Are you looking for help to manage your anxiety or for assistance with your anxious tween or teen? Counseling for anxiety was the primary drive that led me on the path to pursue becoming a therapist, and it remains a solid base of the work that I do. As humans, we’re biologically built to experience anxiety symptoms, which is a necessary and healthy part of our emotional range. However, when anxiety becomes problematic, and we begin experiencing more anxious symptoms than a situation typically warrants, or we are feeling overwhelmed by a genuinely anxiety-ridden situation in life, anxiety can leave one feeling incapacitated and stuck in constant worry. Some may even meet criteria for a more formal diagnosis of an anxiety disorder. I help clients in the Greater Austin area navigate these concerns and more in a safe and therapeutic space.

Relationships can be overwhelming, confusing, and downright scary. If you have experienced great difficulty in establishing trust, developing intimacy and being vulnerable with others, due to your fear of being abandoned or let down, it’s likely that you’re struggling to get your emotional needs met. Some may find themselves avoiding engaging in relationships or difficulty committing to another person while others become “clingy” with their partners or loved ones and attempt to regain their sense of control in ways that are unhealthy and damaging to your relationship and self. Oftentimes unresolved issues from our family of origins, past traumas, or a history of codependent relationships prevent us from fully connecting with our partners and ourselves. In our work together we will explore boundaries with self and others, gain clarification on your values and identity, and develop peace with your past narrative.

Perfectionism or being a perfectionist are terms that are familiar in our fast-paced society. These constantly striving attitudes are often rewarded which reinforces the idea that the behaviors one is engaging in is healthy and is a marker of a successful life. When we place our self-worth on external factors, where does that leave us when those external factors change or discontinue? How do we find a balance of achieving success that is rewarded by society as well as ourselves? Those who struggle with perfectionism may experience pervasive feelings of frustration or impatience, and chronic dissatisfaction in themselves or others, and the inability to be soothed by the successful completion of a task or goal because there is always more to accomplish or become. Perhaps, your commitment to being perfect holds you back by ways of procrastination, avoidance of tasks and commitment, and you struggle with focusing due to physical or mental fatigue. 

These rigid ways of thinking about success that equates any mistake or failed endeavor on one’s part as a personal flaw can cause overwhelming emotional distress. Often those who leave their perfectionistic tendencies unchecked may risk developing maladaptive coping mechanisms that can become dangerous such as: disordered eating, alcohol/drug abuse, self-harming behaviors, and self-sabotage in relationships and work life. I offer a judgement free space where we can explore and challenge these limiting core beliefs, develop healthy boundaries with self and others, and incorporate more mindfulness and self-compassion into your daily life.

Have you been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and have been overall successful with the “grin and bear it” approach to life? It is possible to achieve success and still experience your anxiety as an exhausting hindrance in your day to day functioning. Perhaps your success has masked your silent suffering and you often feel your pain goes unnoticed and you feel unheard. Many who have high-functioning anxiety become so good at avoiding anxious triggers, but find themselves missing out on a more fulfilling life. They may feel they have no energy left over to maintain healthy relationships or to even take care of their own physical or emotional health. If this sounds like you, this chronic stress can lead to serious long-term physical implications and I’m here to tell you that life does not have to be this way! Learn how to change your relationship with your diagnosis, find more balance and understanding of your mind-body connection, and become more in control of your life.

Relationships can be overwhelming, confusing, and downright scary. If you have experienced great difficulty in establishing trust, developing intimacy and being vulnerable with others, due to your fear of being abandoned or let down, it’s likely that you’re struggling to get your emotional needs met. Some may find themselves avoiding engaging in relationships or difficulty committing to another person while others become “clingy” with their partners or loved ones and attempt to regain their sense of control in ways that are unhealthy and damaging to your relationship and self. Oftentimes unresolved issues from our family of origins, past traumas, or a history of codependent relationships prevent us from fully connecting with our partners and ourselves. In our work together we will explore boundaries with self and others, gain clarification on your values and identity, and develop peace with your past narrative.