Anxiety therapy
When worry takes over, therapy can help you find your way back to calm.
Susan Robens, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Oregon. About Susan
- Trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Certified in Somatic Trauma Therapy
Does anxiety feel like it is running your life?
Maybe it starts the moment you wake up: a tight chest, a racing mind already cycling through everything that could go wrong today. Or maybe it hits later, in social situations where everyone else seems fine and you feel like you are barely holding it together.
Perhaps you have tried to manage it on your own. Deep breaths, positive thinking, keeping busy. Some of it helps, for a while. But the worry keeps coming back, and the what-ifs keep multiplying.
Anxiety is exhausting. It steals your sleep, your concentration, your confidence and your ability to be present in your own life. Support can help.
Anxiety in children and teens
Anxious children often do not say “I’m worried.” They get stomachaches before school, cling at drop-off, melt down over small changes or avoid things they used to enjoy. With children aged 3 to 12, I use play therapy to help them express and manage their worries. With teens, I use CBT and mindfulness, in person or by telehealth: child and teen therapy.
How therapy helps with anxiety
My approach combines cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with mindfulness. CBT helps you spot the thought patterns that fuel anxiety and challenge them with more balanced thinking. Mindfulness helps you step back from the noise in your mind and connect with the present moment.
Together, these give you practical tools you can use every day, not just in a crisis. You learn to recognize when anxiety is speaking, name it, and choose a different response.
I also look at the full picture of your life. Anxiety is often connected to transitions, past experiences, relationships, cultural pressures or physical health. We explore what is driving it, not just the symptoms.
What to expect
Sessions are usually weekly. In the first few sessions, we build a picture of your anxiety: when it started, what triggers it, how it shows up in your body and thoughts, and what you have already tried. Then we make a plan together. Some people want short, focused work; others prefer longer-term therapy. The pace is always yours.
Sessions are at my office in King City, a few minutes from central Tigard, or by telehealth anywhere in Oregon for teens, adults and parent sessions. For adults, see also counseling for adults. For insurance, see insurance and fees.
Frequently asked questions
Is some anxiety normal?
Yes. Anxiety is a natural response and can even be helpful. It becomes a problem when it is persistent, out of proportion, or getting in the way of daily life and relationships. If it feels like more than you can manage on your own, therapy can help.
What kinds of anxiety do you work with?
Generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic, health anxiety, OCD, specific phobias, and anxiety linked to life transitions or trauma, in children, teens and adults. I use exposure therapy often: a gradual, step-by-step way of facing fears that works well for anxiety, OCD and phobias.
Can mindfulness really help with anxiety?
Mindfulness is a widely studied approach for anxiety. It trains you to notice thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them, which creates space to respond with intention rather than react on autopilot.
Ready to talk?
Anxiety does not have to define your days. Call 503-495-5072 or send a message for a free phone consultation.
Send a message
I will get back to you to arrange a free phone consultation.
