Therapy for Anxiety

Anxiety Treatment that Works

Anxiety can be overwhelming. It can also be a powerful force for positive change. If you are struggling with anxiety, therapy for anxiety can help. Dr. Charissa Chamorro is an expert anxiety therapist who specializes in evidence-based treatments for anxiety and stress-related issues. She also has specialized training in women’s mental health issues across the lifespan. She combines her compassionate approach with scientifically supported interventions including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to facilitate improved emotion regulation and a range of coping strategies that can be used for a lifetime.

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety?

Anxiety can impact every aspect of your life including sleep, relationships, and work and school performance. Fortunately, there are treatments that are highly effective in treating anxiety and the issues impacted by anxiety. CBT is an evidence-based therapy that focuses on understanding one’s thoughts and beliefs and challenging the negative thought patterns that fuel anxiety. By increasing awareness of these thought patterns, and identifying and replacing unhelpful thoughts with more helpful and constructive ones, individuals can gain greater control over their anxiety. Dr. Chamorro is a highly skilled anxiety therapist who integrates these approaches with warmth, compassion, and humor. She guides her patients in developing effective coping strategies and offers practical techniques to manage anxiety symptoms and develop greater resilience under stress.

What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)?

ACT encourages individuals to accept their thoughts and feelings without judgment, while simultaneously committing to actions aligned with their personal values. Through ACT, patients learn to live in the present moment, fostering self-compassion and embracing their emotions rather than struggling against them. Dr. Chamorro uses ACT techniques to empower her patients to identify their values and use them as inspiration and motivation to move forward, even in the presence of stress and anxiety.

What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?

DBT's comprehensive approach to anxiety and emotion regulation is rooted in developing a skill set that can be applied to various life situations. By integrating mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and cognitive restructuring, individuals can enhance their ability to manage anxiety, reduce emotional reactivity, and build a life worth living.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness practices enable people to develop a greater awareness of their thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. This helps create a sense of present-moment awareness and allows individuals to respond to their anxiety in a more balanced and non-reactive manner. Mindfulness serves as a powerful tool to increase self-compassion, reduce stress, and foster resilience. Dr. Chamorro teaches mindfulness techniques that can be incorporated into daily life, providing a foundation for sustained well-being.

What is an Anxiety Disorder?

Anxiety disorders are a group of mental health conditions characterized by excessive and persistent worry or fear. They can significantly impact daily life and well-being. To learn more about child anxiety disorders and how treatment can help, please see here.

Types of Anxiety Disorders:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

GAD is characterized by persistent and excessive worry about a wide range of everyday concerns, such as health, work, relationships, and finances. Individuals with GAD often find it challenging to control their worry, and experience restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances. The anxiety and worry are disproportionate to the actual situation and can significantly interfere with daily functioning.

Panic Disorder

Panic Disorder involves recurrent and unexpected panic attacks, which are sudden surges of intense fear or discomfort that peak within minutes. During a panic attack, individuals may experience symptoms such as a rapid heartbeat, chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, trembling, sweating, and a fear of losing control or dying. Panic Disorder is often accompanied by anticipatory anxiety, as individuals become fearful of experiencing future panic attacks.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Social Anxiety Disorder is characterized by an intense and persistent fear of social situations where individuals are exposed to possible scrutiny or evaluation by others. People with social anxiety may fear public speaking, meeting new people, or participating in social gatherings. The fear is often accompanied by physical symptoms like blushing, sweating, trembling, and difficulty speaking. Avoidance of social situations and a strong desire to be inconspicuous are common features of social anxiety.

Specific Phobias

Specific Phobias involve an intense and irrational fear of specific objects, situations, or activities. Common phobias include heights, spiders, flying, needles, or enclosed spaces. When confronted with the feared object or experience, individuals may experience immediate and intense anxiety or panic attacks. They often go to great lengths to avoid encountering the feared object or situation, which can significantly impact their daily lives.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

Separation anxiety disorder is excessive fear and distress when separated from attachment figures or familiar environments, primarily seen in children. It involves worries, physical symptoms, and reluctance to be apart.

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is a fear of situations where escape might be difficult or embarrassing, leading to avoidance of crowded places or public transportation. It causes isolation and limits activities.

Selective Mutism

Selective Mutism is a childhood anxiety disorder where a child consistently refuses to speak in specific social situations despite being capable. It stems from fear of judgment and can impact development.

What are some symptoms of anxiety?

Anxiety disorders can manifest in various ways, including physical symptoms (e.g., rapid heartbeat, sweating), emotional symptoms (e.g., excessive worry, irritability), and cognitive symptoms (e.g., racing thoughts, difficulty concentrating).

What causes an anxiety disorder?

While the exact causes of anxiety disorders are not fully understood, they can result from a combination of genetic, environmental, and neurochemical factors.

NYC Anxiety Specialist

Dr. Charissa Chamorro is an anxiety therapist who provides effective help for anxiety disorders. She works with each individual to determine the factors causing and maintaining anxiety, and collaborates with them to develop an effective treatment approach that will address anxiety and facilitate improved coping and overall well-being.

Reach out today to schedule a consultation call and learn more about how treatment can help.