Areas of Focus

Therapy for Anxiety and
Panic Disorder

Anxiety can feel relentless — a mind that won't quiet down, a body that's always braced for something. With the right support, it doesn't have to stay that way.

You may be experiencing

A mind that races and won’t switch off

Worrying about things you can’t control

Physical tension, chest tightness, or restlessness

Avoiding situations that trigger your anxiety

Sudden, overwhelming panic with no clear cause

A constant sense that something bad is coming

“Anxiety is your nervous system trying to protect you — therapy helps it learn when the danger has passed.”

A protective system
stuck in overdrive

Anxiety is not a character flaw or a sign you’re falling apart. It is your nervous system’s threat-detection system — one that evolved to keep you safe. The problem isn’t that you feel anxious; it’s that the alarm won’t turn off even when there’s no real danger.

Over time, anxiety can narrow your world. You start avoiding things that trigger it. The avoidance provides short-term relief, but it reinforces the anxiety long-term — teaching your brain that the avoided thing really was dangerous.

Effective therapy for anxiety works at multiple levels: understanding what drives it, learning to tolerate and regulate the physical experience, and gradually expanding what feels possible again.

Types of anxiety I work with
Generalized anxiety disorder
Panic disorder
Social anxiety
Health anxiety
Performance anxiety
Separation anxiety
Anxiety with depression
Anxiety in adolescents

Calming the alarm
from the inside out

I work with anxiety at its roots — not just teaching coping skills, but helping you understand why your nervous system is responding the way it is, and what it would take for it to genuinely settle.

For many people, anxiety is connected to earlier experiences of threat, loss, or unpredictability. Exploring these connections — gently and at your own pace — is often what makes the difference between managing anxiety and actually reducing it.

Sessions are available via secure telehealth throughout Hawaiʻi. Many people find that engaging from a familiar, comfortable environment actually supports their anxiety work — you’re practicing calm where you need it most.

A note on avoidance
Anxiety thrives on avoidance. One of the most important things therapy does is help you gently re-engage with life — not through force, but through building the inner resources that make engagement feel safe again.

Anxiety can show up in many different ways

Replaying conversations
Can't stop catastrophising
Heart racing for no reason
Always braced for bad news
Difficulty making decisions
Dreading ordinary situations
Feeling frozen or overwhelmed
Irritability out of proportion
Trouble sleeping from worry
Avoiding people or places
Needing constant reassurance
A body that never fully relaxes

If this sounds familiar, know that anxiety is one of the most treatable mental health conditions — and that people make real, lasting progress in therapy every day.

When anxiety becomes
acute and overwhelming

Panic attacks are one of the most frightening experiences anxiety can produce. They come on suddenly, feel physically intense, and are often mistaken for a medical emergency. The experience itself is not dangerous — but it can be profoundly destabilizing.

Many people with panic disorder develop a second layer of anxiety: the fear of having another panic attack. This can lead to significant avoidance and restriction of daily life.

With the right support, panic disorder responds very well to treatment. Understanding what's happening in your body and mind during a panic attack — and learning how to interrupt the cycle — can be genuinely life-changing.

What a panic attack can feel like
Sudden, intense, and frightening — but not dangerous
Heart pounding or racing
Shortness of breath or feeling smothered
Chest pain or discomfort
Dizziness, lightheadedness, or faintness
Feeling detached from yourself or reality
Fear of losing control or "going crazy"
Chills, sweating, or nausea
These symptoms are real and distressing — and they are also highly treatable. Panic disorder has one of the best response rates of any anxiety condition.

A thoughtful path toward genuine calm

Anxiety treatment isn't about eliminating all worry — it's about reducing anxiety's grip on your life and expanding what feels possible again.

1
Understanding Your Anxiety
We start by mapping your anxiety — its triggers, patterns, history, and how it shows up in your body and relationships. Understanding it is the first step to changing it.
2
Building Regulation Skills
You'll develop practical tools for managing anxiety in the moment — grounding, breathing, and cognitive techniques that interrupt the escalation cycle.
3
Expanding What's Possible
As anxiety loosens its hold, we work on reclaiming the parts of your life it has shrunk — relationships, work, social situations, and your sense of freedom.

Approaches I use in working with
anxiety

I tailor the approach to you — combining methods that address anxiety at the level of thought, body, and deeper psychological roots.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Identifying the thought patterns and avoidance behaviors that maintain anxiety — and learning to respond differently to them.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Exploring the deeper origins of anxiety — early experiences, relational patterns, and the beliefs that keep the alarm system activated.
Mindfulness-Based Approaches
Learning to observe anxious thoughts and physical sensations without being swept away by them — creating space between stimulus and response.
Somatic Awareness
Anxiety lives in the body as much as the mind. Developing awareness of physical sensations helps regulate the nervous system from the ground up.
"Anxiety has likely been telling you to avoid this too. Reaching out is the first step in teaching it that connection is safe."
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Other areas of focus

Ready to begin your healing journey?

Reach out for a free 15-minute consultation. There's no obligation — just an opportunity to see if we're a good fit.

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