5 of the Best NYC Anxiety Therapists

5 Recommended NYC Anxiety Therapists Ready for Hire

Kiera Murphy

• Credentials: Licensed Mental Health Counselor
• Clientele:  Female client in their 20’s
• Location: 136 Madison Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10016
• Virtual therapy?: Yes

Lauren Milo

• Credentials: Mental Health Counselor
• Clientele: Adults over 21
• Location: 136 Madison Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10016
• Virtual Therapy?: Yes

Stefy Causey

• Credentials: Mental Health Counselor 
• Clientele: Adults over 21
• Location: 136 Madison Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10016
• Virtual Therapy?: Yes

Isabella Cuellar

• Credentials: Mental Health Counselor
• Clientele: Adults over 21
• Location: 136 Madison Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10016
• Virtual Therapy?: Yes

Taylor Rosenblum

• Credentials: Mental Health Counselor 
• Clientele: Adults over 21
• Location: 136 Madison Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10016
• Virtual Therapy?: Yes

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a natural response to stress, but it can become overwhelming.

Lots of things can cause anxiety in everyday life. It could be the stress of starting a new job, adjusting after a promotion, or navigating a change of circumstances. It could cause by a dating disaster, or conflict with people close to you. You might have a predisposition to anxiety based on genetic or environmental factors. Or maybe there’s simply too much on your plate.

Stress can build up in a million different ways, causing barriers that might be stopping you from achieving your full potential. That’s where NYC Therapeutic Wellness comes in. We’re a professional counseling service based in Midtown Manhattan and we specialize in helping New Yorkers like you identify and remove the things stopping you from living a fulfilled life.

Types of anxiety disorders

Anxiety can show up differently from person to person. You might also notice that your own experience of anxiety changes over time. At the same time, learning more about the different anxiety disorders can help you better understand yourself and be a powerful reminder that you’re not alone.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA), 6.8 million Americans are affected by generalized anxiety disorder, making it incredibly common. While symptoms can vary somewhat from person to person, most people with generalized anxiety disorder experience the following:

• Excessive worry that’s difficult to control
• Trouble concentrating
• Difficulty relaxing
• Sleep problems
• Physical symptoms like muscle tension, stomach issues, and headaches

Panic disorder

As the name suggests, people with panic disorder experience panic attacks, which are episodes of intense anxiety. During a panic attack, people usually experience some or all of the following symptoms:

• Racing heartbeat
• Difficulty breathing
• Lightheadedness
• Sweating or chills
• Numb or tingling hands

Since panic attacks are so scary and overwhelming, people will often avoid places or situations where they’ve occurred in the past. They may also be preoccupied with worry about when future panic attacks will occur.

Social anxiety

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) defines social anxiety disorder as the fear of being watched or judged by others. Of course, many people feel anxious about what others may think from time to time. However, this fear is so intense in people with social anxiety that it significantly impacts their quality of life.

Common symptoms of social anxiety include:

• Feeling self-conscious
• Mind going blank
• Difficulty making eye contact
• Avoiding social situations
• Physical symptoms like sweating, blushing, nausea, and rapid heartbeat

Related disorders

Some mental health issues come along with anxiety symptoms but aren’t technically classified as anxiety disorders. For example, people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) might experience intense anxiety following a traumatic event. People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) experience intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that cause significant anxiety and lead them to engage in behaviors (compulsions) to keep those feelings at bay.

Our approach to anxiety treatment in NYC

At NYC Therapeutic Wellness, we tailor our anxiety therapy services to the needs of each individual client. Our professional anxiety therapists will work directly with you to create a customized treatment plan that’s suited to your unique situation and goals. Together, we’ll identify the strategies that will help you find relief from worry, tension, and other anxiety symptoms.

