It is possible to heal from your anxiety - you deserve to experience that kind of freedom.
Anxiety Treatment for People-Pleasers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, & Maryland
Waking up in physical pain because you have so much muscle tension from walking on eggshells and bracing for impact
Feeling both wired and exhausted - like you can’t possibly think any more about that thing, but also like you can’t stop your brain from entering the loop again
Having to super emotionally prepare yourself to be around other people, because when you are you’re just holding your breath waiting to disappoint them again
A pit in your stomach or knot at the base of your throat, like you know you want to say something but you just can’t - who knows how people will react?
Trying to rest, but always thinking of “one more thing” to do that will mean you’ve “done enough” - until you’ve run out of time for yourself entirely
Finding it easier to just do what other people want, to constantly meet their expectations, so you don’t have to worry about upsetting or losing them
As a people-pleaser, anxiety doesn’t just live in your “thinking brain,” it takes over your nervous system, your relationships, your ability to make decisions for yourself. It can feel like…
Anxiety can make you feel like there’s one emergency after another, especially when all you’ve learned is how to take care of others’ needs just so you can feel ‘sorta safe’.
I help clients learn to find and prioritize their own voice so they can stop living out of fear and start taking actions that make sense for them and fill them up.
The truth is, there isn’t anything “wrong” with you at all. Really, you just need a safe space where you can learn how to actually show up as the real you instead of performing your role as someone else.
That’s the work we’ll do together.
There’s a lot of rhetoric out there about how “bad” anxiety is… and on one hand it absolutely sucks - I’m with you on that!
But as a therapist, I don’t see your anxiety as maladaptive as you might think - instead, I see it as your nervous system’s learned response to internalized hurts, other people’s reactions, and some real life shit where your anxiety may have been part of a trauma response to keep you safe. The world (or your family, job, or relationships) don’t always feel safe - AND we can help your brain to learn to work with that in a different way.
You are not the problem - but you are the solution. Even if it doesn’t feel like it right now, I know that you have more capacity to heal inside you than you could ever be aware of. So, in our work together, I’ll help you to find that capacity. We’ll slow things down, pay attention to your body’s cues, and make sense of what your anxiety is trying to protect you from.
We’ll take things at your pace, and give you tools that actually work. Whether that’s metaphors that make things click (like how anxiety is your brain’s smoke alarm stuck on high), techniques to help you feel calmer (even if that feels impossible right now), or just venting some shit that’s been stuck in your brain forever - we will do what works for you when it works for you. No agenda, just humanness.
Feel more in-tune with what you want, instead of what others think you should want
Set boundaries that stick without all-consuming guilt about being “selfish”
Quiet the nonstop “what ifs” so you can enjoy your life, be more present, and actually get some sleep at night
Build trust in yourself, so you can stop second-guessing every word, decisions, or emotion you have
Therapy for anxiety can help you…
We can work through your anxiety in…
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Individual Therapy
We’ll focus on your unique experience of anxiety and work on practical tools to help you feel safe and shift patterns that no longer serve you.
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Relationship Therapy
If anxiety is affecting your relationships, we’ll work together to strengthen communication, build trust, and help you navigate challenges as a team.
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Online Therapy
Online therapy provides flexibility, allowing you to get the same support and tools for managing anxiety, all from the comfort of your own space.
If you’re ready to feel (maybe for the first time ever) what calm feels like - I’m here.
Frequently asked questions about anxiety therapy
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That’s a fair question, and sometimes a hard one to answer. AND whether we call it anxiety or not, constantly overthinking everything in your life is exhausting. Under those patterns, there is a nervous system that’s stuck, always assuming and scanning for the next ‘blow', and addressing that in therapy can make a world of difference.
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Absolutely. People-pleasing isn’t something people choose for fun - it’s usually something that’s stuck around after a long time of successfully avoiding conflict, rejection, or harm. In therapy, we can explore where those patterns came from, and start building new ways of relating to others that prioritize your own needs and sense of knowing, AND help you to know how to cope when rejection or fear does come up.
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First off, I could not possibly ‘get’ this fear more, and I fully expect many of my clients to have the same concern coming in to see me for the first time. I also know that while there are no magical words I can say here to convince you that this won’t happen, what I can tell you is that I am prepared to hold space for whoever you are - loud or quiet, outspoken or deferring, rambling or straightforward - and meet you there as a human, with no judgement.
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That is perfect. So many of my anxious and people-pleasing clients don’t have a lot of practice identifying and stating what it is they really want or need, which means that therapy is (eventually) a great place to practice that! We will take it slow, I promise!
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Most clients start with weekly or biweekly sessions, but we can work with what makes sense for you and your life. There’s no specific agenda here, and while we will have goals, there’s no ‘punishment’ for taking a while to get there.
Please feel free to review my general FAQ page here as well for additional answers to common questions about therapy overall.
