Anxiety Therapy

Anxiety Therapy in Frederick, MD

Treating the patterns underneath anxiety, not just the symptoms on top.

Reviewed by Sarah Martin, LCPC, Clinical Director Last updated April 25, 2026 8 min read

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What is anxiety?
Common forms anxiety takes
Anxiety and trauma
How we treat anxiety
When to reach out
Frequently asked questions

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Does any of this sound like you?

You wake up at 3am with your chest tight and your mind already running through tomorrow.
You replay scenarios in your mind, always a few steps ahead, trying to manage how things will turn out.
You've started avoiding things you'd otherwise want to do because the lead-up is harder than the thing itself.
You manage. People who know you would say you're doing fine. You know what it costs to keep that up.

Anxiety therapy here works at two levels: what's running on the surface right now, and the older patterns underneath that taught your nervous system to stay on guard in the first place. Some anxiety eases when the present-day pieces come into focus. Some needs the underneath work to finally settle. We meet you where the work actually is for you, not where a protocol says it should be.

Schedule a consultation.

Or keep reading

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is the nervous system's response to a perceived threat. Anxiety is part of being human and serves a useful purpose. It tells you to slow down, prepare, pay attention. It becomes a problem when it stays activated past the point of usefulness or starts running on its own: persistent worry, anticipatory dread, and rumination that is hard to switch off.

Anxiety lives in the body as much as in the mind. Racing thoughts and worry are the most visible symptoms, but anxiety also shows up as muscle tension, digestive issues, sleep difficulties, panic responses, fatigue, and a chronic sense of being on edge. People often describe the feeling as their nervous system having forgotten how to settle.

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions in the United States. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that nearly one in three adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their life. The common-ness of anxiety doesn't make any individual experience of it less hard, but it does mean that effective treatment is well-studied and widely available.

Common forms anxiety takes

Anxiety doesn't show up the same way in everyone. The diagnostic categories below are useful for understanding what you might be experiencing, but you don't need a diagnosis to benefit from therapy. Many people experience symptoms across more than one of these.

Generalized anxiety

Persistent worry that ranges across many areas of life rather than focusing on one specific thing. Often accompanied by muscle tension, sleep difficulties, fatigue, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating. The worry may shift in topic but the underlying state stays consistent.

Panic disorder

Sudden, intense surges of fear that peak within minutes, often with physical symptoms severe enough that people sometimes go to the emergency room thinking something medical is wrong. After the first few attacks, many people develop anxiety about having more attacks, which can become its own problem.

Social anxiety

Significant distress in social situations, often centered on fear of being judged or embarrassed. Can range from specific situations (public speaking, meeting new people) to most social interaction. Often accompanied by physical symptoms like blushing, sweating, or shaking when the fear is triggered.

Health anxiety

Persistent worry about having or developing a serious medical condition, often despite reassurance from doctors. Frequently includes body-checking, repeated medical appointments, or avoidance of medical settings. Can be especially heavy for people who have experienced a real medical scare.

Performance and achievement anxiety

Anxiety connected to specific high-stakes situations: public speaking, exams, work presentations, athletic performance. Often connected to earlier experiences where being evaluated was threatening or where outcomes felt connected to belonging and worth.

PTSD-related anxiety

Anxiety that's part of a broader response to past trauma, often including flashbacks, avoidance, hypervigilance, and reactivity to reminders of the original event. The anxiety here is one symptom of a larger picture, and treatment generally addresses the trauma directly. Our PTSD treatment page goes into more depth.

Anxiety and trauma

Anxiety can be rooted in day-to-day stress and worry. It can also be connected to experiences of trauma that have gone unaddressed. When that is the case, therapy treats both the anxiety and the underlying cause.

Many people who come to us for anxiety are surprised to learn that what they're experiencing has roots in earlier overwhelm. Anxiety is often a survival response that learned its job once and has not stopped doing it. The earlier experiences don't have to look like obvious trauma. They can be the cumulative weight of growing up in a household where things weren't predictable, a difficult medical event, ongoing stress in childhood that never fully resolved, or a single overwhelming moment the nervous system never finished processing. The CDC reports that nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience, and the link between early adversity and adult anxiety is one of the most consistently replicated findings in the mental health literature.

This matters for treatment. Anxiety therapy that only works at the level of present-day symptoms (managing thoughts, building coping skills) helps but sometimes hits a ceiling. When the underlying patterns are addressed, the present-day anxiety often eases on its own because its source has been resolved. This is part of why a trauma-focused practice tends to be effective with anxiety.

How we treat anxiety

Anxiety responds well to several evidence-based approaches. The right one depends on what's underneath your specific anxiety, your history, and what feels right to you. Our team is trained in multiple modalities so we can match the approach to the person.

EMDR therapy

EMDR was originally developed for PTSD but has been used effectively for many forms of anxiety. A 2020 meta-analysis of 17 randomized trials found significant reductions in anxiety, panic, and phobia symptoms with EMDR treatment. The premise: anxiety often has roots in earlier experiences that taught the nervous system to stay on guard. EMDR helps process those underlying experiences, which can reduce the emotional charge that fuels current anxiety. EMDR is particularly well-suited for anxiety with a clear connection to past events, including panic disorder and health anxiety with origins in a specific medical experience. More on EMDR for anxiety →

Attachment-based and somatic approaches

For anxiety connected to early caregiving, attachment patterns, or chronic developmental stress, work that engages the nervous system and relational patterns directly can shift what cognitive approaches alone leave untouched. This work often happens alongside other modalities rather than instead of them.