Here are some of the methods that our therapists when treating anxiety:

• Person-centered approach. This approach recognizes you as the expert of your own experience. We’ll meet you with compassion and make sure you feel heard and seen as you talk about your thoughts and emotions.
• Mindfulness-based approach. In mindfulness-based therapy, you’ll grow your awareness of your feelings. Your therapist will also teach you coping skills to help get grounded in the present moment when you feel anxious.
• Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Cognitive therapy focuses on how your thoughts (cognitions) relate to your actions (behaviors). By noticing unhelpful thought patterns, we can gently shift how you approach situations.
• Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). DBT is a form of therapy that’s focused on helping people manage intense feelings and improve their relationships. Your therapist will teach you strategies to cope with tough emotions and effectively interact with the people in your life to get the support you need.
• Psychodynamic therapy. This is a form of talk therapy that involves reflecting on past experiences and relationships to gain insight into current challenges. You’ll also explore how repressed feelings might be showing up for you today.
• Motivational interviewing. As the name suggests, motivational interviewing helps people connect with their inner motivation to create change. Together, you and your therapist will consider what barriers you have to change, and you’ll identify strategies to help you overcome those challenges.

Again, you and your therapist will work together to identify which modalities best fit your needs. Regardless of the specific techniques, all of our NYC anxiety therapists are here to empower you to move past what’s keeping you stuck.

FAQs about working with a therapist for anxiety in NYC

It’s okay to feel nervous and unsure about starting therapy. Many people do! Here, we’ve answered some of the most common questions we get about anxiety therapy. However, if you don’t see your question here or would like to talk more about how we can help, we encourage you to contact us.

Is it better to see a therapist or psychologist for anxiety?

All of the different terms in the mental health field can be confusing, especially if you’re new to therapy. In your search for an anxiety therapist, you might encounter these different types of professionals:

• Licensed mental health counselors
• Licensed clinical social workers
• Licensed marriage and family therapists
• Licensed clinical psychologists

Each of these professionals has extensive education and training. Typically, the first three types of therapists in this list have a master’s degree and thousands of hours of supervised experience. Often, a psychologist has a doctorate degree. Some psychologists provide talk therapy, while others provide psychological services, which may consist of testing for intellectual or developmental disabilities, behavioral issues, and other conditions.

It may be more helpful to consider each individual therapist’s experience and approach to anxiety therapy. Which modalities does a therapist use? Do they specialize in helping people with your specific type of anxiety? These questions (and more) can help you narrow down which anxiety therapists in NYC are right for you.

P.S. Check out our blog post on how to find a therapist in NYC for more helpful tips.

What type of therapy is best for anxiety?

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to therapy. Each therapist uses different approaches to treat anxiety depending on their expertise and each individual client’s needs. What’s helpful for one person might not be for another, so it’s important to partner with your therapist to find which strategies work best for you.

As we discussed above, our team uses a variety of different techniques, including cognitive behavior therapy, psychodynamic therapy, mindfulness methods, and more. Other modalities used to treat anxiety problems include exposure therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR).

Doing some research into the various anxiety therapy methods can help you discover which ones resonate the most with you. While you don’t need to be an expert in anxiety therapy, having an understanding of your options can help you narrow down which therapists might be the best fit for you.

Should I start therapy for anxiety?

We’re firm believers that anyone could benefit from therapy. Whether you’re dealing with intense fear, emotional pain, and excessive anxiety or simply want to learn some tools to feel more grounded in your daily life, anxiety therapy can help.

While people with diagnosable anxiety disorders can certainly benefit from therapy, you don’t need to have all the anxiety symptoms we’ve reviewed to get something out of therapy. Each person has different goals for counseling, and everyone deserves support regardless of how “bad” their problems are. Life itself is challenging, and having a neutral space to discuss your thoughts, feelings, and experiences can be incredibly helpful for people from all walks of life.

If you’re unsure whether anxiety therapy is right for you, we encourage you to contact us for a free consultation. Here, you can ask any questions you might have about the process and get a feel for whether we might be a good fit for each other.