Online therapy available in Indiana & New York | In-person therapy available at 921 E. 86th St., Suite 206, Indianapolis IN 46240
ANXIETY THERAPY
At it's core, anxiety is an exhausting experience, and you might be very, very tired of fighting with the worried and fearful voices inside your mind. Maybe you feel nervous or afraid in social situations, or in crowds, or when boarding a plane. Maybe your mind can't stop spinning with worries about day-to-day things, like how your coworker is going to respond to the e-mail you sent, or whether or not you paid the electric bill. If it feels like you're constantly living in a hailstorm of anxiety at stress - our therapists at Will Psychology can help you learn how to regulate and cope with these emotions and thoughts so that you feel more calm and in control.
In anxiety therapy with our clinicians, we explore how your anxiety is actually trying very hard to help you and protect you. Therapists at Will Psychology can help you understand your anxiety and worries in a new way. We can help you learn tools to really get to know and understand your fears, work with those fears, and ensure they're not taking over your life. Whether you're looking for concrete coping skills or simply a better understanding of why anxious patterns occur, you've come to the right place.​​
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The fight with anxiety...
Many clients come to us saying they've tried everything to battle and beat their anxiety, but nothing has worked. They have tried for years to debunk their “irrational” fears. You might be an expert at telling yourself, “This feared thing isn’t real,” or “There’s no need to worry about this thing,” or “Calm down, you’re going to be fine!” But those fears and inner voices often come right back the next day, even louder, don’t they?
The same thing happens with our inner critics. We make a mistake, miss a deadline, forget a birthday, or accidentally hurt someone's feelings, and our inner critic starts yelling at us. We hear an inner voice saying, "You're a failure," or "You're a bad parent!" Many of us have inner critics who are harsh and unrelenting. When we start to believe that critic, we often spiral into self-doubt, shame, and guilt. We tend to fight our inner critics by either giving up and withdrawing, or becoming perfectionists. Then we beat ourselves up for those behaviors, too!
What if we tried a different strategy?
Instead of fighting internal battles against anxiety and inner critics, our therapists help you approach these parts of yourself with curiosity, love, and compassion. When we're open and curious, we find out how our anxiety is trying to protect us from harm, from social rejection, from embarrassment, or from loneliness. And here’s the thing: when we can really, truly understand what anxiety and inner critics are trying to tell us, we can help those worried and scared parts learn to relax. We can learn how to release our need for perfection and embrace the messy, imperfect, beautiful parts of ourselves. We can help our anxious parts see that we – our highest, wisest Self – can handle each situation that life throws our way.
So what does anxiety therapy look like?
Treatment approaches like acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and internal family systems (IFS) help people with anxiety build a healthier relationship with their thoughts and feelings instead of fighting them.
Rather than trying to eliminate anxious thoughts, ACT teaches practical skills to notice anxiety without being overwhelmed, make space for uncomfortable emotions, and refocus on what truly matters. Through mindfulness, values clarification, and simple behavior changes, ACT empowers individuals to take meaningful action even when anxiety shows up—so anxiety no longer controls decisions, limits potential, or defines daily life.
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IFS is another great tool for anxiety treatment. In IFS, we approach anxiety with compassion and curiosity. We help you understand the inner parts that drive anxious thoughts and reactions. Instead of viewing anxiety as a problem to eliminate, IFS sees anxiety as a protective part trying to help in its own way. Through guided exploration, you can learn to connect with your calm, confident core self and help heal the deeper-rooted fears and experiences that are underneath your stress responses. This process fosters lasting emotional balance, self-trust, and relief—allowing you to respond to life with greater clarity, confidence, and resilience.
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Are you constantly worrying?
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Does it feel like your thoughts are always racing, wondering what's coming next or what bad things might happen?
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Do you have a harsh inner critic?
​“WE OFTEN FIND THAT THE HARDER WE TRY TO GET RID OF EMOTIONS AND THOUGHTS, THE STRONGER THEY BECOME. THIS IS BECAUSE PARTS, LIKE PEOPLE, FIGHT BACK AGAINST BEING SHAMED OR EXILED.”
RICHARD C. SCHWARTZ
