Anxiety Therapy
Anywhere in New York and California
For high-achieving women tired of overthinking everything.
Are you tired of letting anxiety dictate your life?
No matter what you do, anxiety is always there. Driving every decision and interaction. It even shows up in the silence. You never have peace.
Decisions seem impossible. You go over all the "what ifs" and "worst-case scenarios." When you make a decision, you second-guess it. You're paralyzed by fear, unable to take one step forward. Taking a risk, stepping outside your comfort zone, living authentically…it’s all too risky. You think, “What if I fail? What if I’m not good enough? What if people judge me, or worse, reject me?”
That fear of rejection and abandonment impacts every relationship, with friends & family, colleagues & bosses, and acquaintances & strangers. You’re known as the "Yes"-girl, taking on too much. You kill yourself trying to please everyone so they won’t leave or fire you. You stay small and rarely speak up. You avoid conflict like the plague. You strive for perfectionism and beat yourself up when you miss the mark. You ruminate over every interaction wondering if you made a fool of yourself. If anyone seems sad or annoyed, you immediately wonder, “What did I do wrong? How can I fix it?” You live for praise, validation, and reassurance. When you don’t get it, you panic.
You feel tense, restless, and on edge. Your heart heaves a sigh from working so hard. Your breath gets quick and shallow. Maybe you hyperventilate. You experience aches, pains, or nausea, and then worry, "What’s wrong with my body?” You’re exhausted and desperately want to relax, but your anxiety won’t let you. You lay awake in bed, praying for sleep, but the worry thoughts keeping going & going & going...like the energizer bunny. You're wired, but tired.
Even when you think you’ve found relief and are finally happy for a change, anxiety rears its ugly head again. You wonder when the other shoe will drop. Anxiety is always there. Sometimes it’s a hum in the background, and sometimes it’s debilitating.
If anxiety is dictating your life, don’t worry (I know, that’s a big ask), I’ve got you.
You can trade fear for freedom!
Imagine a life where the worries are silenced. It's just background noise. You don't need to listen to it. You don't have to just "grit and bear" anxiety. You finally have room to breathe.
You actually enjoy that party instead of getting preoccupied with what other people are thinking about you. You’re confident trying a new hobby or career path because the fear of failure isn’t screaming at you anymore. You learn to say no without feeling guilty. You know you’ve done your best, and that’s good enough.
You’re able to quiet those worry thoughts. You listen to your body’s wisdom and intuition. You feel clarity and peace for the first time. You feel lighter. You’re able to relax when you need rest. You wake up refreshed after sleeping peacefully for the first time in years.
You are showing up more fully in joyful moments. Your finding true connection in your relationships without abandoning yourself. You’re taking risks. You’re having those tough conversations. You are finally living freely as YOU.
The Negativity Bias
Did you know that the human mind is wired for negativity? Our cave-people ancestors could make two errors:
1) Mistake a beige rock for a lion, and be prepared for the threat, only to learn it was a rock or
2) Mistake a lion for a beige rock, and continue partying, sleeping, or whatever cave-people did, and get eaten.
We inherited the minds of those who made the first mistake. They were ready for any threat, and survived. Though we aren’t facing predators on a daily basis (at least I hope you’re not!), our minds are wired to look for threats and be prepared for anything.
Not all anxiety is bad because it helps keep you safe. But, it shouldn’t be dictating your life.
Anxiety therapy that is more than symptom management
While humans are wired for negativty, many people never learn to manage it. Unchecked, the negativity bias can lead to anxiety and a body that is constantly on alert. Further, some people's anxious patterns gets reinforced by trauma that taught you to be prepared for the worst...because the worst actually happened. Survival patterns are also common among people who, at a young age, took on too much responsibility, became self-sufficient, and learned to put their emotions aside. Your nervous system adapted to protect you.
It’s time to let your mind and body know you are safe.
My approach goes beyond just managing your anxiety. Of course, you'll get a toolkit of coping strategies for immediately relief. But, together, we will gently explore the root of your anxiety. Combining evidence-based, trauma-informed, and holistic approaches, we will heal the trauma and childhood wounds that led to your anxious patterns. You will rewire your mind and body for calm, clarity, and connection.
You will finally feel a clear sense of ease as you move through your daily life.
What to expect
1
Identify your treatment goals and what situations make you anxious. Take a thorough assessment of your background to determine the origins of your anxious patterns.
2
Build your anxiety management toolkit with relaxation tools, cognitive reframing and defusion strategies, distress tolerance and acceptance skills, and more.
3
Heal the root of your anxiety with Eye Movement Desensitization (EMDR), Breathwork, and/or other evidence-based, trauma-informed modalities.
4
Build your confidence and intuitive connection through exposure experiments, mindful self-compassion, parts work, value identification, and/or yoga.
Anxiety therapy approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: This approach recognizes that our thoughts and behaviors impact how we feel. You will learn cognitive reframing strategies that challenge your anxious patterns and reframe your thinking to be more helpful, balanced, and realistic. You will also change your behaviors to calm your anxiety. Behavioral approaches have three main categories:
1. Distress Tolerance: You will learn quick, effective strategies for tolerating anxiety in the moment and help you regulate your emotions. For example, learning to STOP before acting, releasing anxious energy through intense physical activity, and tipping the temperature of your body by dunking your head in cold water.
2. Nervous System Regulation: You will learn about the nervous system and strategies to relax the body, including breathing exercises, visualizations, tension release, and more. In some cases, you may be connected to a heart monitor for biofeedback in real time as you relax the body. These approaches are meant to be practiced regularly, so they are more available to you in an anxiety attack.
3. Exposure Experiments: You will perform mini experiments, exposing you to the situations and stimuli that trigger your anxiety. These experiments will be performed in a safe and systematic way that does not overwhelm you. Through these exposure experiments, you will gradually learn to implement your coping tools, build your confidence, and/or release your anxiety altogether.
Mindfulness and Self-Compassion: This approach does not have you change or suppress your anxious thoughts. Rather, you will learn to defuse or de-identify from them. From this observer perspective, you are able to watch the stream of worries come and go without acting on them. You learn to relate to your anxiety differently. It's not something to get rid of. Rather, you can be kind and compassionate towards it because it's just trying to protect you. With this attitude, you learn to sit with and accept your anxiety. However, it loses its power over you.
Internal Family Systems (parts work): Your anxiety may just be a part of you that has been burdened with the job of protecting you. This part likely formed as a child to help keep you safe, but it's wreaking havoc on your life now. You will learn to lead with the true Self. The one that is compassionate, connected, calm, and curious. Your true Self will then work with your anxious protector part so that it learns to trust your leadership and step aside.
If your anxiety is rooted in trauma and childhood wounds, we may integrate EMDR and breathwork into your treatment plan.
You can get off the hamster wheel of anxious thoughts
Having a safe and compassionate space to manage, explore, and heal your anxiety can make all the difference.
Schedule a free 15-min phone consultation to see if we are a good fit.
Services
Other
New York, New York
© 2026 Emily Jenchura, PhD Psychologist APC