Therapy for Anxiety & Panic Attacks
You're not overreacting. Your nervous system is overprotecting.
Maybe it's a racing heart out of nowhere, a tight chest in the grocery store, or a mind that runs worst-case scenarios at 2 a.m. You might be planning more and more of your life around avoiding the next wave.
Anxiety and panic are driven by the nervous system's threat response. When stress or past experiences keep that system on high alert, it starts firing in situations that aren't dangerous, and the physical symptoms are very real: a pounding heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea.
Therapy works on that threat response directly. It helps your body recognize safety again, reduces fear of the symptoms themselves, and addresses the experiences that taught your system to stay on guard.
Telehealth for NY, FL, MI residents
“Why can’t I just calm down?”
Because anxiety starts in the parts of the brain built for survival, not reason.
It might look like:
A racing heart, tight chest, or trouble catching your breath
Panic attacks that seem to come out of nowhere
Constant worry or “what if” thinking
Avoiding places, people, or situations that might set it off
Trouble sleeping, irritability, or always feeling on edge
Exhaustion from holding it all together
Your body isn’t malfunctioning. It’s trying to protect you.
UNDERSTANDING ANXIETY & PANIC
Your alarm system is working, just too hard.
Your brain is constantly scanning for danger, mostly below conscious awareness. When stress builds up, or past experiences taught your system that the world isn’t safe, that scanning becomes more sensitive. Ordinary sensations, like a skipped heartbeat or a crowded room, get read as threats, and the body launches a full fight-or-flight response.
A panic attack is that response at full volume. It feels like an emergency, but it isn’t dangerous. Many people then start to fear the symptoms themselves, which keeps the cycle going.
Healing means teaching your nervous system the difference between discomfort and danger.
Telehealth for NY, FL, MI residents
TRAUMA & ANXIETY
Sometimes anxiety is an old alarm that never switched off.
For many people, anxiety has roots in earlier experiences: a frightening event, an unpredictable home, or years of feeling like you had to stay on guard. A nervous system shaped by those experiences learns to expect danger, and it can keep reacting long after the danger has passed.
When that’s part of your story, working with those experiences is often what finally lets anxiety ease.
HOW WE'LL WORK TOGETHER
Steady the body. Understand the fear. Reclaim your life.
Anxiety therapy isn’t about talking you out of your fears. It works with the nervous system, the thought patterns, and the experiences that keep the alarm going, at a pace that never overwhelms you.
PHASE 1
Steadying Your Nervous System
We build practical skills for calming your body during anxiety and panic, so you have tools that work in the moment, not just in theory.
PHASE 2
Understanding the Pattern
We explore what triggers your anxiety, the beliefs and experiences underneath it, and the protective parts of you working overtime, using approaches like EMDR, IFS, and mindfulness-based CBT.
PHASE 3
Living Without Avoidance
Step by step, you return to the places, plans, and people anxiety has kept you from, with your body as an ally instead of an alarm.
Approaches that may help: Mindfulness-Based CBT · EMDR Therapy · Somatic Therapy · Internal Family Systems (IFS)
New to therapy, or not sure which approach fits? Explore my holistic approach →
Telehealth for NY, FL, MI residents
AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH
Whole-person care, every step of the way.
One method may guide our work, but it’s never the only one. Your past lives in your mind, body, and relationships. I combine evidence-based and mind-body approaches to help you work through the past and move forward with more support, clarity and confidence.
WHAT A SESSION FEELS LIKE
Nothing happens before you’re ready.
Sessions take place by secure telehealth, from a space where you feel comfortable. We work within your window of tolerance: enough challenge to grow, never so much that you’re flooded. You’ll always know what we’re doing and why, and you can pause at any time.
Feeling anxious in session is welcome here. It’s part of the work, not a failure.
WHAT CHANGES AS THE WORK UNFOLDS
The alarm gets quieter.
Fewer and less intense panic attacks
Knowing how to calm your body when anxiety rises
Less time lost to worry and “what ifs”
Going places and doing things you’d been avoiding
Better sleep and more energy
Trusting yourself to handle what comes
Telehealth for NY, FL, MI residents
MEET YOUR THERAPIST
Lisa Kent, LCSW
CCTP-II · EMDR-C
I see anxiety as a nervous system working hard to protect you. We start with practical skills to calm panic in the moment, then look at what keeps your system on alert, whether that is past experiences, relationship patterns, or long-held beliefs, using approaches like CBT, somatic work, and EMDR.
QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Anxiety & panic therapy FAQs
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Panic attacks feel frightening, and the symptoms are real, but a panic attack itself isn’t dangerous. It’s your body’s fight-or-flight response firing at full strength. That said, chest pain or trouble breathing should always be checked by a doctor first, especially if it’s new. Once medical causes are ruled out, therapy can help you understand and calm the response.
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There’s usually a reason, even when it isn’t obvious. Built-up stress, poor sleep, physical factors like caffeine or blood sugar, and past experiences can all make your nervous system more reactive. Sometimes the trigger is a sensation inside your body rather than anything around you. Therapy helps you notice these patterns, so anxiety feels less random and more manageable.
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Anxiety lives in the body as much as the mind. The stress response speeds up your heart, tightens muscles, changes your breathing, and slows digestion. Over time that can show up as headaches, stomach problems, tension, and fatigue. Physical symptoms can then trigger more worry, creating a loop. Working with the body directly is one of the most effective ways to break it.
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Eventually, yes, but gradually and on your terms. Avoidance brings short-term relief, but it teaches your brain that the feared thing really is dangerous. We build skills first, then approach what you’ve been avoiding in small, manageable steps, so your nervous system learns from experience that you’re safe.
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Yes. Therapy and medication often work well together. Medication can lower the intensity of symptoms, while therapy addresses the patterns and experiences underneath them. If you’re considering any change to your medication, that’s a conversation to have with your prescriber.
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That’s very common, and it often points to a nervous system that learned early to stay on alert. Long-standing anxiety can still change. We look at where it comes from as well as how to manage it day to day, so you’re not just coping but actually feeling safer.
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It’s a free, no-pressure 15-minute video call. We’ll talk briefly about what’s bringing you to therapy and what you’re hoping for, I’ll answer your questions about how I work, fees, and out-of-network reimbursement, and together we’ll decide whether we’re a good fit. You don’t need to prepare anything, and there’s no obligation to book.
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Sessions are $200 per hour of work together. I am in-network with BCBS and BCN plans for Michigan residents. For New York and Florida residents, I partner with Mentaya to help you use your out-of-network benefits. Depending on your plan, up to 80% of your session cost can be reimbursed, and all of your claims are handled for you. You can check your benefits here (opens in a new window), or we can review them together during your free consultation.
HEALING THROUGH RECONNECTION
You don’t have to live braced for the next wave.
Anxiety can make your world feel smaller and less safe. Healing reaches every part of you: your mind, your body, your relationships, and your sense of meaning. You deserve care that sees all of it.
Telehealth for NY, FL, MI residents
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