When medication is part of the picture

Some people find that medication makes anxiety therapy more accessible, particularly when symptoms are severe enough that engaging in the work itself feels overwhelming. Some find that therapy alone is enough. Whether medication is right for you is a conversation between you, your therapist, and a prescriber. We do not require medication for anyone, and we coordinate with outside prescribers when medication is part of the picture.

When to reach out

There is no threshold of suffering you need to cross before therapy is appropriate. If you have been wondering for a while whether what you're experiencing is anxiety and whether you might benefit from professional support, that is reason enough to start a conversation. You don't need a diagnosis. You don't need to know whether what you're carrying is "really anxiety." A consultation can help you figure that out.

Some signs that point more clearly toward needing professional support: anxiety that is shrinking your life through avoidance, panic responses that are happening regularly, sleep that is consistently disrupted, physical symptoms that have not resolved, or anxiety that you can trace back to a specific experience and that has not eased on its own. Anxiety severe enough to be considering harming yourself is reason to seek help right away.

Take what was useful from this guide and leave the rest. If reaching out feels right, we would be glad to help. If it doesn't, that's fine too. The right time for therapy is the time that fits you.

If you are in crisis right now

Outpatient therapy is meant for ongoing work and is not the right tool for an active crisis. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or are in immediate danger, please call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7. If you are in immediate physical danger, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is what I'm experiencing anxiety, or just stress?

Stress is the body's response to a specific demand. It eases when the demand passes. Anxiety is more persistent and can show up without a clear external cause. If you're experiencing worry that doesn't ease when the situation does, physical symptoms like racing heart or muscle tension that have become routine, or avoidance of situations that you'd otherwise want to engage with, that points more toward anxiety than ordinary stress.

Can EMDR help with anxiety?

Yes. EMDR was originally developed for PTSD but has been used effectively for many forms of anxiety. The premise is that anxiety often has roots in earlier experiences that taught the nervous system to stay on guard. EMDR helps process those underlying experiences, which can reduce the emotional charge fueling current anxiety. Many people find that situations that used to trigger panic or constant worry feel calmer after EMDR work.

How long does anxiety therapy take?

It depends on what's underneath the anxiety. Anxiety connected to a specific past event can sometimes resolve in a few months of focused work. Long-running anxiety with deeper roots typically takes longer, often six months to a few years. Your therapist will check in with you about progress and adjust the plan as the work develops.

Do I need medication for anxiety?

Many people find that therapy alone is enough. Some find that medication makes therapy more accessible, particularly when anxiety symptoms are severe enough that engaging in the work itself feels overwhelming. Whether medication is right for you is a conversation between you, your therapist, and a prescriber. We do not require medication for anyone, and we work alongside outside prescribers when medication is part of the picture.

Can anxiety be cured?

Therapy is not really about curing the body's capacity to feel anxious, which is part of being human. The work is about reducing anxiety to the level it should naturally be (responsive to actual demands rather than constantly running in the background) and giving you better tools when it does come up. Most people who work through anxiety in therapy don't become people who never feel anxious. They become people whose anxiety is proportional, manageable, and no longer running their life.

What's the difference between anxiety and panic?

Anxiety is more diffuse and ongoing: chronic worry, muscle tension, sleep difficulties, hypervigilance. Panic is acute and intense: a sudden surge of fear and physical symptoms (racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, a sense of doom) that peaks within minutes. People can have one without the other, but they often coexist. Both respond to therapy.

Is anxiety therapy covered by insurance?

Yes, in most cases. Anxiety disorders are recognized clinical diagnoses and therapy with a licensed mental health professional is typically covered. Coverage depends on your specific plan and diagnosis. We accept CareFirst BCBS and offer self-pay options. Contact your insurance provider to verify your mental health benefits.

Can I do anxiety therapy via telehealth?

Yes. Anxiety therapy translates well to telehealth, including EMDR for anxiety. Some clients actually find video-based therapy easier when leaving the house feels hard, which is a common experience for people with anxiety. We have a separate page on telehealth therapy with more detail on how it works.

Do I have to talk about my past for anxiety therapy to work?

Not in detail. Several evidence-based approaches we use, including EMDR, do not require you to narrate past experiences in detail. You hold the memory or pattern in mind while your therapist guides you through a structured process. For people who find talking about earlier experiences overwhelming, this matters.

Clinically reviewed by

Sarah Martin, LCPC, NCC

Clinical Director, Trauma Specialists of Maryland

Sarah is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Board Certified Counselor with over 8 years in the mental health field. She is trained in EMDR, and works with clients across the range of anxiety presentations, particularly when underlying patterns connect to earlier experiences.

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If you'd like to talk through what you're experiencing

A consultation can help you figure out whether therapy is the right next step for you and, if it is, who on our team would be a good fit.