Anxiety Therapy in Virginia and Washington, DC
Anxiety can affect much more than your thoughts. You may find yourself constantly anticipating what could go wrong, feeling on edge even when things are going well, struggling to slow your thoughts, or noticing tension and uneasiness in your body.
Therapy can provide a place to understand what may be contributing to these patterns and develop ways of responding that feel more manageable and sustainable.
How Does Anxiety Present in Your Life?
Areas you may recognize include:
Persistent worry or overthinking
Frustration
Feeling constantly on alert
Difficulty relaxing or feeling safe
Racing thoughts
Physical tension or restlessness
Panic or fear
Perfectionism or people-pleasing
Avoidance
Difficulty setting boundaries
Sleep difficulties
Irritability or emotional overwhelm
Feeling disconnected from yourself
Unwanted persistent fixations
Difficulty with sexual intimacy
Sometimes anxiety develops in response to prolonged stress, overwhelming experiences, attachment experiences, or trauma.
Anxiety can look different from person to person. For some people, it may feel like persistent worry or overthinking.
For others, it may show up through physical tension, difficulty sleeping, irritability, avoidance, perfectionism, sexual difficulty, trouble making decisions, or feeling responsible for anticipating everyone's needs.
You may also notice anxiety affecting your relationships, work, sense of self, or ability to rest and feel present.
How Therapy for Anxiety Can Support You
Steps to Reducing and Managing Symptoms
Understanding patterns
Building regulation skills
Exploring underlying experiences
Changing patterns that no longer serve you
Developing a stronger relationship with yourself
We can begin by exploring what tends to trigger anxiety and how your thoughts, emotions, body, and behaviors interact.
Then, we may develop tools for recognizing and responding to activation, overwhelm, and stress.
When appropriate, we can also explore past experiences, relationships, or patterns that may be contributing to your current responses.
We will build greater flexibility around worry, avoidance, perfectionism, boundaries, and emotional responses. This can also create greater self-understanding, self-trust, and the ability to respond to yourself with more compassion.
A Trauma-Informed Approach to Anxiety
My approach to anxiety is trauma-informed and integrates mind-body awareness, EMDR, parts work, mindfulness, CBT, DBT, and other therapeutic approaches and services depending on your needs and goals. Together, we can explore what your anxiety may be communicating while developing new ways of responding.
Anxiety doesn't always need to be approached as something that simply needs to be eliminated.
Sometimes it is a response that developed for a reason, but no longer serves you the way it once did.
When Anxiety and Trauma Overlap
Sometimes anxiety is one part of a larger trauma response. You may experience anxiety alongside hypervigilance, emotional shutdown, dissociation, intrusive memories, difficulty trusting others, relationship challenges, or a persistent sense that something is wrong.
For some people, these patterns may be related to PTSD or complex trauma. Trauma Therapy blended with Anxiety Therapy can provide an opportunity to explore these experiences and how they may continue to affect you.
If this sounds familiar to you, trauma-focused therapy may be worth exploring even if anxiety is the primary reason you are seeking therapy.
Anxiety Therapy for Adults and Teens
I work with adults and teens located across Virginia and DC experiencing anxiety, chronic stress, emotional overwhelm, and related concerns.
Anxiety can affect people at different stages of life and may look different depending on your age, experiences, relationships, and environment.
Therapy is always collaborative and individualized to each person attending and each unique session, rather than using one method for everyone at all times.
Learn More About Sophie Conklin, LCSW, LICSW Founder of Embody TherapyOnline Anxiety Therapy Throughout Virginia and Washington, DC
I provide secure online anxiety therapy for adults and teens throughout Virginia and DC. Telehealth allows you to attend sessions from a private, comfortable location while remaining cozy in your home or favorite place in Virginia or Washington, DC.
Online therapy can be a convenient option if anxiety makes traveling, navigating unfamiliar environments, or maintaining another appointment outside your home difficult, and a great method to incorporate support from a pet if you’d like them to attend our session with you.
Begin Anxiety Therapy in Virginia or Washington, DC
If anxiety has started to affect your relationships, work, sense of self, or ability to feel present in your life, you're welcome to reach out when it feels right for you.
I offer a free consultation to connect, talk about what brings you to therapy, and explore whether working together feels like a good fit.