforehand).
