How We Treat Anxiety

When we live with untreated anxiety, it can feel like there is danger and disaster around every corner. Our bodies are ill-equipped to handle unmanaged anxiety for long periods of time, and on a long enough timeframe, anxiety can start to feel like a physical illness rather than a mental one. Anxiety disorders can raise your heart rate, cloud your thinking, and even deepen your physical pain.

When we work with the right therapist, we can learn how to treat each of these symptoms and fight chronic anxiety the same way our body fights off a nasty cold. 

What Does A Counselor Offer For Someone With Anxiety? 

It’s natural for humans to be curious, skeptical, and even worried. Our mind does it to keep us safe. But what people with severe anxiety acutely understand is that the human mind can take these sorts of things way too far. 

If you’re struggling with anxiety, it makes perfect sense to be skeptical of therapy. We’re here to soothe your nerves, answer your questions, and put you on the right path. What does it look like to go to therapy for anxiety? What will a therapist offer you that you can’t or shouldn’t do on your own?

• Therapists Prescribe Mindfulness For Anxiety Relief. Mindfulness helps you slow down the runaway thoughts that fuel anxiety. A therapist can guide you in learning how to observe your internal experience without getting swept up in it, giving you a calmer, clearer foundation to work from.

• Therapy Teaches You Grounding Tools. Grounding techniques reconnect you to the present moment when your mind spirals into “what ifs.” In therapy, you learn practical skills—like sensory anchoring, paced breathing, and body-based awareness—that help you regain control when anxiety peaks.
• DBT Can Help You Take A Step Back. Dialectical Behavior Therapy offers structured skills that create space between your emotions and your reactions. With a therapist’s support, you learn how to challenge catastrophic thinking, regulate overwhelming feelings, and make choices based on what you value rather than what you fear.

Ultimately, a counselor can give you coping skills and a space where your anxiety is understood, validated, and worked through with intention. Therapy helps you build resilience, rewrite unhelpful patterns, and reclaim a sense of steadiness so you don’t have to face your anxiety alone.

Does EMDR Therapy Help With Anxiety?

EMDR is an innovative and powerful form of therapy that we believe is highly effective at treating anxiety disorders. By helping the brain reprocess distressing memories, EMDR can reduce the emotional charge that keeps anxiety looping in your body and mind.

• Who Is EMDR For? Patients with anxiety that is tied to stressful or traumatic memories can find relief with EMDR. If your anxiety feels rooted in past experiences—whether childhood events, medical trauma, relationship wounds, or single overwhelming moments—EMDR can help you release what your nervous system has been holding onto. 

• Is It Really Worth It To Explore Traumatic Memories In EMDR Therapy? While it can feel intimidating, exploring these memories in a safe, structured environment is central to EMDR’s effectiveness. Your therapist will never push you faster than you’re ready to go. Instead, they help you revisit difficult experiences from a place of stability, guiding your brain to process them in a healthier way. Many clients find that the temporary discomfort is outweighed by long-term relief, reduced anxiety, and a deeper sense of calm.

• Is EMDR Affordable? The cost of EMDR varies depending on the provider, but many therapists offer sliding-scale fees, accept insurance, or provide flexible payment options. Because EMDR often produces results in fewer sessions than traditional talk therapy, many people find it to be a cost-effective path to relief. If anxiety has been impacting your quality of life, investing in EMDR may offer meaningful, lasting change.

In-Network Anxiety Therapy In St. Petersburg

Acknowledging your anxiety is the first step toward reclaiming clarity and steadiness. Every moment you spend understanding what activates your nervous system opens the door to relief, resilience, and the possibility of moving through your days with more peace, purpose, and balance. Anxiety often builds quietly, carrying an emotional charge that keeps your mind and body on constant alert. Naming it is how the healing process begins and how your system finally starts to relax.

But when anxiety intensifies, calm can feel out of reach. That’s why at Integrative Counsel, we make transparency, grounding, and compassionate support a core part of your care.

When you reach out to us, you won’t be facing the weight of these decisions alone. We’re upfront about the therapy process, flexible with scheduling, and committed to meeting you exactly where you are. Our team will guide you through each step—from exploring your insurance benefits and clarifying your options to helping you find a therapist who aligns with your emotional needs. We aim to make navigating anxiety feel supported so you can focus on your wellbeing, not your worry.

Managing Anxiety With Aetna Insurance.
If you’re hoping to access therapy using Aetna insurance, we’ll help you move forward with clarity and confidence. Emotional support shouldn’t add to your stress—by using your benefits fully, you can focus on your mental health while we help reduce the overwhelm around cost and coverage.

Managing Anxiety With Cigna Insurance.
Searching for a Cigna-covered therapist can feel daunting, especially when you’re juggling chronic stress, emotional strain, or other mental health concerns. At Integrative Counsel, our therapists are trained in anxiety-informed and trauma-informed care that helps you process overwhelm safely and rebuild emotional steadiness. We’ll handle the logistical details so you can focus on finding relief and regaining a sense of control.

Finding Anxiety Relief With Optum Insurance.
Whether your coverage is through Optum Oscar, Optum Oxford, or United Optum, we’ll help match you with a therapist who fits both your emotional needs and your insurance plan. Each step in this process is a chance to return to yourself—to rediscover calm, to let support in, and to see that emotional balance is possible even when anxiety feels constant and consuming.

How Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Offers Anxiety Relief

KAP (or ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, for long) can be a supportive and effective option for individuals living with anxiety. The ketamine works by temporarily softening the brain’s heightened threat response, which often drives anxious thoughts and physical tension. In this calmer state, clients are better able to explore their emotions, reflect on patterns, and engage in therapeutic work without feeling as overwhelmed. When ketamine treatment is paired with a structured therapeutic process, clients often gain meaningful insights and experience lasting relief from the symptoms of their anxiety.

• Ketamine Therapy Is Safe, Legal, and Effective. KAP offers a well-researched and regulated treatment pathway. When administered under professional supervision, ketamine is safe and legal, with a strong track record of helping clients with anxiety. Many individuals who haven’t found relief through traditional treatments report meaningful improvement, even early in the process.

• KAP Is Uniquely Effective For Anxiety. Unlike many interventions that rely solely on talk or behavioral strategies, KAP works directly with the neurobiological roots of anxiety. By quieting the brain’s overactive alarm system, clients often experience spaciousness in their thinking and an increased ability to process emotions. This shift can open the door to therapeutic breakthroughs that feel both accessible and sustainable.

• Psychedelics Can Help Us Make A Breakthrough. The altered state created by ketamine can offer new perspectives that are difficult to access in everyday consciousness. Clients frequently describe moments of clarity, connection, and insight that help them understand their anxiety in a more compassionate and integrated way. When guided by an experienced therapist, these insights can translate into meaningful long-term change and a renewed sense of emotional freedom.

 If you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or burnt out,  working with a therapist can help. Based on your needs, our intake specialist will help you get matched up with a right-fit therapist. Click here to schedule a consultation.

Sunny Ebsary is an educator, multi-modal artist, and writer specializing in the intersection of myth and mental health. Sunny’s writing walks the line between poetic and logical, giving readers a chance to interface with the mind and imagination. Sunny’s been putting pen to paper since he was a child, writing everything from albums, novels, and plays, to essays, interactive games, and of course, many articles! While studying both psychology and writing, he realized his real passion in life was helping others unlock their creative spark. Whether he’s leading a D&D game, directing a production, or diving deep into the brain, you can be sure Sunny will be ushering you toward finding meaning in your life.