Anxiety therapy can be intimidating. You’ve got to open up to a stranger, put everything you’re feeling into words, and try different things with the hope one of them will improve your life. But with Virginia Lindahl, Ph.D., therapy for anxiety is straightforward—and more supportive—than...

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a structured, evidence-based form of psychotherapy commonly used to treat anxiety disorders, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), insomnia, stress-related difficulties, and many other mental health concerns.

CBT is based on the idea that thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and physical reactions are interconnected. Over time, certain patterns of thinking and behavior can unintentionally reinforce distress and keep people feeling stuck.

Treatment focuses on identifying and changing the patterns that may be maintaining emotional difficulties over time.

Living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is no walk in the park. As a clinical psychologist based in Arlington, Virginia, I specialize in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Therapy, an evidence-based treatment for OCD that helps people reclaim their lives from endless cycles of obsessions and...

For many individuals, anxiety gradually begins shaping daily decisions, behaviors, relationships, and routines. People may start organizing life around trying to prevent distress, avoid uncertainty, or feel completely “safe” before taking action.

Although these strategies often provide temporary relief, they can unintentionally keep anxiety going long-term.

Many people think anxiety therapy is primarily about learning how to “calm down” or eliminate anxious thoughts completely. In reality, anxiety treatment often focuses less on getting rid of anxiety altogether and more on changing the patterns that keep anxiety going over time. Anxiety is not simply a feeling. It also affects behavior, attention, decision-making, habits, and the way people respond to uncertainty and discomfort. Over time, anxiety can gradually begin organizing a person’s life around avoiding distress.